What Windows updates can be removed. Uninstall Windows updates. Cancel automatic update

Windows Update is an important component of operating system security from external and internal threats. However, the central heating service is also subject to errors, which disrupts the natural progression of system improvements with updates. In such cases, the user needs to intervene in the system update process in order for the OS to continue to work like a clock.

Reasons to remove old updates

The reasons for deleting old updates can be very varied:

• saving disk space;
• low-quality (disturbing the operation of the system), outdated update;
• update files were installed with an error, etc.

Each of the reasons stated is sufficient to interfere with the operation of the system in order to debug it.

As my experience shows, in operating systems that have been running for six months or more, it is almost necessary to remove old updates. Firstly, updates clutter up the system disk, and the more space there is, the better Windows works. Secondly, updates can overlap each other, which causes file paths to become confusing, which also incorrectly affects the system’s performance.

Is it possible to remove updates?

Of course, updates can be removed, but with some nuances:

• the update must be removed correctly. Regular deletion of files will lead to undesirable consequences, including the crash of the operating system;
• Not all updates can be removed. Some, especially those related to Windows Defender, are vital to the secure operation of the system;
• You need to be careful when choosing which update to remove. It is quite possible that it is not old and unnecessary. This means that the system will install the update again.

Removing old updates

If it comes to removing irrelevant updates, the user has a whole range of options to complete the uninstallation procedure. You don't have to deny yourself anything: the command line, the good old update log, and even the rarely used disk cleanup tool. The uninstallation process itself is similar to uninstalling a simple program, with only one exception - after that you need to restart the computer.

Removal via "Control Panel"

The interface of the “Control Panel” (CP) element is increasingly reduced in capabilities with each update of Windows 10. However, it is impossible to completely replace it with the “Settings” of the computer, and most applets are still in full working order. Uninstalling programs and updates is no exception.

Some updates, especially Office service packs, do not require a restart. But my experience shows that if you do not restart your computer immediately and access deleted files, you may experience some freezes and slowdowns of the computer.

Removal via Settings Windows 10

The Settings environment also includes the ability to remove programs, components, and system updates.

Uninstall via command line

The Command Line tool allows you to do almost everything with the operating system - from restarting processes and the system as a whole, to uninstalling programs and updates.

Removal through a third-party program

The modern software market offers almost a full range of “substitutes” for standard utilities from Microsoft. Removing programs and components is no exception. Such products are often more convenient in terms of interface and functionality compared to Windows utilities. One such program is Revo Uninstaller.

Through system disk cleanup

The only "true" way to remove really old old and unnecessary updates is with the system's Disk Cleanup utility. In this case, the system itself will automatically determine which updates can be removed.

The process of removing updates is very long and should definitely not be interrupted. The case shown above, with the deletion of 2.66 GB of update files, lasted more than an hour.

How to clear the update cache, fix the error of uninstalled or stuck updates in Windows 10

Often, in cases where the Internet blinks, power surges occur, and in some others, downloading updates may occur with errors. In such situations, the operation of the update service is disrupted; it tries to access files that contain an error, which causes the whole process to go wrong. Updates cannot be installed, or they can, but at the same time they carry an error, which can affect the performance of the entire system. User intervention is required to troubleshoot.

How to remove the update icon

Users of Windows 7, 8, 8.1 will sooner or later have an icon appear on the notification panel that will say that the system can be updated to Windows 10. In fact, this means that sooner or later the update will happen almost forcibly, against the will of the user. If you don't want this to happen, you just need to uninstall one update.

Prohibition of installing individual updates

Microsoft has provided a special mechanism for uninstalling certain updates. This feature is not particularly replicated to ensure that users install absolutely all expected updates.

Problems uninstalling updates

As my extensive experience with Tens updates shows, there are practically no problems with deletions. The only thing that can harm the system is the removal of current and necessary updates. This will lead to undesirable consequences and incorrect operation of system files. Therefore, it is very important to delete only old and unnecessary updates and to properly clear the update cache.

The system is subject to so-called external risks, when software failures cannot correctly perform their tasks. Problems with removal in the vast majority of cases occur in two cases:

• when system files are damaged by viruses;
• when system or update files are damaged by disk errors.

First of all, if any operating system errors occur, you need to check your computer for viruses and malware. To do this, you need to use more than one program, this will increase the possibility of detection.

After checking, you need to scan system files, as well as the file system.

1. Open the command line as administrator.
2. We enter two commands one by one:
   • sfc /scannow - checks system files and, if necessary, restores missing elements;
   • chkdsk C: /f /r - checks the disk for errors and, if necessary, corrects damaged sectors.
3. We definitely wait until the process is completed. Each running utility runs for quite a long time, sometimes more than one hour.

System rollback after unsuccessful updates

System updates often affect core system files. Therefore, in the event of possible failures during an update, important components of the OS may be so damaged that Windows simply stops loading. In order not to lose important data, it is recommended to regularly create system restore points. This tool will help you get your OS back up and running if updates, viruses, or disk errors cause Windows to crash.

In order to use the restore point tool when the OS is not working, you need to have a bootable Windows 10 USB flash drive.

In my personal experience, sometimes a restore point is not enough to get the system back to working order. Personally, I think it’s better to accept it and do a clean installation of the system from the latest distribution, which already has all the necessary updates installed. If the update became so crooked that the operating system crashed, there is no guarantee that re-installation will not lead to the same result.

Video: how to launch a restore point

Clearing the update log

The update log contains information about all attempts to install updates, drivers and programs by the system. Essentially this is useless information that can also be deleted.

It is worth clarifying that the above instructions will only delete the update log, that is, information about them. The updates themselves will be in perfect order, their list with the ability to delete each individual update will still be present in the Control Panel applet.

Video: How to clear Windows 10 update history

It is very easy to remove a particular OS update. You just need to not deviate from the instructions above and not delete anything unnecessary.

Greetings to all users who want to learn more about their computer, Trishkin Denis is with you again.

At some point, many owners of complex computing devices are faced with a situation where they run out of space on the system disk. This is due to constant Windows updates, a cluttered desktop, or insufficient initial volume layout. The last problem is solved by increasing the volume. The main screen is cleaned by hand. But how to remove old Windows 7 updates? After all, initially it was impossible to do this. Don't worry - there is a way.

During the installation of system updates, old files are replaced with new ones and remain on the computer. They can be found in the WinSxS directory, which is located in the Windows folder. This approach allows you to cancel the latest addition at any time, as a result of which the computer will remain fully operational.

But on the other hand, as the OS is constantly updated, the folder grows significantly in size. So, it turns out that the longer Windows is installed on the computer, the larger the size of the WinSxS directory. This worries many users, especially those with small system volumes.

From the very beginning, Windows did not have built-in uninstall capabilities. So we had to use various “dark” ways to bypass the protection and still clear the desired directory.

As a result, Microsoft decided to release update KB2852386. This is what allows you to say goodbye to unused versions of add-ons. This product is a disk cleanup wizard in the OS and is called Windows Cleanup Tool.

Important! The update is optional. It is installed on the corresponding tab in the wizard. Or you can download it manually.

Installation Requirements( )

You need to know that this add-on is only suitable for Windows 7 updated to SP1.

In case of downloading the utility manually from the company’s website, users are asked to confirm the authenticity of the OS using programs. If installation is via built-in capabilities, validation is not carried out.

How to remove old updates?( )

The first thing many people want to know is not even how, but is it possible to delete these files at all? I can safely answer – yes. After all, they are no longer used by the system anyway.

So, to delete unused files from drive C, you need to:

Automate the process on multiple devices( )

If there is a need to carry out this procedure on several devices at once, there is no need to carry out a long list of procedures on each one. You just need to automate the system.

This is done using a register to which minor adjustments are made.

To do this in: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Update Cleanup parameter is created DWORD, to which we assign the value “ 2 "and call StateFlags0022. The last two digits may be different, the main thing is to remember them.

Hello, my dear friends, readers and colleagues in the computer field!

Recently I installed several updates for the system and noticed that it began to slow down quite a bit. The speed of work has decreased, videos have begun to slow down, and I’m generally silent about games, the drop in frame rate is generally terrible. To solve this problem I had to remove some service packs. And I decided to tell you how updates are cleaned in Windows 7, and how it can speed up your computer! Let's go!

What can this do?

Let's imagine you installed an update, and now the system is loading endlessly. This is already a specific bug. Or another situation: after installing the service pack, a conflict arises when starting a game that refers to the graphics library. Not comme il faut either, would you agree? Unfortunately, sometimes updates are installed crookedly, or they are downloaded with broken segments, or they are initially made poorly.

All this can greatly damage the system. It will start to slow down, some software will stop opening, the processor load will be maximum, and the temperature inside the case may rise significantly.

In such difficult cases, you should wisely remove updates one by one until a significant increase in speed and stability is visible. This can be done manually, but it is very difficult, and for users who do not have specialized skills, such an operation is not possible. But there is a simpler and more reliable option. This is what we will look at below.

Via control panel

A standard method that everyone who has ever reinstalled Windows will use. So let's open start and go to control Panel.

Go to the section programs.

You can do everything differently. Open the execute line and write the command there - wuapp.

In the update center, click on this line.

An interface will open with all installed service packs and updates.

Select with the left button and press the delete button that appears.

Or select any one and click the same button in the top line.

A warning window will appear, in it we click “ Yes».

We are waiting for the process to complete.

That's all.

Via command line

Open the menu start and go to the tab all programs.

Now right-click on the command line tab and select from the list run as administrator.

In the black command line window, enter the following command: wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:*******. Instead of asterisks, you need to indicate the serial number of the Microsoft update package. For example - KB4025341.

Once the package is found, you will be prompted to remove it.

By the way, if you enter the command - wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:4025341 /quiet, then the files will be deleted in the background without warning the user.

Removing via Disk Cleanup

What to do if you didn’t succeed in either the first or second option? Click on the button start and open my computer.

Right-click on the logical partition with the operating system. Next we go to properties such.

Select a tab general and there we click on the button disk cleanup.

Now click on cleaning system files.

The process of counting all data will begin.

Now check the boxes in these sections and click OK.

In the window that appears, click on deletion.

The hard drive will be cleaned.

There we go to the block administration and then look for the block services.

Now we write this path in the explorer line. Copy carefully - C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\

We do this in both folders.

Conclusion

Well, that’s all, now you know what to do if you need to remove updates that are slowing down your computer. I tested all these methods myself, they are one hundred percent working and any of them will help you. By the way, here is an excellent video about this.

Well, this is where I will end this material. Share it in social projects with friends and interest groups. Subscribe to the blog and you will always know when new articles are published. All the best and see you on the site!

Unfortunately, many users note that some updates released for our popular Windows 7 operating system can often (most often due to their shortcomings) cause unexpected failures and errors, not only the latest ones, but also clearly outdated ones. In addition, the updates themselves take up too much space on the hard drive. How to remove old updates to Windows 7 Ultimate, Home, or any other modifications released later? By and large, this is not impossible. The only question is how appropriate such actions are. In most cases, this concerns cleaning up disk space when there is not enough space for user needs or to prevent the occurrence of all kinds of conflicts.

Is it possible to remove old updates for Windows 7 and similar versions of the system?

Speaking about the possibility of completely removing outdated updates that the user does not need, it can be noted that it is indeed possible to get rid of them. This will not harm the system, especially since in all modifications for which the release of updates is constantly announced by Microsoft, this possibility is provided initially. The only trouble is that it is almost impossible to perform such operations manually.

When searching for updates, files are placed in a special directory WinSxS, which is located directly in the main system directory on drive “C”, but subfolders and files cannot be deleted in the usual way in Explorer, if only because they can be accessed even if the user is an administrator at least three times , can be completely blocked. How to remove old updates for Windows 7 Home or any other version of the OS, including earlier and later ones? The average user can be offered at least three options for actions that can be performed independently.

How to remove old Windows 7 updates: the simplest method

So, for starters, you can use the standard means of cleaning the system partition. In Explorer, through the RMB menu on the system disk, select the properties item and on the immediately presented general settings tab, click the disk cleanup button.

After the system scans objects that can be safely disposed of, click the additional button to clean system files, and in the expanded list that appears, select the necessary items. The previous system installation item or the update item is responsible for removing updates. After that, all that remains is to confirm the cleaning process. The process may take quite a long time, so you will have to be patient.

Selective removal of updates using system tools

Now a few words about how to selectively remove old Windows 7 updates. To do this, you can use an equally simple technique.

In the “Control Panel” (control), select the programs and components section, in the window with the list of applications presented, go to the item viewing installed updates, which is located in the menu on the left, scroll through the list, mark the package that is no longer needed (all names of system updates begin with the letters “KB” "), then simply click the delete button at the top. After completing all steps, do not forget to reboot the system.

Using uninstaller programs

Now let's see how to remove old Windows 7 update files using automated applications. For example, let's take the iObit Uninstaller program, which is considered one of the most powerful in its class.

In the application menu, go to the Windows updates section (it can be called up either from the list on the left or by clicking the button at the top right), then sort the packages by installation date, mark the ones you don’t need and click the uninstall button. Using such utilities is convenient because you can get rid of updates in batch mode, that is, remove several at a time. It is impossible to perform such an operation using standard system tools (updates will have to be removed one at a time).

Note: in the second and third ways you can also get rid of unnecessary self-installed Office packages.

How to completely disable the installation of updates?

We figured out how to remove old Windows 7 updates. But the main problem is precisely that with automatic installation of updates activated, the system will still search for and install them, regardless of whether the user needs them or not. Here you can do two things. In the first case, in the Update Center you can activate a manual search and exclude unnecessary packages from the list (this is especially often necessary to prevent the installation of faulty updates that cause critical errors).

In the second option, you can disable Update Center altogether by using the services section (services.msc), where you need to stop the services shown in the image above and set manual start in the start type field. Again, after saving the options, it is advisable to perform a complete restart of the computer (not logging out of the system or account, but rebooting).

Note: to disable the installation of updates for office applications only, simply deactivate the item to search for and install updates for other Microsoft software products.

Bottom line

In principle, the problem of how to remove old Windows 7 updates can be solved by creating special keys in the system registry and then launching an automated process from the command console or using the PowerShell toolkit, but such procedures may seem too complicated for the average user development, so they were not considered. In addition, you can create troubles in the registry, such that the entire system refuses to work (if anyone doesn’t know, all changes are saved automatically, and there is absolutely no way to cancel or roll back completed actions). But, returning to the main question, we can say that the three listed methods will be enough for ordinary users, as they say, to get by. In addition, by using such techniques, no matter how hard you try, you will not cause damage to the functionality of the system itself, even despite the fact that almost all released updates are aimed at eliminating security problems.

System update - necessity or excess? Well-functioning mechanism of a Swiss watch or a chaotic flow of data? Sometimes situations arise when it is necessary to remove updates that, in theory, should stabilize the operation of Windows 10 or other systems. The reasons may be different, be it an incorrectly installed upgrade or a reluctance to make changes to save space on the hard drive.

How to remove the latest installed updates on Windows 10

It often happens that a freshly installed OS update harms the performance of your computer. Problems can occur for a number of reasons:

• the update may have installed with errors;
• the update does not support the drivers that are installed for the correct operation of your PC;
• When installing updates, problems occurred that resulted in critical errors and disruption of the operating system;
• the update is out of date and did not install;
• the update was installed two or more times;
• errors occurred when downloading updates;
• errors occurred on the hard drive on which the update is being installed, etc.

Photo gallery: errors when installing Windows 10 updates

Windows Update database corruption errors Duplicate Windows 10 update in Update history Updates failed due to hard drive failure

Uninstalling updates via Control Panel

1. Open the “Control Panel”. To do this, right-click on the Windows icon in the lower left corner of the screen and select “Control Panel”.

   Right-click on the Start menu and open Control Panel

2. In the window that opens, among the set of elements for managing your OS, we find the “Programs and Features” item.

   In the "Control Panel" select the "Programs and Features" item

3. At the top left we find the link “View installed updates”.

   In the left column, select “View installed updates”

4. Click on the update you need. By default, it is sorted by date, which means that the required update will be among the top if several upgrades were installed at once, or at the top when only one was installed. It needs to be removed if it is because of it that problems arose. Left-click on the element, thereby activating the “Delete” button.

   Select the required update from the list and remove it by clicking on the corresponding button

5. Confirm the deletion and restart the computer. Some updates may not require a reboot.

Uninstalling updates via Windows Update

1. Open the Start menu and select the Settings item.

   Select the “Settings” item by opening the “Start” menu

2. In the window that opens, select the “Update and Security” environment.

   Click on the item “Update and Security”

3. In the “Windows Update” tab, click on “Update History”.

   In Windows Update, look at the Update History.

4. Click the “Uninstall updates” button. Select the upgrade you are interested in and remove it by clicking on the corresponding button.

   Click “Remove updates” and remove incorrect upgrades

Uninstalling updates via the command line

Instead of [update number], enter the numbers from the second column of the list displayed by the command line. The first command will remove the update and reboot the computer, the second will do the same, only it will reboot if necessary.

All updates are removed in similar ways. You only need to choose which upgrade will incorrectly affect the operation of the OS.

How to delete Windows 10 updates folder

The magic folder is named WinSxS; all updates are downloaded into it. After a long service life of the operating system, this directory becomes increasingly overgrown with data that is in no hurry to be deleted. No wonder experienced people say: Windows takes up exactly as much space as it is given.

Do not delude yourself into thinking that the problem can be solved with one press of the Delete key. A simple, rough deletion of the folder with updates in any version of Windows can lead to deterioration of the OS, slowdown, freezing, refusal of other updates and other “joys”. This directory should be cleaned using operating system tools. This safe operation will free up as much memory as possible.

There are several ways to optimize the updates folder:

• Disk Cleanup utility;
• using the command line.

Let's consider both methods in order.

The second method is even faster, but it does not clean the entire system or other disk and deals exclusively with OS updates.

How to cancel a Windows 10 update

Unfortunately or fortunately, canceling Windows 10 OS updates is not so easy. In the simple settings you will not find a clause about refusing to receive new upgrades. A similar function is not included in the “Ten”, because the developers promise lifelong support for this system, which means they guarantee its stability. However, threats, new viruses and similar “surprises” appear every day - accordingly, your OS must be updated in parallel with them. Therefore, it is not recommended to disable system updates, although this can be done in a workaround.

1. Right-click on the “This PC” icon on the desktop and select “Manage.”

   Using the context menu of the “This PC” icon, go to “Management”

2. Select the “Services and Applications” tab. In it we enter “Services”.

   Open the “Services” of the computer through the “Services and Applications” tab

3. Scroll down the list to the required Windows Update service and launch it by double-clicking.

   Open Windows Update properties by double-clicking

4. In the window that opens, change the filter in the “Startup type” column to “Disabled”, confirm the changes with the OK button and restart the computer.

   Change the “Startup type” of the service to “Disabled”, save the changes and restart the computer

Video: How to cancel Windows 10 update

How to delete Windows 10 update cache

Another option for cleaning and optimizing your system is to clear cached information files. A full update cache can affect system performance, cause it to constantly search for new updates, etc.

Video: How to clear Windows 10 update cache

Programs to remove Windows 10 updates

Windows Update MiniTool is a free and easy-to-manage program that helps you customize the Windows 10 update environment to your liking.

Windows Update MiniTool - a program for working with Windows updates

This utility looks for the latest updates, can remove old ones, reinstall upgrades, and much more. This software product also allows you to refuse updates.

Revo Uninstaller is a powerful program similar to the Windows Add or Remove Programs service.

Revo Uninstaller - a program for working with software and OS updates

This is a functional application manager that allows you to track how and when the operating system or any individual application was updated. Among the advantages is the ability to remove updates and applications in a list, rather than one at a time, which significantly reduces the time it takes to clean your device. The disadvantages include the complex interface and the general list for programs and updates, which is divided in the Windows service.

Why is the update not uninstalled?

An update cannot be uninstalled only because of an error or a series of errors that occurred during installation or operation of the patch update. The Windows system is not ideal: every now and then problems arise due to the load on the OS, inaccuracies in the network, viruses, and hardware failures. Thus, critical errors when installing an update may be located in the registry in which the update data is recorded, or in the hard drive sector where the update files are stored.

How to remove uninstallable updates

There are no standard methods for removing the “unremovable”. The occurrence of such a situation means that your device has critical errors that interfere with the correct operation of the operating system. It is necessary to take a whole range of measures to solve this problem:

• check your computer for viruses using several defender programs;
• carry out comprehensive diagnostics of the hard drive using specialized programs;
• run the registry cleaning utility;
• defragment hard drives;
• run the Windows repair service from the installation disc.

If all these measures do not lead to the desired result, contact a specialist or reinstall the operating system. The last measure, albeit drastic, will definitely solve the problem.

Updating the system is not scary. However, to maintain your computer's performance, you must ensure that all updates are installed promptly and correctly.