How to get the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

Windows Update just changed to preparing to install updates and then I received these.

I had planned on a manual clean installation. Do I have no choice but to do the upgrade now or can I keep delaying it somehow?

you can delay it for as long as it shows in that menu you have up there, but after that it will install by itself.

You can delay it by remembering to go the the same menu and altering the date every 5 - 6 days. At some point the ability to reschedule will be gone or at some point you will forget to alter the date. Then the update happens when you least expect it. Been there done that.

f14tomcat said:

Agree with all the above. Delay it until 10/31 for now, that's a week out. Get yourself backed up and cleaned up. Use the MCT to get a bootable thumb or DVD, or the ISO to make your own. Or both. Then you can do your clean install before you have to delay again.

Create Bootable USB Flash Drive to Install Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials

Sounds like a plan.

Suppose I hadn't manually checked for the update is it very likely it would have auto downloaded very soon anyway?

Kol12 said:

Sounds like a plan.

Suppose I hadn't manually checked for the update is it very likely it would have auto downloaded very soon anyway?

Check out this tutorial and finds the best option for your case until you are ready to do the clean install:

Enable or Disable Windows Update Automatic Updates in Windows 10

I delayed the installation to Tuesday 31 October but when am I able to further delay it because Restart options has been grayed out again...

Kol12 said:

Windows Update just changed to preparing to install updates and then I received these.

I had planned on a manual clean installation. Do I have no choice but to do the upgrade now or can I keep delaying it somehow?

There is another choice to delaying the update re-start...and that is to delete the downloaded update files.

Copy the following text and save as "erase_download.bat" then run the batch file as "administrator"

takeown /f c:\windows\softwaredistribution\download /r /d y
net stop wuauserv
CD %Windir%
CD SoftwareDistribution
rmdir /S /Q Download
md Download
net start wuauserv

The above will let you "Take Ownership" of the downloaded update files, stop the Windows Update service, delete the "Download" folder, then recreate an empty version of the Download folder, then re-start the Windows Update service.

You also want to delete the C:\$WINDOWS.~BT folder off the root drive.

Then, turn off Windows Insider so you don't download any more updates for now. You can turn it on again when you decide to rejoin the program.