Stop Windows 10 Updates Properly and Completely

Like Matthew & some of the others, I have also relied on metered connections to avoid updates.
- I have not messed with any services.
- This has worked well.
- I do also manually check each known network if I have to repeat the metered defaults because if I have fiddled with their metered settings individually beforehand they can stop falling into line with the default setting.
- There were occasionally worrying 'last updated' indicators in Settings, Updates, WU so I have added in the withdrawal of permissions from usoclient.exe that is also described in this thread.
- I have still never needed to alter any services.

One of the benefits of the metered-connections-with-castrated-usoclient approach is that it is very easy to monitor and it does not change during a Windows session [updates that might change it do so during reboots].
- I run an elevated TS task triggered by Log on [separate TS task for each user because it needs an interface to report problems].
- If I have installed an update that has reset the default metered settings or usoclient ownership [set to Administrators as part of the permissions removal procedure given earlier in this thread], I get told within a few seconds of re/starting the computer.

This is the heart of my monitoring batch file. I have removed most of the reporting bits & bobs because they would merely be a distraction but [26/4/18] have added in a very, very basic reporting mechanism so that you can see it all working.

Code:

:: This must be run as Admin
prompt $g
Title CriticalSystemChecks
:: Check default metered settings
Set MeteringOutputFile=%Temp%\%Random%-MeteredCheck.txt
Set /a MeteringCounter=1
Set MeteringAlarm=Off
:CheckStatus
:: Set parameter to examine for each loop
If %MeteringCounter% EQU 1 Set MeteringCheck=WiFi
If %MeteringCounter% EQU 2 Set MeteringCheck=Ethernet
If %MeteringCounter% EQU 3 Set MeteringCheck=Default
Reg Query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\DefaultMediaCost"  /t REG_DWORD | Find "%MeteringCheck%    REG_DWORD" >%MeteringOutputFile%
set /p MeteringSetting=<%MeteringOutputFile%
If not "%MeteringSetting:*x=%"=="2"  (Set MeteringAlarm=On) & GoTo EndMeteredCheck
Set /a MeteringCounter=%MeteringCounter%+1
If %MeteringCounter% LEQ 3 GoTo CheckStatus
:EndMeteredCheck
del %MeteringOutputFile%
:: Report only if one or more are set to non-metered [i.e. their values were not 2 - this includes unexpected error values]
If "%MeteringAlarm%"=="Off" GoTo FindUSOClientOwner
Call :Reporting "Not all network types are metered"
GoTo FindUSOClientOwner

:FindUSOClientOwner
Set /a OutputCounter=0
Set Owner=
For /F "usebackq tokens=4 " %%X in (`dir "%WINDIR%\System32\UsoClient.exe" /q`) Do Call :ExtractOwner %%X
Set Owner=%Owner:*\=%
If "%Owner%"=="Administrators" GoTo NFA
Call :Reporting "USOClientOwner is not Administrators"
GoTo NFA

:ExtractOwner
:: Capture line 3
Set /a OutputCounter=%OutputCounter%+1
If %OutputCounter% EQU 3 Set Owner=%1
GoTo :EOF

:Reporting
:: This is normally a dialog box using variables set in each stage but mostly removed above to avoid distracting from the main point of the post
Pause This is a very, very basic reporting tool - %1
GoTo :EOF

:NFA
::Pause at end during testing

I hope this is useful,

Denis

Matthew,

No, nothing would. As I wrote above, the :Reporting section was removed to allow focus on the main point of the script.
- Under :Reporting add a pause line so you can see that it works.
- I've altered the script above to include this now.

I did not want to get into a big debate about the merits of different ways of reporting back to the user.

1 You could call a vbs procedure to bring up a MsgBox. I have posted each of my standard batch file [caller] and vbs file [callee] for MsgBox**, PopupBox** & InputBox.
** The first two include OnTheFly versions that require no calls to separate vbs files.

2 You could use a host of special-purpose reporting tools. I use an hta procedure that is run by a batch file [caller] and VBS file [callee]. [Edited 11:18 BST Thursday 26th April 2018] I call it CustomMsgBox. The batch file, the VBS file, an explanatory document and some sample Taskbar icons for them are posted online for download in the same folder as the tools in para 1.

Denis

Here's a small freeware you guys might want to take a look ie. Stopupdates10:
Download StopUpdates10 1.0.7

One click to stop, one click to resume.

Matthew,

1 You have set Wifi, Ethernet & Default to metered [2]?
2 You have given ownership of usoclient to administrators [as part of disabling it using the procedure somebody posted earlier on in this thread]?
3 You are running the batch file as admin? The FindUSOClientOwner section always fails if you do not do so.

I ran this version of the batch file on my own computer to make sure that I had not made a mistake when chopping out the reporting subroutines. It works correctly.

Try seeing what fails by taking out the :: on the last line so it waits for you to close it.

Denis

Matthew,

I have added a very, very basic reporting mechanism to the :Reporting sub-routine and have also added arguments to both the Call :Reporting lines to support that.

Denis

Matthew,

I have not used it in anything other than an English-language computer and I know nothing of developing international versions.
- Having said that, I read your earlier posts and thought the relevant parts would be the same.
- I have always thought that the batch file commands themselves were the same in all language versions.

In my English-language version -

1 The metered settings key looks like this

so if yours has the same key path-name & displays the same values that part of it should work.

2 The response to the core part of the USOClient check

Code:

dir "C:\WINDOWS\System32\UsoClient.exe" /q

looks like this when entered in an Admin command window on its own

so if your response has the same layout [BUILTIN\Administrators] & the same spelling of Administrators it should work

2.1 Administrators is the name of the user group to which all admin-level user accounts belong. You can check the spelling in use on your computer by entering the command
net user <YourAdminAccountUserName>
then checking the spelling used on the Local Group Memberships line of the output


2.2 The batch file lines

Code:

Set Owner=%Owner:*\=%
If "%Owner%"=="Administrators" GoTo NFA

remove the \ and everything before it from ... BUILTIN\Administrators then compare the remaining characters to the word "Administrators" because that is the ownership achieved by the first command in the procedure to remove permissions from USOClient.exe

Code:

takeown /f "%systemroot%\System32\UsoClient.exe" /a

[see, for example, post #25 above]

In case this does not resolve matters, I have posted a text file showing the whole progress of a successful run of the batch file. At which line do your results differ?

Denis