Taskbar icon - Windows Update Status - how to KILL it?

Hello All,

I have a desktop and a laptop both running Win10x64. I've had the desktop for a longer time, and I can't remember how I managed to completely kill off anything update related. It's been so quiet on that front for a year+ now that I completely forgot about fighting against update-pushing hell!

But the laptop is new, and I've been tailoring it to my needs for a week or two now, in a piecemeal kind of way.

I CANNOT get rid of the Windows Update Status notification icon in the Taskbar (little rectangle with cycling arrows, with an exclamation marked red disc on top). Although it's disabled, or "turned off", in that horribly iPad-looking preference pane ("Select which icons appear in the taskbar"), it's still there.

Can someone please help?

Thanks for your reply.

Version 10.0.17134 Build 17134

EDIT: Feature? I crave for a feature which would let me tell Windows not to do anything about updates; not downloading, not telling me anything about it — not even going to check if there's anything new. Just stay put and do what (and only what) I tell Windows to do.

Thanks a lot! This is just great and seems to work flawlessly.
I searched the forum but couldn't find this.
[SOLVED]