Fresh Install want to go online ONLY to activate, stopping all updates

I have gone through the tutorials and a few seem to fit what i need to a degree but nothing mentions what i want to do and that is go online activate the machine and NOTHING else, no windows updates no driver updates, nothing.

Right now i am runninghome when key is for pro version 1809 build 17763.379, so i want to go online activate back to pro so i can do some tinkering before i go online and do updates etc, if anyone has any suggestions for the best way to do this i'd be glad to hear your thoughts.

All1

f14tomcat said:

Before you go online, pause updates, enable the 'net, let it activate. Then do as you wish.

If only it was that easy, when i go Windows Updates/Advanced options i see no pause option open to me.

All1

Alloneword said:

If only it was that easy, when i go Windows Updates/Advanced options i see no pause option open to me.

Pause is only available in Pro, not Home (or at least, not yet - it will be in 1903 Home).

I'm wondering why you fresh-installed Home when you have a key for Pro. I'm guessing it's because the PC was originally supplied with W8/8.1/10 Home pre-installed so it has a Home key embedded in the bios. For a clean install Setup would find this key and skip asking you for one, installing Home because that's what the key in the bios is for.

Have you upgraded this PC from Home to Pro before? If so it has a digital licence for Pro. If that is the case you should be able to upgrade the Home to Pro by entering the generic Pro key while online.

As for stopping updates in Home, set your network connection as Metered. That will stop all but the most essential updates, those that MS deems absolutely necessary. From experience, these are the Flash security updates and the antivirus malware protection platform. All other updates should be blocked.

But a better approach would be to do a clean install of Pro in the first place. You can do this by placing a PID.txt file in the \Sources folder of your install usb.

NavyLCDR said:

...use a PID.txt file instead.

[PID]
value=VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

That will cause Windows 10 PRO to install without asking you for a product key or which version you want to install. If you have a digital entitlement for Windows 10 Pro saved on Microsoft activation servers, it will activate automatically. If you don't, then you will have to go to the activation screen, change product key, and enter your ... Pro product key to activate it.

Installation does NOT ask for key during install Solved - Windows 10 Forums

f14tomcat said:

@Alloneword

Any luck with these instructions

Fresh Install want to go online ONLY to activate, stopping all updates - Windows 10 Forums

and repeated after?

Yea that done it, so many hidden menus and options in 10 it's a joke but set limit to 1mb and renew day was tomorrow so it only done the activation which is what i wanted so many thanks everyone for your help, I will now go away and take an image and set up a recover drive, then work my way through drivers and updates till i have the OS up and running up to date then i can mess about with classic and a couple of O&O apps to get rid of some junk, missing 7 hugely but guess i have to move with the times

Once again many thanks everyone for your help and input

All1