will windows respect my group policy rule

if i set windows updates to disabled in the group policy like this:-


then will windows respect that rule and not force build 1903 on me even after my current version reaches end of life? i know that if i click on check updates then the updates will automatically get downloaded and installed but if i never click it then i will never get any updates? the problem is that microsoft cheats and i am worried that they will override that policy rule. for example i have heard of cases of when updates were forced when the internet connection was set to metered and that is cheating

cns00 said:

then will windows respect that rule and not force build 1903 on me even after my current version reaches end of life? i know that if i click on check updates then the updates will automatically get downloaded and installed but if i never click it then i will never get any updates?

Yes, with that policy set to Disabled then you should only be able to get updates by a manual check for updates. Of course, a manual check will find the Feature Update for 1903. Further down in the Help pane it says...

If the status for this policy is set to Disabled, any updates that are available on Windows Update must be downloaded and installed manually...

have you tested it before and you can confirm that the group policy rule was always respected and nothing was forced on you when it is on disabled as long as you never manually check for updates?

'Never' is a long time so testing could take forever

MS state the policy disables any automatic updates, with a manual check being the only way to get any update once the policy is set to 'disabled'. I'm inclined to take them at their word.

However, I know you are looking at Sledgehammer in other threads. That would be my recommendation if you want to be really sure.


However, have you actually tried 1903? I've not found any problems with it. If you first make a system image with something like Macrium Reflect Free you could test 1903, safe in the knowledge that you could restore your current system at any time.

i believe that "if something is working then there is no need to fix it". thus if my pc is ok and all is well then there is no need to experiment and try using a new build

i have read TOO many horror stories about how things got spoilt when 1903 was installed like user profiles are getting corrupted when you upgrade and you are getting signed in with a temporary profile which is empty, drivers are getting corrupted when you upgrade, laptop is freezing during games, there are fps drops in games, vpn connection doesnt work anymore, cortana bugs, search assistant bugs and so on. i have developed a phobia because of what i read. i know that i can take a full image and revert to it but that is a hassle

cns00 said:

i believe that "if something is working then there is no need to fix it". thus if my pc is ok and all is well then there is no need to experiment and try using a new build...

That's your prerogative and I respect that. The downside is that you have to start experimenting as to how to stop any upgrades

i have read TOO many horror stories...

The worst that happened to me was that on one of my half-dozen or so upgrades it forgot my WiFi password, so I had to type it in again.

you got lucky. others are not as lucky as u

cns00 said:

you got lucky. others are not as lucky as u

The unlucky ones shout the loudest, so they appear to be a far larger group than the small minority that they most likely are.

cns00 said:

...i have read TOO many horror stories about how things got spoilt when 1903 was installed like user profiles are getting corrupted when you upgrade and you are getting signed in with a temporary profile which is empty, drivers are getting corrupted when you upgrade, laptop is freezing during games, there are fps drops in games, vpn connection doesnt work anymore, cortana bugs, search assistant bugs and so on. i have developed a phobia because of what i read. i know that i can take a full image and revert to it but that is a hassle

You forgot malaria...
If you listen to the last TV news, you will not want to go out of your home...
But what if you could have a backup of yourself?

Backup is not a hassle. It is a MUST, esp. nowadays that backup & restore takes (in most cases) less than 10 minutes. So you may easily try before you buy and do not pay attention to...syndromes.
Backup is the best medicine.

As for 1903, it's as "bad" as any older build (and a little or much better). That means, go for it!

PS: Of course you may stay on any build you like and for (manually) updates you may go to Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019 update history and have your PC (manually) updated, regardless of Build.

I have been running 1903 on 2 computers for several months now with no issues. Both were upgrades from Windows 7. I took the precaution of making an image backup before proceeding. With programs like Macrium it is so easy to make backups it is hard to justify not doing so. I first started with a secondary computer. The initial intention was to test it for several weeks before upgrading my main computer. But it worked so well I waited only a few days.

I believe the large majority of people are running Windows 10 1903 with no issues. But you rarely hear from them. People do not join a forum just to say everything is working well. They only do that when they have a problem they can't solve themselves. And human nature being what it is they are often very vocal.