Delaying Feature Updates

I have just installed 1903 (Windows 10 Pro) from an ISO disc and wish to delay feature updates using GPedit

I would some help with the following instructions given by MS

When Selecting Semi-Annual Channel:
- You can defer receiving Feature Updates for up to 365 days.
- To prevent Feature Updates from being received on their scheduled time, you can temporarily pause them. The pause will remain in effect for 35 days from the start time provided.
- To resume receiving Feature Updates which are paused, clear the start date field.

For instance if I take the first option to delay receiving updates for x days does this mean I should not to enter a date for the 2nd option "Pause Preview Builds or Feature updates starting" ie Are the 2 options incompatable or if I can enter a date as well as delaying updates and if so how do I calculate what that Start date is and what does it mean

Many thanks

Mikey99 said:

I have just installed 1903 (Windows 10 Pro) from an ISO disc and wish to delay feature updates using GPedit
I would some help with the following instructions given by MS...

Welcome to Ten Forums Mikey99,


Those MS instruction are for deferring/pausing updates in Settings, rather than gpedit. The 'defer' and 'pause' settings work independently and have quite different effects. You can use one, the other, or both.

The two Defer settings specify how many days to wait after a feature or cumulative update is published before it will be listed as available in Windows Update.

The Pause function stops Windows Update from checking for updates and sets a date for it to resume. On resumption, your defer settings (if you have made any) will still apply as before.


Note that there is a bug in 1903 Pro which will make either of the Defer settings disappear from the Advanced options page if they are set to a non-zero number of days. Although you cannot see them in Settings once you have set a number of days, they are still active and will defer by the days you chose. See here for more on that...

The Strange Case of the Missing Pause Feature Update Setting

Bree said:

Welcome to Ten Forums Mikey99,

Note that there is a bug in 1903 Pro which will make either of the Defer settings disappear from the Advanced options page if they are set to a non-zero number of days. Although you cannot see them in Settings once you have set a number of days, they are still active and will defer by the days you chose. See here for more on that...

The Strange Case of the Missing Pause Feature Update Setting

For those already on 1909 - is this "bug" still present in Windows 10 Pro Advanced settings?

catspyjamas said:

For those already on 1909 - is this "bug" still present in Windows 10 Pro Advanced settings?

I have tested this in 1909 build 18363.418. Yes, this 'bug' is still there.

Bree said:

I have tested this in 1909 build 18363.418. Yes, this 'bug' is still there.

Thanks Bree. I had a feeling it might be. Has it actually even been acknowledged by MS as a bug? I'm wondering if it might be a 'feature' they've implemented (or rather - removed).

catspyjamas said:

Thanks Bree. I had a feeling it might be. Has it actually even been acknowledged by MS as a bug? I'm wondering if it might be a 'feature' they've implemented (or rather - removed).

No, MS have been silent on this one. Much of the initial press speculation had assumed MS just removed the Defer options from Advanced settings. But as I have shown the registry UX settings still exist, and setting them to zero makes the options reappear. So it would seem more likely that the options haven't been intentionally removed and that it is just a bug.


I understand that there are quite a few reports in the Feedback Hub on this. But as most users either haven't noticed, or (wrongly) assumed the feature has been removed, they don't get many up-votes.

The reason I had to use GPEdit is because the facility to defer updates is missing from the Settings page I originally installed Windows using the 1903 ISO from MS

Ok So I am probably being a bit thick here. I have defered feature updates for 120 days (I assume this is for 1909) but am not sure still what date if any I should enter to start pausing their installation Please advise on how I determine the date to enter

Thanks

Mikey99 said:

...I have defered feature updates for 120 days (I assume this is for 1909) but am not sure still what date if any I should enter to start pausing their installation Please advise on how I determine the date to enter

You don't enter a pause date, that's nothing to do with deferring updates. The 120 days you have set to defer Feature Updates will do that on its own. If/when 1909 is released (rumour has it that 12 Nov is the target date) then it will not be seen or installed by Windows Update until 120 day later (if rumour is correct, not until 11 March 2020). By deferring just the Feature Update you will continue to get Cumulative and other updates as normal.


The Pause Updates option is a quite separate and independent function that will stop Windows Update from checking for ANY updates (Feature, Cumulative, or any other type) until the pause date has been reached, whereupon it checks for all types of updates. If on that day it's still less than 120 since 1909 was released, your defer setting will still prevent Windows Update from offering the Feature Update.

Thanks for the detailed explanation

I think what I am trying to determine is the Date that my 120 days feature update deferment begins on Then after that time I can decide if I want to pause its installation by up to 35 days You mention 12th November Does this date (or whenever it happens to be ) apply to everyone defering updates as I believe not eveyone will be able to get 1909 at the same time

Mikey99 said:

I think what I am trying to determine is the Date that my 120 days feature update deferment begins on

It is 120 days from the public release date of the feature update.


For example, 1903 was released on 21 May 2019. If you are on 1803 with 'defer feature update' set to 0 days, then Windows Update will find and install the 1903 Feature Update.

If you set 'defer feature update' to 365 days then 1903 will not be available until 21 May 2020. But the Feature Update to 1809 was released more than 365 days ago, so Windows Update will find and install that one.