Bad updates

I read this from an email I got this morning and as I have not been home for three months I am wondering if I am going to fall foul of something similar when I get back home and fire those machines up.
https://www.howtogeek.com/298940/microsoft-please-stop-breaking-my-pc-with-windows-10s-automatic-updates/

The article mentions that Microsoft having installed this update have not done the right thing and left owners to clean up the mess this update caused. So my query is why are Microsoft not testing updates out more thoroughly in the first place - after all they have had 10 out for long enough now for it to have at least some semblance of "balance".

Hi, the consensus is MS must have sacked a lot of its QA staff, and must be relying on the courageous Insiders as its beta testers. Perhaps on the same principle as the linked Help that used to be available in Win 7 has vanished, it's now relying on the community.

It's certainly true bad things have happened to some as a result of some major updates. I believe I read recently MS is to provide more user control of updates.

Meanwhile there are various methods of controlling or disabling updates, and perhaps some ideas are
a. delay major upgrades as long as possible (there's one coming next month) and wait for the flak to die down
b. watch the News section here for the relevant update (there's a thread per update or upgrade)
c. act defensively. Maintain your disk image set (we recommend e.g. Macrium Reflect (free) and update your image set before applying an update, and afterwards if successful.

Hi, the consensus is MS must have sacked a lot of its QA staff, and must be relying on the courageous Insiders as its beta testers. Perhaps on the same principle as the linked Help that used to be available in Win 7 has vanished, it's now relying on the community.

Thanks dalchina that sort of supports my own theory on what is going on in the M$ camp and frankly it stinks of greed - again!!

I hope too you are right about the control over updates because at this rate we are going to be stuck with broken machine left right and centre. That in itself would not be so bad if Microsoft was willing to help out with a fix but as I read in some articles there is not even an apology which is pretty bloody ordinary.

Now I shall do what you suggest as to delaying major stuff but as the system will just go ahead and do it that in itself means that one cannot get on the net because just being there leaves the door open for M$ to dump their load.

I do as a matter of course image with Macrium on all my machines and as I have been in hospital since the beginning of January perhaps I have missed some of the rot but it will be nerve racking all the same when I do fire them up (1 desktop and 1 laptop plus one I want to dual boot) the other machines are all 7 thank goodness.

There are different ways you can inhibit or delay updates and upgrades. The Tutorial section includes ideas.
E.g. set Wifi and Ethernet as metered connections; disable Windows update (and if using Defender then set your own scheduled task to update it);




- Settings, Updates, Advanced, Defer... (E.g. Pro not home).

Ok well I am getting a bit outside myself here as updates ahve cropped up in another thread I am in and Night Hawk has linked me to this tutorial Hide or Show Windows Updates in Windows 10 which sounds like a go for me.
The thing I don't agree with is that Home users are or have been quite restricted as to what settings they have(and can use) that sort of sticks in ones craw.

You may be reassured that (finally) MS is responding to this in next month's upgrade:
Future Windows 10 updates will require 35-65% less space, offer better Windows Update controls - ExtremeTech
Frustrated by reboot-happy Windows 10? Creators Update hopes to take away the pain • The Register