Windows 10 How do I turn off automatic driver update in Windows 10 AU

[Lester]

The ways that used to work to turn off automatic driver updates no longer work in Windows 10 AU. I have a laptop with two video chips and the default one doesn't work right in Windows 10. I have removed it in the device manager and uninstalled the drivers. But it just turns around and reinstalls it again. I've set the GPO setting that used to stop this, but it doesn't work anymore. Nor can I make the change in the BIOS - this is an HP laptop and has no setting to do this.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Neemobeer]

I had a similar issue with a video driver on a different laptop. You can hide updates with this https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3073930 ,but Windows can still end up installing the driver before you hide the update. The best solution I've come up with is let Windows install the driver that breaks, then go into Device Manager and right click the device and select rollback driver. This should rollback to the working driver and will leave the broken driver installed. Windows shouldn't try and update since the driver is already installed.

 

[Lester]

I had a similar issue with a video driver on a different laptop. You can hide updates with this https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3073930 ,but Windows can still end up installing the driver before you hide the update. The best solution I've come up with is let Windows install the driver that breaks, then go into Device Manager and right click the device and select rollback driver. This should rollback to the working driver and will leave the broken driver installed. Windows shouldn't try and update since the driver is already installed.

Thanks. I haven't found any drivers for this chip that actually work, so I simply want to get rid of it totally. I can't roll back because there is no driver to roll back to. The driver doesn't show up on Windows Update when I delete the video chip in device manager, so I can't hide it. When I reboot, Windows finds the chip and reinstalls the driver, again making it impossible to hide it.

 

[Neemobeer]

Just disable the device in Device Manager then

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

This fix that neemo provided looks promising, I haven't seen it before. Let's hope that does the trick.

If the problem persists, there's another place you can disable Windows Updates (WU) from, and that's your WUDO settings. Here's a link on how to disable that: Windows Update Delivery Optimization: FAQ. Keep in mind that these settings won't necessary keep your system from blocking out all udpates coming into your computer from WU. Several of us here who are W10 testers felt that this should do the trick. However, Tuesday of this week I had received the AU update on my main desktop PC and it caused havoc, and at that time my WUDO was on, as I had it on all 5(five) of my W10 machines trying to get them all updated from the pre-AU v1511 version. So, on my desktop PC (a Dell) I disabled WUDO completely as per instructions in the article in the Link above, and the AU came into my computer again without my knowledge or permission on Friday of this week also. In between, on Thursday of this week I did an Image Restore via Macrium back to my Wednesday morning backup to v1511. On Friday morning, the AU update v1607 came in again, but this time I was ready and made adjustments to the 2 things the AU was messing up, my Wallpaper and my Sidebar Gadgets. I manually reset my Wallpaper and when W10 offered to repair my Sidebar Gadgets, I said "No" this time and let the AU complete. I did a shutdown and reboot and once I checked that everything else was working including my Wallpaper, I then reinstalled the Sidebar Gadets app, it worked, and all has been good since!

So you are aware, many people have been complaining since Aug. 2nd that the AU update wouldn't come into their computers at all, including me, and we reported that to Microsoft on numerous occasions including their Insider Tester forum. In any case, the last 2 weeks, Microsoft has been pushing out the AU again in numbers, and it's hit my computers now 3 times at least with my WUDO settings set to maximum, AND ONCE MORE WITH MY WUDO SETTINGS DISABLED! And still it's coming in. There have been a number of users reporting this problem and so far we've only seen 2 people who have had the AU update go in cleanly without problems (out of thousands). There have been many complaints about this, and the AU itself hasn't had much of a success rate on installing via the WU and Internet automatic download. Microsoft seems to have improved it some--at least it's being widely distributed now--but it's still a computer killer at this point. We are telling users here-I am at least- that if you really want the AU installed into your W10 computer, the best way to do that is via downloading the Microsoft MCT tool from ISO file and perform a Clean Install.

Best of luck,
<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>

 

[Lester]

Just disable the device in Device Manager then

The next time you restart Windows, it reinstalls it again.

 

[Lester]

@BIGBEARJEDI I've upgraded various Windows 10 computers to the AU. I normally download and run the Windows 10 upgrade assistant. Haven't had any trouble with it, except for this video issue.

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

Hi Lester,
Thanks for your reply back; that's too bad it didn't work. You did turn off the WUDO as my link instructs right?? Interesting, then you'll be only the 3rd person I've yet encountered that has gotten ANY of their computers to do an AU upgrade without incident.

Not sure these apply to you or not, but a couple of things we've discovered since Aug. 2nd may be applicable to your situation. One of those is are you using Chrome as one of your Browsers on this computer in question, or as your Main browser? One of our guys here had scads of problems with the AU and his Chrome after the AU came out. He finally was able to sort it out, but not with the WU automatic update; he had to tweak it as I did after the AU went in, or after a W10 AU Clean Install from MCT tool media. The other thing we saw a lot of people have issues with both on desktops and laptops is that it's absolutely vital not to have secondary USB devices (other than keyboard or mouse) plugged into the computer being upgraded with the AU. This includes things like flash drives, external back hard drives, printers, webcams, drawing tables/pads, etc. This is an unspoken assumption that many of us Techs make after doing windows upgraded for decades; however, recently we've seen a lack of dissemination of this very well known fact amongst the home users posting for help here the last several weeks with the glut of AU problems mentioned in my last post.

We've solved many of these user's problems updating to AU version by simply telling them about this and reminding them THAT ALL THEIR USB DEVICES AND SECONDARY INTERAL STORAGE DEVICES MUST BE UNPLUGGED PRIOR TO THE AU INSTALLING OR REINSTALLING!! This may seem like old news to you; but not all of our users are so well informed. If you haven't done this on this machine, I suggest you try that and see if you get the same result or it fixes it.

Best,
<<<BBJ>>>

 

[Lester]

@BIGBEARJEDI I always turn off anything like WUDO, just to simplify things. I also keep any memory sticks / USB drives, etc. unplugged unless I'm actually using them. Just less to keep track of that way. So maybe I just lucked out because of some good habits.

The computer with the problem also installed the update fine. It's been on Windows 10 for quite a while before the update as well. It's an HP laptop - an older one - and it has both AMD graphics and Intel graphics. The problem is that when you boot it up, it sits at a blank screen for over a minute, when I know that this computer was able to boot in 15 seconds or less with windows 7. I discovered it was the AMD video driver at fault, but they don't have an upgraded on, nor will they do one. I lived with this before the Anniversary Update, because then I could zap the AMD video in the device manager, like Neemobeer suggested. It was okay then until the next Windows update, which wasn't to bad, though it always bugged me. But now, since the update, it reinstalls every time I restart, which REALLY bugs me.

Don't laugh. I put an SSD drive in this machine earlier, and it really hummed. I just can't stand when something doesn't work like I know it should or could. So I'm back at trying to fix this.

I'm about ready to dig out my soldering gun and cannibalize the motherboard!

 

[Neemobeer]

If you uninstall the device, yes it will come back. If you just disable it then it will stay disabled.

 

[Lester]

If you uninstall the device, yes it will come back. If you just disable it then it will stay disabled.

Yes, that's true. But for some odd reason if I only disable it, instead of uninstalling it, the Intel driver's resolution is wacked up. Everything is stretched sideways. A circle looks like an egg laying on it's side.

 

[Neemobeer]

If the device is disable, then it is not in use period. So that issue would be related to the other GPU.

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

@BIGBEARJEDI I always turn off anything like WUDO, just to simplify things. I also keep any memory sticks / USB drives, etc. unplugged unless I'm actually using them. Just less to keep track of that way. So maybe I just lucked out because of some good habits.
>>>Good job, there! You are definitely ahead of the game from most home users then. I'm guessing you also have good backups too, since that goes along with the other good habits you have.<<<
BBJ

The computer with the problem also installed the update fine. It's been on Windows 10 for quite a while before the update as well. It's an HP laptop - an older one - and it has both AMD graphics and Intel graphics. The problem is that when you boot it up, it sits at a blank screen for over a minute, when I know that this computer was able to boot in 15 seconds or less with windows 7. I discovered it was the AMD video driver at fault, but they don't have an upgraded on, nor will they do one. I lived with this before the Anniversary Update, because then I could zap the AMD video in the device manager, like Neemobeer suggested. It was okay then until the next Windows update, which wasn't to bad, though it always bugged me. But now, since the update, it reinstalls every time I restart, which REALLY bugs me.

Don't laugh. I put an SSD drive in this machine earlier, and it really hummed. I just can't stand when something doesn't work like I know it should or could. So I'm back at trying to fix this.

I'm about ready to dig out my soldering gun and cannibalize the motherboard!

>>>I rarely destroy Motherboards by pulling off components, but I have run over them with forklifts, tossed them off of buildings into a concrete parking lot, and played Mobo-frisbee with them. Now I simply bolt them to my office wall after stripping them of components. Here's a photo of my collection:
View media item 701
Cheers!
BBJ

 

[Lester]

If the device is disable, then it is not in use period. So that issue would be related to the other GPU.

Makes sense. Except that when I uninstall the AMD GPU, then the Intell one works like it should. When I just disable it, it doesn't.

When I get a chance, I'll dig into the Intel GPU again and see what I can do with it.

Thanks for your replies.

 

[Lester]

>>>I rarely destroy Motherboards by pulling off components, but I have run over them with forklifts, tossed them off of buildings into a concrete parking lot, and played Mobo-frisbee with them. Now I simply bolt them to my office wall after stripping them of components.
BBJ

Interesting collection. Mine usually just go to the recyclers. I used to collect everything, but after a while the pile just gets too big.

And yes, I have back ups.