Windows 10: MS forced updates with autoupdates disabled or what?

I have autoupdates is disabled in Services. I only update every month or so. I’m using a an audio recording program, Sonar Platinum. In our forum 4 weeks ago, it appears that MS did some forced updates to everyone’s computer even if autoupdates were disabled.


4 weeks ago many of us developed runtime errors form plugins whenever we opened song files. When this happened, I couldn't’ determine what the problem was so I reverted back to an image file from Oct.

Through much trial and error I found out that as long as I was disconnected from the internet I didn't’ develop the runtime errors, yet after connecting to the internet, after a few minutes or an hour of so I would again develop the runtime errors. At this point if I disconnected form the internet the errors wouldn't go away. So it appears that something from the internet altered my computer.

ON Tuesday 12/20 without me doing anything the runtime errors completely went away for many of us, the previous day I had the errors. So something from the internet was changed and everything was fine and has been since.

Normally when something goes haywire the quick fix is to revert to a known reliable image file and I can continue to work. IN this case it didn’t’ work. Cakewalk, the software developer has this general explanation.

“a recent Windows 10 update has introduced instability in a subset of our plug-ins and may cause SONAR or other Windows DAWs to crash. The problem is related to a change in the timing for thread initialization on Windows, which leads to intermittent crashing on project load, plug-in scanning, or adding these plug-ins to a project. We are able to reproduce the issue and it appears to only affect some systems since it is timing related.”

Most people were not affected the way I was, since I have lots of image files and was able to revert. Most used System Restore or a rollback method that went back to a previous Cakewalk version. These techniques didn’t’ work that well either and most that had this problem had just updated to the latest 2016.11 version, and the latest MS updates, and had more serious problems than I had since I developed a workaround. No one in the audio forum has any explanation of why this happened to my computer.

This forum has been excellent for understanding deep issues with Win 10 and MS in general. So I’m hoping someone can speculate what from the internet altered my computer without my knowledge. This software works fine disconnected to the internet, so it doesn't rely on a database or copy protection. MS is the likely suspect. I’ve never had a bug that reverting to a previous image didn't’ fix, so this Is unnerving.


:)

 

Start Menu Critical Error, Missing All Windows 10 "Apps" e.g. Photos, Calendar

PLEASE STOP FORCING UDPATES!, change that inmediately, updating just cause this to me, windows xp was better, I can stop autoupdating there.

 

Nokia PC Suite Silent Installation

Hi Can you give the name of the exe you have used? I have used the following command for the Nokia_PC_Suite_rel_7_0_8_2_eng_us_web.exe

Nokia_PC_Suite_rel_7_0_8_2_eng_us_web.exe /SILENT="1" /DISABLE="AUTOUPDATE","AUTORUN"

to disable autoupdate and autorun.Mine users works in locked down environment so they can't do autoupdate. user needs permission to do autoupdate. Take necessary steps to deploy in user.

Regards

 

Disabling Windows Update service prevents updating OS but not Metro apps. If you use them, you have to disable updating of them in Store - Settings too.

 

This may be what happened. This particular computer is for my audio recording only. So I don't' do email, browsing, games, etc. on it. Only music related stuff. I do have a Classic start menu, which is just like Win 7. I really never have liked Metro. I never use Metro, yet in the start button menu I do have it and so I checked it and found that the settings are set for "on" for autoupdates.

So even though I never use the Metro apps I suppose that I was getting updates. And since this bug is unusual, I suppose some change in a Metro app may have made some OS file changes that affected me. Here’s something else Cakewalk said:

“The problem was definitely not in SONAR since the bug also manifested in other hosts. The crazy thing about crashes like this in Windows is that depending on the memory state at the time of the problem, it may actually crash or not!
Also since this was timing related, any subtle change in the app can change the timing enough to mask the problem.”

Cakewalk did mention something about their VST
plugins in the way they were built that this new MS update in Dec. revealed a flaw in the VST plugins that caused all this.


So actually you’ve come up with may be the most plausible clue to an explanation. Do you know how I can tell if the Metro apps were updated? In Control Panel Programs and features, I see a record of all my updates and I see that the last MS update was 10/9 when I enabled autoupdates and updated. I see no mention of Metro apps. Is there any other trail that would show the Metro apps update? Could something else be updating without leaving a trail?

 

10 silently auto-install/auto-update various apps. Run CMD as admin and copy/paste:

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "ContentDeliveryAllowed" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "OemPreInstalledAppsEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "PreInstalledAppsEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "PreInstalledAppsEverEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "SilentInstalledAppsEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "SubscribedContentEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager\SuggestedApps" /f
reg add "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsStore\WindowsUpdate" /v "AutoDownload" /t REG_DWORD /d "2" /f
schtasks /Change /TN "Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\Automatic App Update" /Disable

 

Thank you for the post. I’m using Win 10 Pro, I wonder if I can disable these silent updates without using the registry editor? In your Avatar I see it says you have Win 10 Home. I understand that version can’t turn off autoupdates easily like I can in Win 10 Pro. Possibly it’s the same with these silent updates.

The reg edits you posted mostly deal with ContentDeliveryManager. Is this the same thing as Windows Update Delivery Optimization? I have another Win 10 computer in my home network and I see that with Windows Update Delivery Optimization that my other Windows 10 computer OS will periodically download free updates via the internet and then share those updates with my other Windows 10 machines on my network. It looks like I need to disable that too unless these reg edits do the same.

 

If I disable ContentDeliveryManager. and the updates to Metro apps will these all be updated when I choose to enable win updates in Services and install all the updates? Are there any more things I need to disable to prevent MS from altering my computer?

Essentially I'd like to have total control over my updates and choose to update when I want to. With audio recording there are so many interacting parts that I find it better to install all Win updates right before I install a new version of my audio program.

They come out with a new version pretty much every month. Some versions have bugs or problems and then if so, I revert back to a know good image file. Having MS silently updating without my permission is not good for my situation, I don’t want to be 2nd guessing what's going on when a problem surfaces and if a client is in my studio, I don’t' want some unexpected problem arising from a MS update conflict.

 

Windows Updates and store apps updates are separate. Once you disable auto-updating, you have to check for updates yourself and you can choose, which apps to update, at least until MS decides to remove that option as well.





By the way, it is better to use WUMT to check for updates, because then you can choose which updates to install and which to hide, especially drivers. Normal checking for updates automatically starts downloading all. Mine is off. *Smile