Thanks for the replies. The update started itself the next time I shut down
the computer. And after about 6 hours I discovered it had finished.
I find little difference to my computer experience, though. And those
little differences are annoying. Small changes to where things are located
and displayed. And my computer startup time has about doubled, as well as
the start times for my programs. It seems to be taking upto 3 times longer
to start Outlook and other programs I have used.
Why does Microsoft feel the need to change things, apparently just for an
excuse to annoy its users?
Go back to previous build and if you are on W 10 Pro do as i did defer upgrades.
You can defer upgrades for 8 months but as i later found out you automatically get 4 months so bringing the defer total to 12 months happy days.
If you are on W10 Pro you can defer as follows.
Run the Local Group Policy Editor
To begin, type
gpedit.msc into the Windows 10 Pro search field, then press Enter once the result shows "Microsoft Common Console Document." You should have launched the editor.
Dig up the Defer Upgrades and Updates Group Policy
The Local Group Policy Editor relies on an old-school user interface (UI), but it shouldn't be beyond anyone who has browsed Windows Explorer looking for a file in a nest of folders on Windows 7.
In the pane on the left, under "Computer Configuration," click on "Administrative Templates" to expand that folder, then on the "Windows Components" that appears, and next on "Windows Update."
A list of 19 different group policies will appear in the right-hand pane. Find "Defer Upgrades and Updates" and double-click it.
Select the 'Windows Update' folder in the sidebar on the left, then the 'Defer Upgrades and Updates' group policy on the right.
Start deferring and delaying
The window that opened contains the Local Group Policy settings. To make any changes, select "Enabled."
There are two fields and one checkbox in the bottom half of the window.
Defer upgrades for the following duration (months)
Using the up- and down-arrows at the right of the field, or by typing a number using the keyboard, enter the number of months to defer upgrades. (In Microsoft's vocabulary, an
upgrade is one of the two-to-three-times-a-year feature and functionality upgrades Microsoft plans for Windows 10.
Version 1511, released Nov. 12, was an upgrade.)
Users may defer upgrades from one to eight months in one-month increments by entering a number between "1" and "8" into the field.
According to Hammoudi Samir, a Microsoft field support engineer, the 1-8 months entered in the editor are
in addition to a four-month delay that's produced, because once a delay has been requested, the PC is automatically shifted from the consumer-level "Current Branch" (CB) to the enterprise-oriented "Current Branch for Business" (CBB) upgrade track.
"By just enabling this GPO [Group Policy Object] setting and not delaying anything (leaving both durations to 0), it will turn the target computers to CBB," Samir wrote in a
Nov. 15 blog post.
In other words, setting a Windows 10 Pro PC to "8" in "Defer upgrades..." delays the upgrade from reaching the system for a total of 12 months (4 + 8) from when it was first released to those on the CB track.
Computerworld was able to confirm, in at least a circumstantial fashion, that Samir's claim was accurate: Simply enabling the policy, without changing the default "0" in the field, flipped the "Defer Upgrades" switch in Windows Updates' Advanced Options screen.
This PC has been set to defer all feature and functionality upgrades for an additional six months from the usual timetable of the 'Current Branch for Business' track, and delay all security updates for one week.
Defer updates for the following duration (weeks)
Using the up- and down-arrows at the right of the field, or by typing a number using the keyboard, enter the number of weeks to defer updates. (In Microsoft's vocabulary, an
update is one of the frequently-issued security and non-security fixes that Microsoft ships for all Windows' editions, including 10. The most familiar to users are the vulnerability patches the company releases each month on Patch Tuesday, like
this one of Nov. 10.)
Users may defer updates from one to four weeks in one-week increments by entering a number between "1" and "4" into the field.
Pause Upgrades and Updates
Checking the box will put a temporary hold on all upgrades and updates.
The hold lasts until the next monthly
update shows up, or until the next
upgrade makes an appearance. "Once a new update or upgrade is available, the value will go back to the previously selected option, re-enabling your validation groups," the accompanying text in the editor reads.
Click Apply
Click on the "Apply" button and close the editor.
Done.