How can I stop the Win 10 upgrade on a Win 8.1 PC?

[p23185]

I have followed all the advice about uninstalling and hiding KB 3035583, and KB2976978, and have also deleted the hidden 6Gb folder $Windows.~BT so many times I am blue in the face. Everytime I go to check manually for updates (having finally settling on turning off the updater) the process starts all over again with the 6Gb download.

Does anyone know if there is something in the registry that triggers this to start over and over?? I have searched the Win 8.1 registry for Win10 and Win 10 with no results.

At this point I do not WANT Win 10, BUT I would like to pick up the 27 missing updates that have accumulated since turning off the updater. BUT I cannot get them without a fresh 6 Gb download on every try.

Any further advice wil be greatly appreciated. MS has really outdone themselves on this one, and I will not forget this for a long long while.

 

[davidhk129]

Assuming you are back on Win 8.1. Yes ?
If so, why don't you set your Windows Update to Manual.
Next time that win 10 update appears , right click at it > click Hide.
Once you have hidden it, it won't reappear again in Windows Updates.

Will that work ?

 

[p23185]

Assuming you are back on Win 8.1. Yes ?
If so, why don't you set your Windows Update to Manual.
Next time that win 10 update appears , right click at it > click Hide.
Once you have hidden it, it won't reappear again in Windows Updates.

Will that work ?

I sure wish I could do that, but for the life of me Win 10 appears to be hidden from viewing "pending updates" - but for sure the hidden folder titled '$Windows.~BT' keeps downloading over and over and none of the other updates will take until Win 10 is completed and I refuse and cancel it every time. See list of "pending update" attached

 

[davidhk129]

I don't know if this is applicable to your particular situation..................
The only recourse is to let Windows Update go ahead and install Win 10.
Then after install, left click at Start > Settings > Update & Security > left side, Recovery > select Go back to Windows 8.1.

When that is down, go to your Windows Update and set it to Manual download and install.

 

[p23185]

I don't know if this is applicable to your particular situation..................
The only recourse is to let Windows Update go ahead and install Win 10.
Then after install, left click at Start > Settings > Update & Security > left side, Recovery > select Go back to Windows 8.1.

When that is down, go to your Windows Update and set it to Manual download and install.

That is all I have left, but it makes me very nervous. When I bought the laptop Win 8 was preloaded and like so much today I have no disk to perform a reinstall should Win 10 fail to revert back to Win 8. So if all does not go exactly right I may end up with a door stopper.

 

[davidhk129]

You can download the Win 8.1 ISO for reinstall.
Have a look at this.....................
Create installation media for Windows 8.1
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

Question is : do you have the Win8/8.1 product key ?
Since you Win 8 is preinstalled, the product key is embedded in the bios. I don't know how to extract the product key this way.

 

[p23185]

You can download the Win 8.1 ISO for reinstall.
Have a look at this.....................
Create installation media for Windows 8.1
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

Question is : do you have the Win8/8.1 product key ?
Since you Win 8 is preinstalled, the product key is embedded in the bios. I don't know how to extract the product key this way.

Thank you for the link to create an iso dvd. I had already captured the product key using Belarc - a very useful tool for many purposes.

Sometime when I have a day with nothing else on the schedule I will let the Win 10 download and install and then see if I can get it to revert back to Win 8.1. OR I may see what Win 10 really looks like since I really hate 8.1

 

[davidhk129]

I had already captured the product key using Belarc - a very useful tool for many purposes.

If your Win 8 came pre-installed with your computer, the product key Belarc extracted is for the computer manufacturer to do mass production.
It is not for reinstalling the operating system.
That product key is no use to you.

 

[p23185]

If your Win 8 came pre-installed with your computer, the product key Belarc extracted is for the computer manufacturer to do mass production.
It is not for reinstalling the operating system.
That product key is no use to you.

Are you sure? I have had other Office Pro OEM disks and when installed prior to activation all I see is the product key with OEM in it and then after activating through the mothership a real key appears in Belarc? I have attached what Belarc is showing and it appears to me that since it is legitimately activated the right part is the key that would me reinstall an ISO image and activate???

 

[davidhk129]

Is your computer come pre-installed with Win 8 or Win 8.1 ?

 

[davidhk129]

Well, maybe I am wrong in my understanding.
Let someone with better knowledge to clear this matter up.

 

[p23185]

Is your computer come pre-installed with Win 8 or Win 8.1 ?

It came preinstalled with Win 8, and then the Win 8.1 was offered and I updated to that after the netbook was purchased.

The most recent experience I had with OEM disk from MS is shown below with pre activation and post activation of Win 7 Pro on a new build just performed last week

I don't really know if I am interpreting the Belarc reports and/or the MS policies for product activation/key generation correctly??? Can anyone else shed light on OEM installation disks?

 

[davidhk129]

One point I don't think you have paid attention to.
I was trying to say that Belarc, or any keyfinder software for that matter, can NOT find the pre-installed product key. All it can find is a set of product key which was used by the computer manufacturer for the purpose of mass production.

However, if you installed a Win 7 over an existing operating system, Belarc will find that Win 7 product key for you.

Now, pre-installed Win 8 product key is hidden in the registry.
My understanding for this matter is applicable to XP, Vista and Win 7, and it maybe out-dated.
That is why I said I might be wrong.

 

[p23185]

One point I don't think you have paid attention to.
I was trying to say that Belarc, or any keyfinder software for that matter, can NOT find the pre-installed product key. All it can find is a set of product key which was used by the computer manufacturer for the purpose of mass production.

However, if you installed a Win 7 over an existing operating system, Belarc will find that Win 7 product key for you.

Now, pre-installed Win 8 product key is hidden in the registry.
My understanding for this matter is applicable to XP, Vista and Win 7, and it maybe out-dated.
That is why I said I might be wrong.

Thanks. I will just throw the thing away if I cannot get it go backwards. I am done fighting with it - the battery is non-replaceable and I hate the keyboard. But I do want to stuff this Win 10 crap back into the package.