How to prevent automatic update to Windows 10

[WalterR]

Hi all,

I want to absolutely, positively prevent the Win 10 upgrade on my Win 7 machine.

I have removed the KB3035583 update. And in doing so, perhaps removed the /Windows/System32 folder containing GWX.exe, since neither the file nor the folder are there any more.

Is that all? Or, are there more steps I need to take?

At this point, I'm more worried that a future Windows Update will discover that I've uninstalled KB3035583 and reinstall it.

For what it's worth, I'm not getting the upgrade notices and haven't for some time, if ever.

 

[Regedit32]

You could not have deleted the System32 folder because if you did your System would be dead, given its an integral part of the Windows OS.

Your best option is to make an image of your System which you could use to recover from should Windows 10 sneak its way onto your computer.

There are many options available for doing that:

• For example: http://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/computer-backup/ (this one costs money)
• As you have Windows 7 you could use its built in image software too. To learn how to use that see here:
  
  http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/what-is-a-system-image

 

[WalterR]

I wasn't clear in my explanation. /Windows/System32 is definitely still there. What is not there is the folder that most tutorials say will contain gwx.exe, /Windows/System32/gwx

 

[Regedit32]

Is this what you are looking for?

• Open File Explorer
• Copy & Paste the following into File Explorer's address bar, then press Enter:
  
  

  C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\AppData\Local\GWX