How to remove windows 8 updates. How to remove an update package if the system cannot be booted. Clearing the disk of temporary files of downloaded updates and deleting the update history

In the Windows 8.1 (Windows 8) operating system, with default settings, system updates are downloaded and installed automatically. Once a month or more often if special circumstances arise, for example, to urgently install a patch to a system that closes a vulnerability.

Operating system updates mainly close security holes identified during the operation of Windows. Installing updates improves general security operating system. In addition, an update installs patches in the OS to improve system performance.

For some reasons, users refuse Windows updates by disabling this feature on their computer. Basically, the reasons for refusing to search for, receive and install Windows updates are as follows:

• After installing updates, problems with the operating system and programs may occur;
• with a limited Internet tariff, receiving updates leads to the consumption of a significant amount of traffic;
• users are afraid of losing Windows activation after installing the update;
• Updates take up a lot of disk space after installation.

Therefore, users have questions: how to disable updates on Windows 8, or how to disable Windows updates 8.1. Decide this problem you can do it yourself by changing the system settings.

In these operating systems, the process of disabling the update is the same. Therefore, I combined these operating systems in one article. From the OS names it is clear that Windows 8.1 is an improved version of the Windows 8 operating system (support for this operating system has been discontinued by Microsoft).

In this article I will tell you how to disable Windows 8 update in automatic mode, and how to disable Windows 8.1 update permanently, on Windows example 8.1 Update (in Windows 8 everything happens the same way), using two different methods using the operating system.

How to disable automatic updates in Windows 8.1

In automatic mode operating system independently searches for, downloads and installs updates on the user’s computer through the Center Windows updates (Windows Update).

To disable automatic system updates, complete the following settings:

1. Access PC settings from the Start menu in Windows1, or from the list of applications in Windows 8.
2. In the All Control Panel Items window, click on Windows Update.
3. In the Windows Update window, click the Customize settings link.
4. In the "Configure Settings" window, in the "Important updates" setting, select the "Don't check for updates (not recommended)" option.
5. Next, click on the “OK” button.

Additionally, you can uncheck the “Recommended updates” and “Microsoft Update” settings.

To download and install system updates manually, select the option “Search for updates, but the decision to download and install is made by me.” In this case, you yourself decide which of the proposed updates needs to be installed on your computer.

How to disable Windows 8.1 update permanently

Another way to disable Windows 8 update is to stop the service responsible for updating the system.

To disable the Windows Update service, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the “Control Panel”, select “Administration”.
2. In the “Administration” window, double-click the “Services” shortcut with the left mouse button.

1. In the Services window, find the Windows Update service.

1. Right-click the Windows Update service and context menu select Properties.
2. In the Properties window: Windows Update ( Local computer)", in the "General" tab, in the "Startup type" setting, select the "Disabled" option.
3. In the “Status” setting, click on the “Stop” button.
4. Then click alternately on the “Apply” and “OK” buttons.

Please note that when installing Microsoft applications, the Windows Update service may be enabled by the system. Therefore, after installing such applications, you must disable the operating system update service again.

To enable Windows 8 update, in the “Properties: Windows Update (Local Computer)” window, select the startup type: “Automatic (Delayed Start)” or “Manual”.

Disabling automatic updates using Windows Update Blocker

IN free program Windows Update Blocker has a feature to disable the automatic update service of the Windows operating system. Windows program Update Blocker has been translated into Russian, the application does not require installation on a PC, it is launched from a folder.

The Windows Update Blocker program must be downloaded from the developer’s official website.

Windows Update Blocker download

Follow these steps:

1. First you need to extract the ZIP archive on your computer.
2. Open the "Wub" folder and then launch the "Wub.exe" application.
3. In the window Windows applications Update Blocker must enable the “Disable Updates” button, immediately after this, the checkbox in the “Protect Service Settings” item will be automatically checked.
4. To turn off system updates, click on the “Apply” button.

1. The Windows Update service is disabled and the service status indicator changes to red.

You can find out about the status of the update service using the “Menu” button. In the context menu that opens, click in turn on the items “Windows Update” and “ Windows Services"to see the results of the program.

To enable the automatic Windows Update service, you will need to activate the “Enable Updates” option in the Windows Update Blocker program window, and then click the “Apply” button.

Conclusions of the article

In the Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 operating system, the user can disable automatic update system, or permanently disable installation of Windows updates. Windows Update Blocker disables the Windows Update service, preventing you from receiving system updates.

How to disable Windows updates in Windows Update Blocker (video)

Here in order:

1. Component storage size as seen by Explorer, i.e. excluding hard links inside WinSxS.
2. Actual Component Storage Size taking into account hard links (except for links to the Windows folder), including:

• Shared files with Windows folder. These files are necessary for the operation of the system and are in no way superfluous. In my example, they are 87% of the storage size, but the more updates are installed, the lower this percentage is.
• Backups and disabled components. These files are stored in case of problems with updated components or to enable roles or features. They can be conditionally considered superfluous, since they are not critical for the current operation of the system.
• Cache and temporary files. These files are necessary for the quick operation of the maintenance system, but are not absolutely necessary for the functioning of Windows.

I can just see how your hands are itching to clean out your storage and free up space :)

How to empty the WinSxS folder in Windows 10, 8.1 and 8

Starting with Windows 8, the OS has three cleaning methods.

You can clear the component store manually with one command.

Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

This is the fastest way to perform optimization (after this, you will not achieve anything with the next two methods).

Disk Cleanup utility

Andrey Bayatakov, thanks for the reminder about this method!

Type in a command prompt running as administrator. Built in Windows utility Disk Cleanup will show you how much space you'll save by deleting Windows update files.

Basically, the utility does the same thing as the key /StartComponentCleanup. However, it is very frivolous in its estimates of the freed space, and in my experiments the error was measured in hundreds of megabytes, in both directions.

Scheduled task

Windows cleans out the winsxs folder on a schedule using the Microsoft – Windows – Servicing – job. StartComponentCleanup.

The specific command is not visible because the cleanup is implemented by the COM object handler. And the absence of triggers indicates that the job operates within the framework of ubiquitous automatic maintenance. By running a task from the scheduler or command line, you achieve almost the same effect as the DISM command with the key /StartComponentCleanup. The differences are:

• Updates installed in the last 30 days are ignored.
• There is an hour-long pause; all files may not be cleared.

Once you've completed the cleanup, you can analyze the storage again and evaluate the changes.

As you can see, in my case, cleaning 10 packages saved 60MB, which is not that much on the scale of a folder. However, you can still clean it :)

How to remove all old versions of components from the WinSxS folder in Windows 10 and 8.1

In Windows times XP there was a very popular question whether it is possible to delete $NTUninstallKBxxxxxx$ folders from the Windows folder. Remember this?

A similar feature appeared in Windows 8.1, although it was implemented completely differently due to global differences in the service systems of 8.1 and XP.

Command to delete

Starting with Windows 8.1, the option /StartComponentCleanup there is an additional key /ResetBase, with which you can remove all previous versions of components. This key is not used in the scheduled task.

Attention! Removal previous versions components prevents you from uninstalling installed updates and Service Packs, but does not block the installation of future updates.

This warning is not at all routine, if you remember the recent error 0xc0000005 after KB2859537, from which the Runet cried with burning tears. Anyway, the magic command:

Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase

Obviously, the gain in disk space depends both on the number of updates being cleared and on the volume of components they replace. In my example, I was able to free up about 24MB more.

What happens when you remove all previous versions of components

Compressing components in the WinSxS folder (secret knowledge)

However, there is virtually no information in the official documentation that compression is used for component storage in Windows 8 and higher to save disk space. I will highlight a few points that I know:

1. Compression is applied to files that the operating system does not use. This includes previous versions of components and disabled components. This, apparently, explains the not so significant gain from deleting previous versions with the parameter /ResetBase.
2. Uses differential compression. According to unconfirmed information that has already been confirmed, Windows 8.1 uses differential compression to compress replaced components.
3. Saving disk space can be quite significant in some scenarios. Yes, on installation Windows Server Core 2012 R2 Preview frees up about 20% of space thanks to compression when you take page and hibernation files out of the equation. The savings are achieved by compressing the components of disabled server roles.

In the article, where all the technical subtleties are collected, I described the different mechanisms Windows compression 8 and 8.1+.

What are the changes in the Windows 8 and 8.1 maintenance system?

Of course, only Microsoft can give an exact answer to this question, so I will simply share my vision of the situation.

Server OS

It is difficult to imagine modern infrastructure without virtualization technologies, the benefits of which are directly related to the efficient use of system resources. This fully applies to disk space, of which there is never too much.

Removing unused server roles in Windows Server 2012 helps IT pros manage more efficiently disk space. For those who don't know about this feature or don't consider it worthwhile, compressing unused role components in Windows Server 2012 R2 can help.

Client OS

By the time Windows 7 was released, the cost of 1GB of hard drives was so low that the WinSxS folder only caused headaches for those with small you-know-what. However, SSDs were already coming onto the scene, and the Windows servicing system didn't fit well with their modest capacity.

It would seem that Windows exit 8 solid state drive 128GB capacity was no longer something out of the ordinary, but a new problem befell the developers of the service system - tablets, including their own Surface.

Indeed, all modern Clover Trail tablets are equipped with a 64GB disk at best. And in more popular junior models, after subtracting the recovery partition, about 25GB remains, which is not enough for more or less long-term operation of Windows.

In Windows 8, clearing component backups aims to make better use of the space on small tablet drives, while in Windows 8.1, uninstalling previous versions provides a fallback for the worst cases.

Discussion and poll

This post is a good opportunity for you to express everything that hurts you about storage. Windows components:) The survey is designed to reveal the quantitative situation, and write in the comments if the growing size of the WinSxS folder creates problems for you. If it does, describe them and provide a link to a full-screen screenshot of the diskmgmt.msc snap-in.

Automatic Windows 8 updates are a required option and are therefore enabled by default. Eliminates previously found errors and vulnerabilities, improves the overall performance of your PC or laptop. It starts automatically - but not always at a convenient time. Due to this, some users want to disable automatic Windows 8 updates.

As you know, such a procedure can put a lot of stress on a computer (especially an old one). And if you are working on a project or playing a game, then it will interfere.

Another disadvantage is the inability to turn off the PC before the procedure is completed. What if you need to leave urgently? Don't leave the computer on. There are many similar reasons. But the solution to this problem is very simple.

How to disable automatic updates in Windows 8?

Due to the changed interface, familiar operations in Windows 8 are performed slightly differently. In particular, the control panel is not located in Start, as in the “seven,” but in the Hot Corners side menu. However, there is nothing complicated here anyway – the procedure has just changed a little.

A new window will open in which you can turn off automatic Windows 8 updates. To do this, select “Don’t check for…”. To save the settings, click OK.

Keep in mind that if you decide to disable Windows 8 Update, this will also affect the built-in antivirus. It will stop updating, which will reduce the security level of your PC or laptop. But the problem will not be relevant after installing any other antivirus.

The above method is suitable in cases where you need to disable updates on Windows 8 temporarily. That is, in order to then launch them manually - at a convenient time. If you want to disable updates in Windows 8 forever, then it is better to use another method.

To completely stop searching for updates, you must disable the service responsible for this task

So, if you want to disable Windows 8 updates on your laptop permanently, then do the following:

This method completely disables the search for updates on a computer or laptop running Windows control 8, so they won't run anymore.

But there is one small nuance here: when installing programs from Microsoft, this service may turn on again. That is, all settings are reset to their previous settings. Take this into account.

Do Windows 8 need updates?

Microsoft developers will definitely answer you - “Yes”. Like many PC users. It's not in vain this option enabled by default.

On the other hand, it always starts at the wrong time and constantly interferes. In this regard, there is a desire to go to Windows 8 Update and turn it off.

To stop for a while or forever is the second question. And there is no clear answer to it. The first solution is supported by the fact that patches increase the security of Windows and improve the performance of a laptop or computer. And in favor of the second one, disabling this service does not affect the operation of the PC in any way. This will be proven by thousands of users who completely blocked it and forgot about it.

Yes, at first, while the OS is raw, it is advisable to leave this service enabled. But since Windows 8 came out a long time ago, today it already works stably. Therefore, the decision to disable the search for updates in Windows 8 will not affect the security of your laptop or PC.

Windows Updates- these are additional software modules that are created by operating system developers to fix critical errors, leading to malfunctions, eliminating vulnerabilities in system security, as well as adding to Windows new functions and improved stability third party applications. In rare cases, due to developer errors, updates may contain critical bugs and cause crashes. Windows work or programs installed on it. To restore normal operation, such faulty updates must be removed and in this guide we will talk about in various ways uninstalling updates in operating systems Windows systems 7 and 8.

Configuring update download options

First, you need to keep in mind that not all updates are important and required to be installed. Many updates do not contain important fixes and improvements for the OS, but the changes they make can cause various glitches. Additionally, many optional updates have large size and take up significant space on your hard drive.

To avoid installation into the operating system unnecessary updates, you must configure Windows Update correctly, because by default, the operating system automatically downloads and installs all updates released by Microsoft without exception. However, this can be corrected by enabling the ability to independently select and install only the most important updates.

To change the rules for downloading updates, open the menu Start And sign in Control Panel(in Windows 8 you can use hotkeys Win+I to open the Settings panel and in it click on the Control Panel link).

Opening Control Panel via Settings Panel in Windows 8

Opening Control Panel from the Start Menu in Windows 7

Next, go to the section System and security (The control panel must be in Category, which can be selected in the upper right corner in the drop-down list located next to the text View) .

Select an item Windows Update:

In the left vertical menu selectParameter settings:

And finally, in the window that opens, you need to select the option from the drop-down list Look for updates, but the decision to download and install is made by me.

Hide and restore unnecessary updates

Updates that are detected by the system but not yet installed and that are not needed can be hidden so that they do not appear in the list for installation in the future.

To do this, open again Windows Update and select the desired section: Important or Optional updates.

In the list that opens, use the left mouse button to select an update that does not need to be installed, then right mouse button open the dropdown menu with options and select Hide update.

You can restore hidden updates in the same Windows Update by selecting the appropriate link in the left vertical menu.

In the list of hidden updates that opens, you need to select the one you want and click on the button Restore, after which the update will return to the list of available for download and installation.

Clearing the disk of temporary files of downloaded updates and deleting the update history

On the local drive C you can clean up system folders, which store temporary files of downloaded but not installed updates, and also delete the update history log.

To do this, open Conductor and go to:C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution . In this directory, find two folders:Download(contains update files) andDataStore(stores update history logs). Delete the files located in them using the combination Shift+Del(without moving to the trash).

How to remove installed updates

Now let's talk about in different ways removing already installed updates from the system.

Uninstall via Control Panel

To remove updates installed on the operating system, open Control Panel and go to the section Programs.

In the section Programs and components select item View installed updates.

In the list of installed updates that appears, select the one you need with the left mouse button, then right-click and select the item from the drop-down menu Delete. To complete the operation, confirm your intentions by clicking OK and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Uninstall via command line

This method will work confident users, and involves manually entering commands. Launch Command Prompt with administrator rights. To do this in Windows 7, click on the menu icon Start and enter the command in the search bar: cmd, then in the search results window, right-click on the icon cmd and select a team Run with administrator rights. In Windows 8, just press the key combination Win + X and in the context menu that appears, select the item Command line(administrator).

Running Command Prompt with Administrator Rights in Windows 7

Running Command Prompt with Administrator Rights in Windows 8

To view the list of installed updates, enter the command:wmic qfe list brief /format:table

To remove any update, enter the command: wusa /uninstall /kb:update number(For example: wusa /uninstall /kb:3185331).

How to remove all updates at once

Unfortunately, the developers did not provide such a feature in Windows functionality. It’s a pity, this function can actually be useful in some situations, since deleting in manual mode a large number of updates is inconvenient and takes too long. Fortunately, there are several simple and available ways solve this problem.

Removal via .bat file (batch file)

Create new file using the program Notebook(right-click on an empty space on the desktop and select the option Create a text document).

Copy the following code into a blank document:

@echo off
color 0A
mode con: cols=40 lines=12
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
Set templist=%TEMP%\listTMP.txt
set list=%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\uninstall_updates.cmd

echo.
echo.
echo Please wait
echo.
echo.

if exist %templist% del %templist%
if exist %list% del %list%

wmic qfe get hotfixid>>%templist%

call:1 "KB" "KB:"
echo DONE
timeout /t 3 /nobreak > nul
exit /b

:1
for /f "tokens=1* delims=]" %%a in ("find /v /n "" ^ if not "%%b"=="" (set line=%%b) else (set line= not)

set newline=!line:%~1=%~2!
set newline=!newline:not=!

echo wusa.exe /uninstall /!newline!/quiet /norestart>>%list%
::set templist=%list%
goto:eof

Save the created file with the extension .bat by giving it any name (for example: new.bat). Pre-optional File type select an option All files. Then run the batch file.

After running the created file, a window will open asking you to wait, which will close automatically when the deletion is complete. . All updates installed on Windows 7 and 8 will be removed.

Uninstalling updates using special programs

Nowadays, a large number of different uninstaller programs and system cleaners have been developed that are quite capable of removing updates from Windows. For example, you can use the well-known program Revo Uninstaller, which can be downloaded for free on our website.

Run Revo Uninstaller and log in Settings. In this section, select the tab Uninstaller and check the boxes next to the parameters Show system updates And Show system components.

Click OK to close the settings window and refresh the list by clicking on the corresponding icon on the program toolbar. After that in the list installed applications Windows updates will also appear. It is very easy to identify them - they are marked with a special icon and, as a rule, have a serial number KB:xxxxxxxxxxxx.

To uninstall, hold down the key Ctrl and select the required updates with the left mouse button, then click on the icon Delete.

Once the uninstallation is complete and the computer is restarted, the selected updates will disappear from the operating system.

How to remove old update files

Not many people think that every time an update is installed, Windows downloads update packages from Microsoft servers, and then starts the installation and update process system files, but the package file itself, which is no longer needed, remains in the service folder. If updates are installed in a timely manner, a lot of such files accumulate and in total they can take up tens of gigabytes of space on the computer. system disk. And if we remember that in our time ultra-high-speed SSD disks of relatively small volume are often used to operate the operating system, the issue of freeing up space often arises bluntly and deleting outdated files Service packs can significantly help increase the amount of free space.

To remove outdated service packs, open Conductor by clicking on the special icon next to the menu Start (or keyboard shortcut Win+E) . Right-click on drive C and select the item from the context menu Properties.

In the window that opens, click on the button Disk Cleanup.

In the next window, select a function Cleaning Windows Updates, press OK and wait for the procedure to complete.

Many computer specialists think this method the fastest, most efficient and safest, which is quite logical - the operating system is better than any third party utilities will deal with its outdated system files.

Good day. This week the site received a new record for traffic - 5407 unique visitors per day, for which we thank you very much. Even though I lately I rarely write, but the site is still growing :)

Now let's talk about our problem. What is this WinSxS folder? This is the folder in which the Windows updates and components file is stored. Why does she weigh so much? Hmm... In fact, it weighs much less :) Files from the Windows, System32 folders are projected into this folder using , which is why everything file managers show such a large size - they do not see the difference between real files and symbolic links. Based on the same, it is highly not recommended to go into this folder through Explorer and try to delete everything manually. There are several standard means, which will help you safely and efficiently clean this folder. And, by the way, as updates are installed, it constantly grows, so it is recommended to repeat these steps periodically. By the way, I recommend using method No. 2.

Method number 1. Cleaning Windows updates using the Disk Cleanup utility (also works on Windows 7 SP1 with the KB2852386 update installed).

A very simple method and does not require any decisions from the user. But file evaluation works mediocrely, it makes mistakes both up and down. But this is not very important to us.

1) We need the “Run” utility, so press the key combination Win+R and enter cleanmgr in the window that opens.

3) Wait for the free space estimate and click the “Clean up system files” button.

4) Check the box for “Clean up Windows updates”. And click OK. The process of cleaning update files will begin.

But this way you can only delete part of the files; more precise cleaning can be done using method No. 2.

Method No. 2. Clear Windows updates, disabled features, and Windows cache stored in the WinSxS folder using the DISM utility. (I recommend)

This method allows you to clear not only update files, but also all other garbage from the WinSxS folder.

1) Open the command line as administrator, to do this press the keyboard shortcut Win+X and select " Command Line (Administrator)«.

As you can see, 4.77GB of all occupied is in Windows folder and are in no way superfluous, since these are files necessary for the operation of the system. But here backups(needed in case your system does not boot after installing updates) and the cache with temporary files can be cleared. Well, let’s carefully read the penultimate line “ Component Store Cleanup Recommended: Yes". Therefore, let's move on to the next step.

Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

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