To answer your questions....

I: Microsoft.

2: No!

3: No!

I won't say a lot more because I'd likely go into another tirade about how pathetic MS has become over the last couple of years, and I don't want to be up all night typing.

I have a stable OS at the moment and I don't want MS messing it up with faulty updates, so I have blocked auto updates and manually install important security patches when I feel it is safe to do so.

Anyhow, it's past my bedtime.

Wow, glad I'm staying on a way back build. 1709 IIRC. It runs pretty stable except for not liking to leave my icons on display #1 either after a reboot, or after having had the monitors turned off for a bit.

edit: this is even with using Stardock Fences. I still have to open the Fences configure and reload from a snapshot of the correct layout. Likely it has to do with different resolutions on the two monitors. My main (on the right) is 2560x1440, my secondary (on the left) is at 1920x1200.

I installed Windows 10 LTSC 1809. So far so good, I have only used it a couple of hours. Free evaluation copies from Microsoft. No Store (can be added), no bloatware, no Cortana, no reinstalls twice a year. It feels clean.

If you want to buy this I think the price is $2500 or something like that for 5 copies. Of course like all other MS products it can be activated by using products from "warez sites".

Anyway, I don't know how much I am going use this, but I was thrilled to see that MS is offering a Windows version in 2018 that is pretty similar to the Windows 7 experience.

It's too bad you can't use it as your main OS without being a pirate, because my experience so far has been promising. 10 year support and a new version every second year. A very sane release schedule.

A Windows 10 Pro license is worth next to nothing to me, but if I could buy a LTSC license for $150 that would feel like a reasonable deal. $200 if MS gave me complete control over updates. I paid $200 for a Windows 7 Ultimate retail license here in Europe.

I think MS could avoid a lot of the Windows 10 criticism just by offering LTSC to individuals. The My People app is the only bloat I have seen so far. LTSC feels refreshing at a time when I had basically given up on Windows.

A question!

Is Microsoft creating updates for update sake?  To appear as if they're busy over at Redmond?

Orright, that's more than one question, but are these updates even necessary?  I've managed without the last two major ones and I'm still doing okay... unlike others who got the 1809 update.  I don't feel like I'm missing anything, either.

Another question!

Wouldn't it be better if MS reverted back to annual or bi-annual updates for major changes, to give more time to test for bugs and other quirks?  Obviously MS would need to create updates and patches for emerging threats, but major system changes need more time and quality assurance than is currently being given for major updates.

Personally, I think the management at Redmond has a lot to answer for, laying off QA testers and support staff in their hundreds, and leaving millions of users with a myriad of issues because of sub-par updates that were not properly tested prior to release.

In my opinion, kick Satya Nadella to the kerb and get in somebody who IS qualified and who actually gives a shit about what's going on in the world of Microsoft.  I had high hopes when Nadella took over from Steve Ballmer, but I was sadly disappointed and can't wait to see the back of him.  What I don't understand is why Bill Gates is allowing this failure of a CEO to destroy his company.

Of course it is.  By now, Microsoft is a massive bureaucracy.  And if you're at all familiar with C. Northcote Parkinson (of Parkinson's Law), you'll know that bureaucracies have to justify their own existence somehow.  Unless they are government bureaucracies, in which case their existence is their own justification.

I'm not familiar with C. Northcote Parkinson, but I am quite familiar with bureaucracies justifying their own existence. 

I once worked in the Queensland [Aus] Police Department and saw dozens of public servants walking around aimlessly all day, achieving absolutely nothing. 

They looked busy, though, carrying a piece of paper or a file/foler, etc. 

To make it look even more authentic, one or more would gather around said file/folder and appear to be having a discussion about the contents, when in fact they were more likely discussing aspects of their social lives.

And what annoyed me most was that one, a more consciencius worker, who was often snowed under with more work than he could handle, could get nothing done about it.  They were protected by the bureaucracy.  Was a safe, secure job but it wasn't for me.

I'd like to be a fly on the wall to see if it's the same over at Microsoft, dozens of lazy bastards walking around and filling in time 'til clock-off.

Monopoly's can and they can get away with it.  

What's the difference between monopoly and conglomerate? Nothing...

Use the same rationale and stick with Win 7....even after support for it ends.

With any OS....if you manage to have a STABLE version [a rarity] you can lock out any updating and live happy.

Only proviso....malware exploiting/development is likely to eventually turn things to poo...but safe practices can stop that as well...

Hi! Anyone remember me? LOL I haven't  been on here in forever....why? Because Windows did an update and crashed my computer! No one could seem to fix it so I finally got another and here I am. So, I need to know how to turn off those auto-updates please!

Sadly, I no longer have a copy of Win 7, and I'm not about to purchase another now.  Besides, the places I've checked are selling Win 7 for prices well above those of Win 10.  Even Win 8.1 sells for up to a $100 more than Win 10.

I have disabled Windows Update and my current version of Win 10 is stable, without major issues, so I'm as happy as I'm going to be.  Win 10 is not my most favourite OS, but it's allowing me to do what I need/want to.

There's always the threat of that without security updates, which is why I check regularly for patches, etc, and install them manually as required.  Safe practices obviously help prevent getting malware, but I prefer to be doubly sure, just in case there's an uninvited drive-by.

Hi MouseGoddess, it's good to see you again.  Sorry to hear about your computer going down after getting iffy updates.  Sadly, it seems to be a common occurrence of late, among other things... like data loss and programs no longer working, etc..

There are several programs available which block auto updates, but the one I'm currently using is 'Win10 Spy Disabler v 1.4'.  Here are some other options over a majorgeeks.com.

If you try Win10 Spy Disabler, go to the 'Experts Only' tab.  Disable Windows Update is halfway down the page.  Oh, and don't worry about the 'Experts Only' tag, there's nothing scary in there, and if you only disable updates you'll have nothing to worry about.  I do, however, recommend checking Windows Update regularly for security patches and manually installing those as necessary.

If you try another option after looking through them, would you please post findings here and give your thoughts on it.  Thanks!  It would help others who are having issues.

1809 working perfectly here. I had to disable some of the things I had turned off in the previous version, but, that's typical of major updates. Other than that, business as usual.

Thing I hate the most is when a Win 10 update wants to mess with your network driver and you can't even get online to correct their fuck-up.

How does Mr. and Mrs. Joe Average with only one computer resolve it?

Take it to a computer shop to get 'fixed' [un-fucked] and be charged X-dollars.

Redmond needs to be FORCED to pay for such.

Will cut into their bottom line to the point they eventually realize they are doing things wrong.

Windows 7 IMHO was the best version of Windows.  Which is why I use Stardock products to make Win10 look as much like Win7 as I can.

Couldn't agree more!