Windows updates driving me crazy

[sandy stone]

TL;DR Summary

Incessant updates sucking up computing resources

Is anyone else experiencing this, or do I have some problem with my system? Almost every time I wake my computer from sleep mode, Windows springs into action downloading updates and hogging resources, locking out other programs (my browser, mail) for minutes at a time. I base this on the tasks "System", "Service host: Windows Update", "Windows Module Installer Worker", and "Service host: Unistack Service Group(4)" being the main culprits in Task Manager. Windows Defender keeps assuring me that everything is OK, that I don't have any viruses, but this is getting truly annoying. Does anyone have any insights?

 

[Baluncore]

Does anyone have any insights?

Windows 7 is stable and does not often receive updates.

 

[Wrichik Basu]

Windows 7 is stable and does not often receive updates.

Because it reached EOL four years back. So no security updates either; CVEs remain unpatched.

 

[FactChecker]

TL;DR Summary: Incessant updates sucking up computing resources

Is anyone else experiencing this, or do I have some problem with my system? Almost every time I wake my computer from sleep mode,

How long was it in sleep mode? Was it a long time? I have not noticed this on my computers except when I restart my laptop that has not been used for months.

Windows springs into action downloading updates and hogging resources, locking out other programs (my browser, mail) for minutes at a time.

I never try to use my computers when updates are in progress. I'm not sure what that might do. Many updates (especially bios updates) require a restart.

I base this on the tasks "System", "Service host: Windows Update", "Windows Module Installer Worker", and "Service host: Unistack Service Group(4)" being the main culprits in Task Manager. Windows Defender keeps assuring me that everything is OK, that I don't have any viruses, but this is getting truly annoying. Does anyone have any insights?

Do you know if the downloads and installs completed successfully? Maybe it keeps trying to install the same update and keeps failing.

 

[phinds]

I use Windows 10 and only rarely get updates ** because, like 7, it is no longer supported. If you are using 11, it's probably getting a lot of necessary updates. Windows is STUNNINGLY complicated under the hood and new issue come up all the time.

**EDIT: OOPS ! Just realized, I NEVER get Windows updates. I was thinking of browser updates.

 

[jack action]

That was one of the reasons I switched to Linux when I was using Windows 10. It was in 2018 and I never looked back. With Linux, you own the programs and do whatever you want with them; With Windows (or Apple), they own the programs and you have to use the services they offer according to their will.

Going back to my Linux installation first impressions, well, things have evolved a lot. I don't deal with most of the programs mentioned in that link and I favor using my own programs. Learning how to use Bash programs is so much fun and empowering.

Since then, I have been involved in the Tor and I2P networks and, up to this day, I have set up 17 servers around the world. The installation and monitoring processes are mostly automated in Bash programs I wrote, all done from my home computer, including automatic updates and backups.

Again, fun and empowering.

 

[Wrichik Basu]

Windows updates have always been intrusive. And they will continue to be so. The only way to get rid of this is to get rid of Windows itself and switch to Linux. It depends on what you do on the computer, though. If you use some software that has versions only for Windows, and you can't ditch them under any circumstances, and they don't work on VMs well, then bad luck. Some software, like ones used in crystallography, are closed source and do not have packages for Linux. That doesn't mean all closed-source software does that; MATLAB, for instance, has packages for Linux.

I, for instance, use Ubuntu, but have a VM on which I have a paid version of Adobe Acrobat Pro, which I need (once in a long while) to edit some PDF.

 

[sandy stone]

How long was it in sleep mode? Was it a long time? I have not noticed this on my computers except when I restart my laptop that has not been used for months.

I never try to use my computers when updates are in progress. I'm not sure what that might do. Many updates (especially bios updates) require a restart.

Do you know if the downloads and installs completed successfully? Maybe it keeps trying to install the same update and keeps failing.

Sleep mode was only overnight. How would you know if an update was successful or not?

 

[jack action]

How would you know if an update was successful or not?

Check the update history:

​

 

[hutchphd]

I too am very annoyed by Windows intrusiveness as well as it "mother knows best" attitude and lack of transparency. That being said have you explored start/settings/ windows update? You can see the update history and choose "axtive hours" where updates are (ostensibly) forbidden among other things. Give it a little bit of a look...
I would be (would have been) happy with XP forever, but there is no money to be made there.......so I like Win10 OK but soon that will be unsupported. I am too old for this agita......arghhh