Using Metered Connection Setting To Block Windows Major Updates

Windows Updates are potentially dangerous if done on Microsoft's schedule. The Fall 2018 Windows Update resulted in a substantial number of people experiencing file loss. With an earlier update, one of my computers would have experienced startup issues due to a standard chip which was incompatible with the update if I had not been able to delay the update until Microsoft fixed the issue.

Windows 10 Professional has a means to set update delays. But Microsoft decided to not include that in the Home version. With the well publicized issues with their updates, it would seem that adding that feature to Windows 10 Home would be seen as a publicity boost to Microsoft. But that is not the case. But Windows Spring and Fall updates have been way too unpredictable.  At least one update was even problematic with Microsoft's own Surface line. So it is important to have a means to block the updates.

I use the metered connection option on my computers with the Home version. This option was intended as a means to decrease data usage on connections with data limits. But it is effective with blocking the major Windows updates. A recent update did change the block to allow security updates on metered connections. But I don't find security updates to be problematic. Plus security updates are important. So the metered connection setting blocks the major updates while allowing the security to be maintained.

The initial metered connection setting for each wi-fi connection has to be manually set. That being said, the setting is automatic once initially set. Here is how the metered connection is set.

Click on the internet access icon in the right side of the task bar. Select the properties link for the network which you want to set as a metered connection. In the settings window for the connection, scroll down until you see the metered connection section. Turn "set as metered connection" on. Then close the settings window. Windows major updates are now blocked for this specific connection. As noted, this has to be done for every connection to avoid the updates. But that's OK since the major updates take a substantial amount of time to download and it only takes a few seconds to turn the metered connection on.