Getting rid of a pending download

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So the other day I had a computer that had a pending update that I DIDN’T want to install.  While you can use the tools at Blockapatch to block a pend
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Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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TechTango, Laptop Boy, lmacri, David F, Matador, AusJohn, Cybertooth, DrBonzo, Alex5723

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So in WuMgr after a check for updates, the resulting list of updates show as ‘pending!’

Does that mean that they have already been downloaded?

I thought when you press the install button (down arrow) that it initiates the download and subsequent installation of the selected patch.

Your post Susan would suggest that it had already downloaded.

 

Cheers

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Matador wrote:

Does that mean that they have already been downloaded?

No.

First you have to “tick” the updates you want to install

There is a select to download and select to install(download and install)

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Matador

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Hi Susan,
I have a couple of questions about the steps in the video.

1. In Services, after you have deleted the folders from C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution and you have put Windows update back to “Manual”, I see that there is no “Running” in the Status column. Do you then right-click on Windows update and select ‘Start’ to get it running again? Or do you leave it with nothing in the Status column? If you leave it with nothing there, does WU eventually come back to “Running” on its own?

2. If you delete everything from the C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution folder, do you lose everything that has shown up in Settings\Update & security\View Update History? or that has shown up in Installed Updates?

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Windows Update will take care of itself it you just put it back on manual.

You may lose your Update history. In older Win versions, it was lost for a while but came back. Haven’t paid attention to this in Win10/11.

You WILL NOT lose the Installed Updates. Resetting the datastore does NOT uninstall updates.

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TechTango, WCHS

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PKCano wrote:

You WILL NOT lose the Installed Updates. Resetting the datastore does NOT uninstall updates.

I didn’t think you would lose the installed updates themselves, but I thought you might lose the listing, i.e., the documentation.

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Nope.

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WCHS posted: “but I thought you might lose the listing, i.e., the documentation.”
Surely what is current or recent is all that matters which is provided via microsoft documentation online. These drop off anyway after the buffer is hit for older patches in windows 10 and 11.

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WuMgr Installed Updates

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I don’t think deleting the whole SoftwareDistribution directory is necessary and some other services might get in the way

I usually copy/paste and run these commands in admin command prompt:

@wmic service trustedinstaller call StopService
@wmic service usosvc call StopService
@wmic service wuauserv call StopService
bitsadmin /reset /allusers
bitsadmin /reset
net stop trustedinstaller
net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
pushd %Windir%\SoftwareDistribution\Download\
rd /s /q . 2>nul
popd
@wmic service bits call StartService
@wmic service wuauserv call StartService
@wmic service usosvc call StartService
@UsoClient.exe RefreshSettings

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TechTango, PKCano

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I don’t know how to interpret “impending update”, when GP=2 (notify download/install).

When GP=2, I get a download button for updates that are in the WU queue (which means that WUSHOWHIDE has not hidden them or that WUSHOWHIDE has been too late in hiding them because they are in the WU queue already).

In either case, the download button shows an impending update. If I don’t want to download them, I thought I could just wait until WU queue refreshes itself, and when that happens the download button will no longer appear because the updates have, at that point, been successfully hidden.

Or instead of waiting for the WU queue to refresh itself, I could do the “Matador trick” to make the WU update queue refresh on the spot and afterwards no impending updates show up on the WU screen.

What am I missing here?

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When I’ve found an update snuck in prior to my morning winshowhide trigger finger, I have simply re-run winshowhide (clicking ‘advanced’ tab lower left corner and unticking checkmark), hide updates I don’t want, then re-run winshowhide (unchecking ‘advanced) to ensure they are indeed hidden and again to ensure there are no more to hide. Then follow PKCano’s Clear The Queue instructions. https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/2000013-how-to-clear-the-windows-update-queue-in-win10/

When you get to PK’s point  “ *restart …may take 36 hrs …” , I do this Matador’s trick:

*Restart PC.  I check again winshowhide twice (unticking advanced):

1.checking nothing is left to hide, 2. again check they are indeed hidden.

Only then do I go into Win Update Stgs AND as it starts to scan, quickly click on ‘Pause Updates’, then quickly click on ‘Resume’ (which will show up above, where ‘check for updates’ usually is.) It will complete scan and say “You’re up to date”. Works flawlessly! Hope this helps.

Note: not sure it matters as I’m on Win 10 Pro, but I keep ‘metered connections’ on at all times until I actually un-hide and do updates. Have accidentally forgotten to turn back metered connections on during restart to no ill affect.

(Don’t panic-if you have set Gpedit to ‘2’, nothing will d/load unless you physically ‘check for updates’. Winshowhide will work. You just have to clear the queue!)

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WCHS

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For homeusers, Portable Plug ‘n’ Play comes to the rescue!
I insert a USB flashdrive loaded with portable system utility apps, open newest version of bleachbit and let it rip with my pre-configured ini settings, takes less than a minute all in, no fuss, no typing and no bother.

Keeping IT Lean, Clean and Mean!

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