How do I disable Automatic Update for Windows Update

This problem started in January with

2018-01 (Jan) Security Monthly Quality Rollup  for ARM based Systems KB4056895

and continues with:

2018-02 (Feb) Security Monthly Quality Rollup KB4074594  and

2018-03 (Mar) Security Monthly Quality Rollup KB4088876

Expect future Security Monthly Quality Rollups to do the same until this problem is fixed.

If any of those devices did not have KB3033055 installed and it is installed now on  an updated system they will boot to a black screen when the system is restarted following the this update. Users blamed KB3033055 for this problem which is not the case.

This is a universal issue with the Surface RT and Surface 2

KB3033055 is not presented as an important update, it is optional.

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/b4cd83ef-02f9-4821-a3f0-1ce8de964624/all-surface-rt-devices-boot-up-to-a-black-screen-after-installing-optional-update?forum=w8itprogeneral

Most of the user problems with this update conflict were reported in the Surface category, Surface RT product and started in January.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfwinrt?sort=lastreplydate&dir=desc&tab=All&status=all&mod=&modAge=&advFil=&postedAfter=&postedBefore=&threadType=all&isFilterExpanded=true&tm=1522506772333

This can't be a universally found issue.  Heck I have a stack of 28 Surface one and twos at the office (we used to give to travelling sales reps) and they are all updated fully direct from wsus. 

Doesn't mean I don't want to get to the bottom of it, though.

Shawn Keene, pardon my interjection here. I am very familiar with this problem and have a post in TechNet to recognize the problem and get it fixed.

Deanna, sorry for the problems you are having. There is a way to get your system back up and running.

Some of this may be repetitive.

Follow the steps in the section 'Reset from USB recovery media'  this is for a reset, not a refresh.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4037673/surface-refresh-or-reset-surface-rt-or-surface-

Notice one of the lines.  If prompted for a recovery key, select Skip this drive at the bottom of the screen. You have to tap the screen to get rid of the keyboard to see this.

There is currently a conflict between two updates. When you search for updates and updates are found, click the line 'important dates are available' to see them.

Do your updating from 'control panel' 'windows updates'.

When '2018-03 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows RT ARM.......' is found uncheck the box to prevent it from installing.  It will be at the top of the list of updates.  Click 'optional' on the left to see optional updates.  Find KB3033055, check the box to install it along with other important updates that are selected. These probably will not appear until you have done two  or three rounds of updates, check to see each time

If  KB3033055i s not installed first and later installed after any  'Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows RT ARM'  update is installed the RT will boot to a black screen and you will have to start over and boot from the USB again.

So, until you get KB3033055 installed prevent the RT from installing it's own updates by turning WiFi off unless you are installing updates.

KB3033055 is Update 3 for the RT, bringing the windows 10 start screen to the desktop with no more metro start screen

see What's new in Windows 8.1 RT Update 3?

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4023491/surface-windows-8-1-rt-updat

After it is installed, right click the taskbar, properties, start menu tab, check - use the start menu instead of the start screen

No, I install over 100 updates that it has automatically found and then during one of the restarts it shows the surface logo then just goes to the black screen that blinks with either the little power icon or battery icon in bottom right corner. I don't know what it is showing for sure as it blinks on for less than a  second then off again. I have left my unit like this for a full 24 hours thinking it just needed time but to no avail. It is when the unit is stuck in this frozen blinking stage that I have to hold the power button to get it to enter the screen to either reset, restore or the other options that do not work. That is where I have to enter the bit key.