How to cancel Windows 10 upgrade after installation failure

Anonymous

I've waited for my free Windows 10 upgrade (currently running Windows 8.1 with no problems). It finally came through, and about 10% through the second (black-background) reboot the computer just went black -- did not restart, just completely black-screened and shut down. I wound up having to restart, and it immediately went into "Restoring previous version of Windows" mode. It then black-screened again, and on the second attempt to restart, Windows 8.1 restored.

I am currently laid up with a broken back and don't have the ability to deal with computer issues right now (I'm not even supposed to be sitting upright for more than ten minutes at a time) so wish to completely cancel my Windows 10 upgrade. I have already clicked the "agreement", though and no longer see a "cancel upgrade" link anywhere.

I have "hidden" the update to Windows 10 in Windows Updates, but want to eliminate it completely, and also remove all of the temporary set-up files from my PC. I'll be buying a new computer in the spring, most likely, anyway, so will just get Windows 10 then.

Please provide SIMPLE steps to:

Permanently cancel any upgrade reservation to Windows 10
Permanently remove the update from Windows Updates so it leaves my 8.1 alone
Permanently and cleanly remove all temporary update files from my computer to restore the space they are hogging up.

Thank you. I hope you can reply quickly with steps that won't have me tied to the computer for hours, so my doctors don't yell at me. ::smile::

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous

Hi Gayle,

What you need to do here first of all is to change the way you receive updates. With Automatic Updates enabled, the operating system will reinstall the nagware prompt which is KB3035583 after you uninstall it which will be a step we'll take in a minute.

So proceed as follows:

Right click the Action Center icon on the taskbar and go to "Windows Update".
In the left hand menu, click "Change settings".
Change it from Automatic Updates to "Download updates but let me choose whether to install them".
Click "Save Changes" and then click "Control Panel Home".
Go to "Programs and Features" and click the link to "View installed updates".
Copy/paste KB3035583 into the Search field top right and when it appears below, right click it and select "Uninstall".This is a large installation so uninstalling it can take several minutes.
Reboot next and then go back to Windows Update again.
Since you now have different WU settings, click the link if there's any which are awaiting your approval which will take you to the menu where you can decide what to install.
If you see KB3035583 in the list, right click it and select "Hide update". The box you normally have to checkmark to select an update will turn grey and when you exit WU, those files will be sent to the repository called "Restore hidden updates".You can restore any updates which have been hidden in there at any time by clicking the link, making your selection and then selecting "Restore".

The next step is to make a registry change which will prevent Windows 10 from downloading and installing.

Hit Windows key + R to launch the Run command, type: regedit and click OK.

Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE --> SOFTWARE --> Microsoft --> Windows --> CurrentVersion --> WindowsUpdate --> Auto Update --> OSUpgrade

Click the OSUpgrade key (which looks like a folder) and then in the right hand pane you should be able to see four values called respectively:

AllowOSUpgrade

KickoffDownload

KickoffSource

OSUpgradeInteractive

Some or all of these will have a value of 1. You need to change those to a 0 like you see in the screenshot.

To change a registry value, right click it and go to Modify. In the Value field at the bottom, change the figure 1 into a 0

Click OK and Windows will add the 0x00000000 (0) itself.

If it's already a 0 then you don't have to touch it.

In addition, you need to create a value. To do that, right click a blank part of the right hand pane and choose New --> DWORD with the name DisableOSUpgrade. Windows will add REG_ to the beginning of DWORD after you create it.

If you inadvertently lose the highlight when you create the new value, right click it and select Rename.

Next, right click your new value and go to Modify. Change the 0 into a 1 in the Value field. Click OK to confirm and exit.

Reboot and then go to Windows Updates. You will now be able to install 8.1 updates without being nagged by Windows 10.

I posted the same instructions in the following thread and as you can see from the responses, it clearly works:http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-update/windows-10-upgrade-cannot-be-removed-from-windows/4854a84d-a8a8-47da-a936-bd5d08138bfb

If there's anything you don't understand though, please don't hesitate to ask.

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53 additional answers

Anonymous

2015-10-10T17:15:51+00:00

When I search now for KB3035583, Windows Update does not find it as installed on my computer. Yet the nag box is still in the corner, and when I go to Windows Update there is a big "Upgrade to Windows 10/Start installing now" announcement on the main screen, and there appears to be no way out of it. It looks like it's the only upgrade (non-optional) on the system. Under optional updates, it ALSO appears as "Upgrade to Windows 10 Home" and it's checked by default.

I have once again "hidden" the update under both "Important" and "Optional" updates. It appears that there were versions in both, separately inserted into my system, and hiding one did not hide the other. I had to do both individually -- but have very little hope that it will have done any good.

It seems like Microsoft is hiding these nags and pushy tactics under so many different upgrade codes that there is no way for us to avoid them. I may just disable updates all together, and let this computer die an unnatural death while researching whether or not it would be less invasive to get a Mac once this one is no more.

I'm wondering whether anyone is taking up a class action lawsuit for invasion of privacy and illegal marketing tactics. Have to research that, too, I guess. Some day.
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Anonymous

2015-10-10T18:14:11+00:00
Hi Gayle,

Try doing the following.
1. Hit Windows key + R to open the Run command, type: cleanmgr and click OK.
2. The C: drive is selected by default so just click OK again.
3. When the scan finishes, click the button called "Cleanup system files" at the bottom. I've included a screenshot of it here.
4. When you click it, Disk Cleanup scans again like the first time and then you get the same kind of menu again. Checkmark "Temporary Installation Files" for deletion. If W10 has downloaded already, it'll be between 3 and 6GB.
5. Click OK to delete and then reboot.
6. Go back to Windows Update and you'll probably find KB3035583 in there again. Right click it and hide it as before.
EDIT: the Temporary Files highlighted in blue in the screenshot have nothing to do with the system files cleanup. I forgot to remove the highlight.
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Anonymous

2015-10-10T22:10:56+00:00

There was no "Temporary Installation Files" option after Clean up system files was clicked, but there was a "Temporary Windows Installation Files" option. However, that was only 161 MB. Nothing in either list, before or after I clicked the system files button, was even close to a GB in size.

I give up.
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Anonymous

2015-10-11T14:41:11+00:00

OK, delete the "Temporary Windows Installation Files". Microsoft seems to be experimenting with the way W10 is implemented and may have changed the way the installation behaves.

You might want to create a Sticky Note to yourself to remind yourself not to install KB3035583 if it appears in Windows Update again.

To create one, hit the Windows key to take you to the Start menu and then start typing: "Sticky".

Click Sticky Notes when it appears in the menu and then type your reminder note. If you don't like the yellow colour, right click the note and you'll get other colours to choose from.

You can drag the note around with the mouse and place it anywhere you want and it'll remain onscreen even after you reboot provided you don't click its "X" button.
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