how do i COMPLETELY stop my computer from updating!?!?

Maintaining a system partition image was an optional extra in those days. It has now become compulsory.

I'm sorry, but I don't agree with that assertion. Making daily system images has always been compulsory. All it takes is one wrong keystroke, one unfortunate configuration setting, one bad judgement ... to say nothing about one jolt of static electricity or a hard drive failure ... and your computer becomes nothing more than a paperweight.

If anything, Windows has become more reliable over the years. Since you've been using Windows as long as I have, you remember the days when the conventional wisdom was to reinstall Windows every year, when plug and play was 'plug and pray,' and "A fatal exception OE has occurred in VXD VFAT(01) ..."

Since you seem to think that I am a Microsoft supporter, let me disabuse you of that thought. Microsoft is an arrogant, aggressive, self-centered monopoly. Don't think that makes them unique. Neither Apple, nor Google, nor Microsoft give two cr*aps about you and me. But, I don't believe that posts in this forum from people who don't know how to use a computer in the first place (and don't think they need to) are in any way representative.

Personally, I've found that having a "steady state" operating system works quite well.  The last time I got a blue screen error before Windows 10 was with Windows ME.  The last time I had to reinstall Windows was also Windows ME if I remember correctly.  Windows XP, Vista, and 7 all worked fine for me.  The major complaint I've had for years it the stupid "user account" crap they force us to have on our computers.  That gave IT techs a new "go-to" way to blame the user, "be sure to do it as an Administrator".  Every time I hear that I want to strangle someone.  It would be different if we actually had a decent set of tools to actually configure user accounts.  You can (or used to be able to) get those tools for an extra $100.

I used to work for a company that had in around 100,000 computer users world wide, it varies between layoffs and hiring.  The last I heard, in 2016 I believe, they were still using Windows XP with no plans to move to Windows 10.  When your system has to be validated you can't have updates come in at random.  I haven't the faintest idea what they will end up doing (or ended up doing), personally, I don't care.

I completely agree with your assertion that Microsoft and others don't give a crap about us.  No corporation does.  They ONLY do things they believe will increase their profits.  Microsoft has a monopoly so they just do whatever they want to.  I participated in a market study for Windows 8 before it's release.  The results were overwhelmingly negative yet they released on schedule.  Now in fairness I don't recall who ran the market study but it had all the stupid tiles and crap.

I find the new model of subscription services, data collection on customers, and almost forced use of cloud services quite infuriating.  I'm sure it's profitable but that doesn't mean we have to like it.

you seem to be misunderstanding me bulldog, its the updates that are CAUSING the issues! get an update in the middle of the night, then oh, why doesnt my sound work anymore? oh, microsoft did an update and now i have to download the correct drivers again because the ones they "updated" to DONT FREAKIN WORK!

but yeah, thats a "learn how to use your computer issue" isnt it?!

and just what exactly determines what motherboard you can have to run windows 10? or what cpu? what is specific about any  as far as i know, the only possible issue there could be from a "hardware" compatibility standpoint, is if your gpu does not support the latest version of directX. more often than not, the compatibility issues are from software changes, mainly being microsoft changing the drivers on your working system to ones that they think will work better, but end up bricking your rig. but yeah, i'll just "learn to use my computer better" and the issues will just go away! just what do you deem to be "proficient at using a computer" bulldog?

you seem to be misunderstanding me bulldog, its the updates that are CAUSING the issues! get an update in the middle of the night, then oh, why doesnt my sound work anymore? oh, microsoft did an update and now i have to download the correct drivers again because the ones they "updated" to DONT FREAKIN WORK!

but yeah, thats a "learn how to use your computer issue" isnt it?!

and just what exactly determines what motherboard you can have to run windows 10? or what cpu? what is specific about any  as far as i know, the only possible issue there could be from a "hardware" compatibility standpoint, is if your gpu does not support the latest version of directX. more often than not, the compatibility issues are from software changes, mainly being microsoft changing the drivers on your working system to ones that they think will work better, but end up bricking your rig. but yeah, i'll just "learn to use my computer better" and the issues will just go away! just what do you deem to be "proficient at using a computer" bulldog?

I'm right there with you.

"you seem to be misunderstanding me bulldog, its the updates that are CAUSING the issues! "

If the updates are causing the issues, why don't they cause issues for my computer?

"and just what exactly determines what motherboard you can have to run windows 10? or what cpu? what is specific about any  as far as i know, the only possible issue there could be from a "hardware" compatibility standpoint, is if your gpu does not support the latest version of directX."

If that's the case, what you know doesn't go very far, I'm afraid.

There will always be some people who don't 'get it' and don't feel that they should have to get it. After a while, the only thing that the rest of us can do is shake their hand and say best wishes.

No worries, I reported you for your crap. MS never forces any apps to be installed. They never know what apps we need.