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@ Bob Young
2025-02-26 22:23:03
Do you find Windows Updates annoying? Do them anyway.
There’s an app available called “Windows Update Blocker.” People who download and install this program mean well, but it’s a bad idea. A really, really bad idea.
FIRST: The most critical element in the Windows updates are the security updates. If you don’t want to do the updates, then:
Stop doing online banking.
Stop making online purchases.
These updates have a profound impact on encryption and authentication, both of which you need to do any kind of online financial transaction, or even financial account monitoring.
SECOND: Microsoft has built-in options to delay updates, but you can’t stop them completely unless you disconnect your computer permanently from the Internet. Any software that “claims” to block updates is using this delay feature. You can’t permanently block updates on an Internet-connected computer. It’ll eventually stop working.
THIRD: Websites check your computer for certain security capabilities before allowing you to use certain features of the website. If you don’t do the updates, your computer’s security capabilities will become outdated, and you won’t be able to interact with various websites and features (for example, buying a plane ticket).
FOURTH: If the software is “free,” you’re paying for it with your information instead of with cash. Companies don’t pay for a server, Internet bandwidth, and electricity without getting something in return. Question their motives for offering to rid you of a little annoyance.
Don’t block Windows updates.
Now, last but not least: Windows updates are released once a month, on the second Tuesday of the month. It’s lovingly referred to by IT people as “Patch Tuesday.” Any particular computer will receive its updates sometime between Patch Tuesday and the following Thursday. It doesn’t happen all it once. The updates are spread out a bit so they don’t overwhelm everything.
If it seems like your computer is doing updates every day, that’s not really what’s happening. In fact, the update is failing to install correctly, and so Windows tries again a little later. It fails again... tries again... and so on, until you fix the problem that’s preventing the update from installing correctly.
And now you’re a Windows update expert! Go forth and share your new knowledge!