Microsoft Allows Windows 10 Home Users To Block Any Driver Or Update With ‘Troubleshooter Package’
Microsoft ruffled quite a few feathers when it announced the system requirements for Windows 10 in early June. At the time, Microsoft first revealed that Windows 10 Home users would have Windows Updates forced upon them no matter what.
Don’t want that patch installed due to fears that it could cause compatibility issues? Tough luck! Afraid that the newest graphics drivers for your high-powered Radeon GPU will wreak havoc with your gaming rig? Too bad! Microsoft further confirmed this change of attitude with regards to software updates with Windows 10 Home’s End User License Agreement (EULA).
While Microsoft’s new policy is likely to stymy your average consumers, enthusiasts that know how to “work the system” will have a way to block any and every update beamed down to Windows 10 Home if they wish. This Microsoft-sponsored relief comes in the form of KB3073930, a new troubleshooting package, that allows you to hide or block not only Windows Updates, but also hardware drivers.
“In rare cases, a specific driver or update might temporarily cause issues with your device,” Microsoft explains in the support document. “And in this case you will need a way to prevent the problematic driver or update from reinstalling automatically the next time Windows Updates are installed.”
The troubleshooter (wushowhide.diagcab) is available directly from the Microsoft Download Center.
The appearance of this new troubleshooter is welcome news to Windows Insiders that have been stricken with application crashes following a flurry of Windows Updates released since Build 10240 went RTM earlier this month. In addition, some NVIDIA GeForce owners have loudly complained that automatic driver downloads have caused issues with their Windows 10 gaming rigs.
