Windows updates

[SueDonim]

Windows tries to do updates but fails. It says "Updates are available. We’ll download them when you are not using a metered connection, or you can download 781.79 MB using your current data connection (charges might apply). You might still need to connect to unmetered WiFi for some updates."

I don't know why it expects a desktop computer on a metered connection to move to where it might get unmetered wifi. My question is whether the incomplete update is a risk (I also have Norton paid version running). The updates that are stalling are:

2022-08 Security Update for Windows 10 Version 21H1 for x64-based Systems (KB5012170)
Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool x64 - v5.106 (KB890830)
2022-10 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5, 4.8 and 4.8.1 for Windows 10 Version 21H1 for x64 (KB5018544)
2022-10 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 21H1 for x64-based Systems (KB5018410)
NVIDIA - Display - 30.0.15.1215

It also tells me that my computer doesn't meet the minimum needed for Win 11. Which is a bit weird because although it's a few years old it's better spec than many currently on the market. I'm thinking about upgrading but haven't yet decided which way to go.

In the meantime, do I really need to force the nearly 800mb update and use up all my data? Our usage is mainly the same few websites, including YouTube, and uploading photos.

Thanks

[king1]

as a rule the updates are definitely required, the NVidia perhaps less so, but for security and performance reasons they are generally recommended.

The internet connection profile in windows has a metered toggle which prevents downloading loads of data if you are using say a cell phone as a hotspot... any other connection type probably doesn't need the metered option on.
You'll find it in the network connection properties area, if metered is off windows will do all the download and updates in the background.

What type of connection and data allowance do you have?

Windows 11 has very specific hardware requirements which are only available in PCs from probably the last 3-4 years, CPU needs to be 7th gen intel series or later, TPM 2.0 support, plus a few others etc

[SueDonim]

Thanks for that. Our connection is a monthly plan on a wireless modem - 40gb for $45 which is usually enough but sometimes only just. I can buy more, but avoid that unless I need it, and get grumpy at the idea of Microsoft causing the need. Same on the phones. Huge updates are data-waste, especially when they are so often just fixing things that should have been right first time. But I do want to stay safe. At the moment on the desktop that wants to update Win10 I've got 2gb left for 3 days. It sounds like I should let the update go ahead and just reduce usage until it renews.

I've seen where the tick box is in the settings but I prefer to keep it unticked so that I can keep control. I'll let the update go manually this time.

Thanks also for the info on Win11. I should probably just get on with deciding what direction to take with the next computer.

[king1]

Thanks for that. Our connection is a monthly plan on a wireless modem - 40gb for $45 which is usually enough but sometimes only just. I can buy more, but avoid that unless I need it, and get grumpy at the idea of Microsoft causing the need. Same on the phones. Huge updates are data-waste, especially when they are so often just fixing things that should have been right first time. But I do want to stay safe. At the moment on the desktop that wants to update Win10 I've got 2gb left for 3 days. It sounds like I should let the update go ahead and just reduce usage until it renews.

I've seen where the tick box is in the settings but I prefer to keep it unticked so that I can keep control. I'll let the update go manually this time.

Thanks also for the info on Win11. I should probably just get on with deciding what direction to take with the next computer.

all good, it's just a fact of life these days though about the size of the updates, luckily the big ones are only twice a year...

End of support for win10 is October 2025 so plenty of time still, probably another 6 months after that you'd get away with... There are 'hacks' to bypass some of the hardware requirements but you need to know what your doing and there is no guarantee they won't cause issues down the track, so probably not worth mentioning...

[SueDonim]

Thanks for that. Our connection is a monthly plan on a wireless modem - 40gb for $45 which is usually enough but sometimes only just. I can buy more, but avoid that unless I need it, and get grumpy at the idea of Microsoft causing the need. Same on the phones. Huge updates are data-waste, especially when they are so often just fixing things that should have been right first time. But I do want to stay safe. At the moment on the desktop that wants to update Win10 I've got 2gb left for 3 days. It sounds like I should let the update go ahead and just reduce usage until it renews.

I've seen where the tick box is in the settings but I prefer to keep it unticked so that I can keep control. I'll let the update go manually this time.

Thanks also for the info on Win11. I should probably just get on with deciding what direction to take with the next computer.

all good, it's just a fact of life these days though about the size of the updates, luckily the big ones are only twice a year...

End of support for win10 is October 2025 so plenty of time still, probably another 6 months after that you'd get away with... There are 'hacks' to bypass some of the hardware requirements but you need to know what your doing and there is no guarantee they won't cause issues down the track, so probably not worth mentioning...

All good. The restart took well over an hour but everything is fine and my low data warning came up but it's only a couple of days to go before renewal.

Happy to go without the hacks for a Win 11 upgrade on the old computer. I can follow instructions, but don't want to risk issues down the track. My biggest priority is to have trouble-free computing. My main need for Win 11 is a software subscription that I realised is no longer updating correctly and it turns out that the latest version needs Win 11. I'm also aware that the current SSD is getting old so I'm starting to think and look at what I need, but not rushing in yet.

Thanks for your help.

[king1]

all good, it's just a fact of life these days though about the size of the updates, luckily the big ones are only twice a year...

End of support for win10 is October 2025 so plenty of time still, probably another 6 months after that you'd get away with... There are 'hacks' to bypass some of the hardware requirements but you need to know what your doing and there is no guarantee they won't cause issues down the track, so probably not worth mentioning...

All good. The restart took well over an hour but everything is fine and my low data warning came up but it's only a couple of days to go before renewal.

Happy to go without the hacks for a Win 11 upgrade on the old computer. I can follow instructions, but don't want to risk issues down the track. My biggest priority is to have trouble-free computing. My main need for Win 11 is a software subscription that I realised is no longer updating correctly and it turns out that the latest version needs Win 11. I'm also aware that the current SSD is getting old so I'm starting to think and look at what I need, but not rushing in yet.

Thanks for your help.

that software subscription sounds interesting, what is it for?  I can't imagine any software these days that require only Windows 11 when windows 10 is still very much current...

SSD samsung 870evos are good, and the price of them has come down a bit the last month or so

[SueDonim]

All good. The restart took well over an hour but everything is fine and my low data warning came up but it's only a couple of days to go before renewal.

Happy to go without the hacks for a Win 11 upgrade on the old computer. I can follow instructions, but don't want to risk issues down the track. My biggest priority is to have trouble-free computing. My main need for Win 11 is a software subscription that I realised is no longer updating correctly and it turns out that the latest version needs Win 11. I'm also aware that the current SSD is getting old so I'm starting to think and look at what I need, but not rushing in yet.

Thanks for your help.

that software subscription sounds interesting, what is it for?  I can't imagine any software these days that require only Windows 11 when windows 10 is still very much current...

SSD samsung 870evos are good, and the price of them has come down a bit the last month or so

You got me thinking - which is always a good thing. A few weeks ago I googled how to do something. Friend Google gave me the answer but also showed me that my 2020 version was out of date, and somewhere in there I saw something about the new version needing Win11.  I think I was a bit too ready to accept that without thinking it through. After your comment today I logged in to my account at the website and found  that the 2023 version was sitting waiting for me to download as part of my subscription. I bit the bullet on topping up my data and got it all up and running. So now everything is up to date and doing what it should. I still need to keep an eye on the age of my SSD but that's far from urgent yet.