Anyway to stop windows 8 from updating to windows 8.1?

[Puck]

Basically my computer will inevitably update to windows 8.1 which will cause conflict from my video card resulting in black screen because Microsoft is stupid. Is there anyway to stop my computer from updating? I can hold it off from doing so, but eventually it decides my input is irrelevant and does it ianyway.

[Stormspark]

Wait, what? I've never heard of any video cards having a problem with 8.1.

That said, if you want to stop 8.1, you have to stop ALL updates, so you'd have to go into Windows Update and set it to never check for updates automatically.

[tielknight]

Have you tried to let it update and had this occur or are you just going off what other people are saying? Because it sounds absurdly silly.

[Ratboy]

Have you tried turning off the automatic updates?

[Kasierith]

I'm confused, did you download it from windows store or something? I've reinstalled my OS four times in the past year, and each time I accessed windows 8.1 from the windows store, not from the windows update interface.

[fixx]

Basically my computer will inevitably update to windows 8.1 which will cause conflict from my video card resulting in black screen because Microsoft is stupid. Is there anyway to stop my computer from updating? I can hold it off from doing so, but eventually it decides my input is irrelevant and does it ianyway.

I'd rather try to figure out what causes the problem you're experiencing than not update. Or just wait to the end of the year and update straight to Win10.

8.1 is not mandatory from Windows Update service anyway, you have to load it manually from the store.

[Funkyjunky]

Doesn't sound like a win8.1 problem to me....

[Jester Joe]

Have you tried to let it update and had this occur or are you just going off what other people are saying? Because it sounds absurdly silly.

I would imagine from their last sentence they did have it update before. Although I've had an issue on my old laptop every time it updated, all internet pages would try to be downloaded instead of viewed so yeah, personally I always have updating turned off.

[Afrospinach]

8.1 is not mandatory from Windows Update service anyway, you have to load it manually from the store.

You know it has been prompting me for some months to do it now, and one day quite suddenly after telling it to screw off until I am ready I had to restart my computer to finish installing it. It downloaded it all on it's own, wondered where all my bandwidth went.

Glad it is done though, no problems myself.

[teddytous]

Microsoft is even dropping support for 8 extremely early - If I recall correctly, within the next few months even.

They don't want 8 around any longer. Hell, they're even allowing free updates from 7 and 8 to 10 when it's released. Either 8 flopped hard (Which, from my experience with tech support, it definitely seems to have with the general consumer) or there's something Microsoft REALLY wants people to have on their computers that wasn't in 8, but is in 8.1 and 10.

OT: As someone who has specifically researched this issue several times at my workplace (People call in asking the same all the time), no, it is not possible to stop the prompts to update to 8.1. Even turning off auto-updates won't fix it, simply because the 8.1 update is in the Windows store, not the usual Windows Update program.

The free 10 upgrade is a marketing trap. It's only free for a year. Basically just to get people on it, then force them to buy it or else reformat.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/...or-first-year/

[Asmekiel]

Microsoft is even dropping support for 8 extremely early - If I recall correctly, within the next few months even.

They don't want 8 around any longer. Hell, they're even allowing free updates from 7 and 8 to 10 when it's released. Either 8 flopped hard (Which, from my experience with tech support, it definitely seems to have with the general consumer) or there's something Microsoft REALLY wants people to have on their computers that wasn't in 8, but is in 8.1 and 10

Mainstream support for W7 without service pack has been dropped almost 2 years ago already. The 8.1 update can be seen as W8 SP1, so 8 gets the same treatment as 7.

[Asmekiel]

The free 10 upgrade is a marketing trap. It's only free for a year. Basically just to get people on it, then force them to buy it or else reformat.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/...or-first-year/

Nowhere in the article it says you need to pay after a year. The last sentence even says the complete opposite:
"Once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device—at no additional charge."

[Jester Joe]

The free 10 upgrade is a marketing trap. It's only free for a year. Basically just to get people on it, then force them to buy it or else reformat.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/...or-first-year/

Update 2: A blog post from Terry Myerson clears up what "Windows as a service" means, though the duration of "the supported lifetime of the device" is still foggy. "This is more than a one-time upgrade," writes Myerson. "Once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device—at no additional charge."

That...sounds to me like it's not only free for the year?

[Fascinate]

The free 10 upgrade is a marketing trap. It's only free for a year. Basically just to get people on it, then force them to buy it or else reformat.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/...or-first-year/

As long as you upgrade within 1 year of w10 release, its free forever. Lots of people were confused with this, as was i! (they worded it poorly when they announced it)

[Asmekiel]

As long as you upgrade within 1 year of w10 release, its free forever. Lots of people were confused with this, as was i! (they worded it poorly when they announced it)

How is this any different than "the first 6 months you get a discount upgrading from 7 to 8"?

[Mirishka]

The free 10 upgrade is a marketing trap. It's only free for a year. Basically just to get people on it, then force them to buy it or else reformat.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/...or-first-year/

This is wrong and misleading.

If you upgrade to Windows 10 within a year of it's release, it is free... period. After it has been out for one year, anyone who hasn't upgraded to it will have to pay for it.

[Fascinate]

How is this any different than "the first 6 months you get a discount upgrading from 7 to 8"?

You are still confused lol. You have one year to upgrade to windows 10, if you dont upgrade within a year then it costs money to upgrade. Pro tip: Upgrade within a year.

[lockblock]

Sounds like the op didn't install the most recent display drivers after upgrading to 8.1.

[Asmekiel]

You are still confused lol. You have one year to upgrade to windows 10, if you dont upgrade within a year then it costs money to upgrade. Pro tip: Upgrade within a year.

I'm not confused.
W7 to W8: first 6 months you got a discount, after that you paid the full price.
W7/W8.1 to W10: first year is free, after that you pay the full price.

[Forsedar]

Sounds like the op didn't install the most recent display drivers after upgrading to 8.1.

This is a known issue with Windows 8.1 and HP related computers.

OP; did you happen to purchase an HP Envy laptop?

Unfortunately, I have not found a work-around that prevents you from updating without signing out of a Microsoft Account and just using a Local Account as a user. Without the MS Account, you will not automatically pull 8.1. You can check out the current major updates in the System options and 'forget' the update. If using a Microsoft Account, your computer forgets to 'forget' the update and rolls out after a few weeks if any other updates are applied during that time period.


Again to clarify for those posting he needs to update drivers: this is a known issue with quite a few different MFG and models on the market. These computers can and will push out the 8.1 update without your consent. I see it multiple times a week. It installs like any other Windows Update and applies after a restart. After booting into the OS, your (most likely) integrated video stops actually functioning.

I assist people daily who find connecting to a wireless router a defeating task, yet their system forces the OS into an 8.1 update. Most of my clients have a better chance at becoming professional Starcraft players than using the Windows Store.