Many people in online forums discuss updating drivers after upgrading a system to Windows 10. However, in some cases, doing so causes problems because some drivers do not yet have the right version for the relatively new OS. Consequently, these automatic driver updates can prevent some pieces of hardware from functioning properly.

You might ask, “How can I stop the automatic driver updates on Windows 10?” Well, you’ll be glad you found this article. In this post, we are going to discuss how to disable the driver update service. Make sure you work your way down the list until you find the fix that works best for you.

Before Anything Else…

Of course, the first thing you need to do is determine which drivers were recently updated. Doing so will let you identify the cause of the problem, allowing you to fix it accordingly. To view the list of recent driver updates, follow the instructions below:

  1. Click the Search icon on your taskbar.
  2. Type “Settings” (no quotes), then hit Enter.
  3. Select Update & Security.
  4. Go to the right pane, then click View Update History.
  5. Expand the contents of the Driver Updates.
  6. Make sure you look at the dates and check which updates were installed right before you started experiencing hardware issues.

Solution 1: Using the ‘Show or Hide Updates’ Tool

When Microsoft released Windows 10 Home version, many users were disappointed when they learned that they could not control the automatic updates. Thankfully, the tech giant listened to complaints and released a troubleshooter for such situation. This feature is available for the Windows 10 Technical Preview and the full version. Basically, it allows users to block automatic updates.

To block the automatic updates through the troubleshooter, you just need to follow these steps:

  1. Download the troubleshooting tool from Microsoft’s website.
  2. Once you’ve downloaded the tool, run it.
  3. Under the Show or Hide Updates category, select Hide Updates.

Solution 2: Disabling the Update Service

You can also disable the update service for the OS, the drivers, software, and other components of your PC. You can do that by following the instructions below:

  1. On your keyboard, press Windows Key+S.
  2. Now, type “services.msc” (no quotes), then press OK.
  3. Scroll down until you find the Windows Update service. Double-click it to open its properties.
  4. Go to the General tab, then choose Disabled from the drop-down list beside Startup Type.
  5. Restart your computer.

Solution 3: Rolling Back your Drivers

If you’re having issues because your system automatically installed new driver updates, you can still revert the action. You can do this by rolling back the drivers to their previous versions. Here are the steps:

  1. Right-click the Windows icon on your taskbar.
  2. Select Device Manager from the options.
  3. Look for the problematic device, then right-click it.
  4. Choose Properties from the list.
  5. Go to the Driver tab, then click the Roll Back Driver button.

Best Practice: Using Auslogics Driver Updater

Many users dislike the automatic driver updates because they do not have much control over the feature. They do not have the freedom to choose which device to update. If you want a convenient, reliable, and flexible way to update your drivers, you should use Auslogics Driver Updater. After activating this tool, you just need to click a button. It will automatically recognize your system version and locate all problematic drivers.

The great thing about this tool is it gives you the freedom to address all faulty drivers at once or target only those that you need. You won’t be forced to deal with driver updates that you do not like. If you do opt to address all problematic drivers, you can trust that Auslogics Driver Updater will find the versions that are compatible with your system.

Do you think we missed anything in this post?

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