Windows Update Enable or Disable Include Drivers with Windows Updates in Windows 11

Yearofthegoat · Apr 17, 2024

Bizarre - I just rolled back to the Realtek audio drivers (the ones in the update were MS ones), rechecked Windows Update and those driver updates now don't show up.

Nzyme · May 4, 2024

@Brink : Thanks for the useful tutorial. I was checking elsewhere on the web and observed there is another way to block automatic driver updates in Windows 11/10. On this page, the first step is to block it via the Control Panel. Perhaps, you can add this as a Step 1 in your tutorial.

Brink · May 4, 2024

Nzyme said:
@Brink : Thanks for the useful tutorial. I was checking elsewhere on the web and observed there is another way to block automatic driver updates in Windows 11/10. On this page, the first step is to block it via the Control Panel. Perhaps, you can add this as a Step 1 in your tutorial.

antspants · May 5, 2024

Nzyme said:
@Brink : Thanks for the useful tutorial. I was checking elsewhere on the web and observed there is another way to block automatic driver updates in Windows 11/10. On this page, the first step is to block it via the Control Panel. Perhaps, you can add this as a Step 1 in your tutorial.

I think that the option in the control panel does not necessarily stop “Driver” updates, possibly only apps and icons for a device. Microsoft don’t need to install an app to update a driver as far as I know.
The other two methods are already in Brinks tutorial.

Shamalow · May 5, 2024

Hi,

Windows update insists on installing 2 outdated Intel drivers for me.

Changing it in the control panel or changing option one (Gpedit) doesn't block them...

The only solution that works definitely is :
1) Suspend Windows update
2) to hide the 2 drivers with the Microsoft tool wushowhide.diagcab.

3) Resume Windows update

antspants · May 5, 2024

I am surprised they are asking to be installed.
Any Intel drivers I have in Windows Update are in the Optional Updates section. I have drivers sitting in there dated back to 2014. I just ignore them

Ghot · Jul 23, 2024

Brink said:

I remember some folk saying that this no longer works.
I also remember saying it was still working for me.

"Besides" using this tutorial, the only other think that I can think of that might be related is my use of WAU Manager.
I have no idea, what changes in the registry were made when I made the selection I did (in the RED box)...

DesignHeaad9206 · Aug 11, 2024

Nzyme said:
@Brink : Thanks for the useful tutorial. I was checking elsewhere on the web and observed there is another way to block automatic driver updates in Windows 11/10. On this page, the first step is to block it via the Control Panel. Perhaps, you can add this as a Step 1 in your tutorial.

It says "This policy setting allows you to prevent the installation of devices that are not specifically described by any other policy setting.".
The following explanation does mention installing drivers, but this first sentence and the name of the option make me fear that by doing this I won't be able to install the device at all, not even if I have my own driver?
Did you try installing something with this option enabled and it worked?

Brink · Aug 11, 2024

DesignHeaad9206 said:
It says "This policy setting allows you to prevent the installation of devices that are not specifically described by any other policy setting.".
The following explanation does mention installing drivers, but this first sentence and the name of the option make me fear that by doing this I won't be able to install the device at all, not even if I have my own driver?
Did you try installing something with this option enabled and it worked?

Hello,

It's only for:

Enable this policy to not include drivers with Windows quality updates. If you disable or don't configure this policy, Windows Update includes updates that have a Driver classification.

DesignHeaad9206 · Aug 11, 2024

Shamalow said:
Hi,

Windows update insists on installing 2 outdated Intel drivers for me.

Changing it in the control panel or changing option one (Gpedit) doesn't block them...

The only solution that works definitely is :
1) Suspend Windows update
2) to hide the 2 drivers with the Microsoft tool wushowhide.diagcab.
3) Resume Windows update

View attachment 95382

This is EXACTLY what happened to me exactly around that time!
But in my case Brink's tweak works, unless it's right after a clean install...
I went mad trying to figure out why the heck did Windows want to install an older driver than the one I got directly from Intel!
It was the start of a learning process which also brought me here (although I did not read all the comments until now) and made me go into a "clean install" frenzy which I don't regret because I've learnt a lot (though it's still only the tip of the iceberg) but ffs couldn't they just stop forcing things on us?
After 30 years of Windows I feel weird about going into Linus but I swear that I've been thinking about it so many times...
I only fear that it would be another Pandora Box that I don't want to open atm. Better the evil you know :)

antspants · Aug 11, 2024

DesignHeaad9206 said:
ffs couldn't they just stop forcing things on us?
After 30 years of Windows I feel weird about going into Linus

lol keep it clean, it’s their OS to do with what they wan’t. But like you said, you could always try “LINUX”

DesignHeaad9206 · Aug 11, 2024

Brink said:
Hello,

It's only for:

Enable this policy to not include drivers with Windows quality updates. If you disable or don't configure this policy, Windows Update includes updates that have a Driver classification.

Hi Brink,

thanks for the prompt reply, but could it be that you misunderstood what I was talking about? My post was in reference to what Nzyme wrote and the link they provided where there was an option to "Prevent Installation of Devices not described by other policy settings".

Anyway, I came here to talk with you, so, let's have a chat!
Besides the needed thanks for all your work (even things as simple as the registry tweak to add the "copy/move to" to the right click menu, they prove why UX is a thing).

Now, specifically about the topic of this thread:
the gpedit tweak works for me BUT only when all drivers are already installed and I simply want to prevent WU from forcing some weird drivers for devices that already have the best and newest one.
Whereas like you might have read in my recent thread about clean install, after a clean install WU always finds a way to install stuff that I don't want, including tons of stupid apps, optional components, web media extension blah blah, and any amount of drivers.

So, I have a few questions.

the three registry tweaks, could you tell me to which gpedit settings they correspond? I believe that the first one corresponds to the gpedit tweak that you mention, but what about the other two?
In the now well hidden old school System Properties (now accessible from Settings > System > About > Advanced System Settings) there's the option "Device Installation Settings" in the Hardware tab which says "Do you want to automatically download manufacturer's apps and custom icons?". Somewhere I've read that it could help avoiding forced installation of drivers, so I got used to set it in "no" after a clean install until I know I have all what I need (after which your gpedit tweak is enough in my experience).
Do you have more info about it? What does it do exactly? How does it help Windows sneak some driver or other crap?
In gpedit > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System there's an option outside of all the folders: "Windows Automatic Updates".
It's not the first time that I find an important setting in gpedit outside of the relative folder (as you know there is already a WU folder in both User Configuration and Computer Configuration). But this is weird because the title doesn't say anything about enabling or preventing, unlike most other settings, BUT the description says "If you enable this setting, it prohibits Windows from searching for updates. If you disable or do not configure it, Windows searches for updates and automatically downloads them", which doesn't make any sense imo, as it's usually only the case if the option is called "disable xyz" or "prevent xyz". But if it's only "xyz" and I don't want xyz, usually gpedit asks to disable xyz.
Do you happen to know more about it? Is it something redundant? Like, does it really completely disable WU like one can from the WU folder in Computer Configuration? Or is it something else which might have an effect on how WU manages to force some drivers at least after a clean install?
There are a few voices here and there in gpedit about enabling/disabling the prompts to search for drivers in WU. The way it's phrased it doesn't seem to be relevant for the automatic installation of drivers without any prompt, but as just showed in the previous point there's not trust possible with how Microsoft phrase things. So I wonder if you maybe know more about it.

Other than that, if you by chance can think at anything else that might maybe eventually possibly who knows be related to why Windows finds ALWAYS a way to install drivers and other crap after a clean install unless I completely disable WU and Microsoft Store (on top of having already disabled all possible options about automatic updates, driver updates, automatic apps updates etc, just in case), please share :)

Thanks!

Brink · Aug 11, 2024

DesignHeaad9206 said:
Hi Brink,

thanks for the prompt reply, but could it be that you misunderstood what I was talking about? My post was in reference to what Nzyme wrote and the link they provided where there was an option to "Prevent Installation of Devices not described by other policy settings".

Anyway, I came here to talk with you, so, let's have a chat!
Besides the needed thanks for all your work (even things as simple as the registry tweak to add the "copy/move to" to the right click menu, they prove why UX is a thing).

Now, specifically about the topic of this thread:
the gpedit tweak works for me BUT only when all drivers are already installed and I simply want to prevent WU from forcing some weird drivers for devices that already have the best and newest one.
Whereas like you might have read in my recent thread about clean install, after a clean install WU always finds a way to install stuff that I don't want, including tons of stupid apps, optional components, web media extension blah blah, and any amount of drivers.

So, I have a few questions.

the three registry tweaks, could you tell me to which gpedit settings they correspond? I believe that the first one corresponds to the gpedit tweak that you mention, but what about the other two?

In the now well hidden old school System Properties (now accessible from Settings > System > About > Advanced System Settings) there's the option "Device Installation Settings" in the Hardware tab which says "Do you want to automatically download manufacturer's apps and custom icons?". Somewhere I've read that it could help avoiding forced installation of drivers, so I got used to set it in "no" after a clean install until I know I have all what I need (after which your gpedit tweak is enough in my experience).
Do you have more info about it? What does it do exactly? How does it help Windows sneak some driver or other crap?

In gpedit > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System there's an option outside of all the folders: "Windows Automatic Updates".
It's not the first time that I find an important setting in gpedit outside of the relative folder (as you know there is already a WU folder in both User Configuration and Computer Configuration). But this is weird because the title doesn't say anything about enabling or preventing, unlike most other settings, BUT the description says "If you enable this setting, it prohibits Windows from searching for updates. If you disable or do not configure it, Windows searches for updates and automatically downloads them", which doesn't make any sense imo, as it's usually only the case if the option is called "disable xyz" or "prevent xyz". But if it's only "xyz" and I don't want xyz, usually gpedit asks to disable xyz.
Do you happen to know more about it? Is it something redundant? Like, does it really completely disable WU like one can from the WU folder in Computer Configuration? Or is it something else which might have an effect on how WU manages to force some drivers at least after a clean install?

There are a few voices here and there in gpedit about enabling/disabling the prompts to search for drivers in WU. The way it's phrased it doesn't seem to be relevant for the automatic installation of drivers without any prompt, but as just showed in the previous point there's not trust possible with how Microsoft phrase things. So I wonder if you maybe know more about it.

Other than that, if you by chance can think at anything else that might maybe eventually possibly who knows be related to why Windows finds ALWAYS a way to install drivers and other crap after a clean install unless I completely disable WU and Microsoft Store (on top of having already disabled all possible options about automatic updates, driver updates, automatic apps updates etc, just in case), please share :)

Thanks!

Yeah, I thought you meant for this tutorial instead.

If you mean for option two in the tutorial in the first post here, then they are for the group policy in option one.

It's very hard to 100% prevent all drivers via Windows Update. It has a way of defying policies at times.

DesignHeaad9206 · Aug 11, 2024

Brink said:
Yeah, I thought you meant for this tutorial instead.

If you mean for option two in the tutorial in the first post here, then they are for the group policy in option one.

It's very hard to 100% prevent all drivers via Windows Update. It has a way of defying policies at times.

AH, you sold me too short

Please share some wisdom about those questions

It doesn't need to be now if now you can't, but don't leave me in my miserable ignorance please

Brink · Aug 11, 2024

DesignHeaad9206 said:
AH, you sold me too short
Please share some wisdom about those questions
It doesn't need to be now if now you can't, but don't leave me in my miserable ignorance please

It would be best to create a new thread for anything not directly related to this tutorial so as to keep it on topic.

DesignHeaad9206 · Aug 11, 2024

Shamalow said:
Hi,

Windows update insists on installing 2 outdated Intel drivers for me.

Changing it in the control panel or changing option one (Gpedit) doesn't block them...

The only solution that works definitely is :
1) Suspend Windows update
2) to hide the 2 drivers with the Microsoft tool wushowhide.diagcab.
3) Resume Windows update

View attachment 95382

I remembered something but it's to late to edit my previous reply.
In case you or other people like me still have this issue, I think that in my case what helped was the combination of Brink's GPEDIT tweak (but feel free to use the REGEDIT one which he says is even more thorough) and setting WU to not be automatic.
To do that you have to go to GPEDIT > Computer Configuration > Administrative Template > Windows Components > Windows Update > Manage End User Experience, click on "Configure Automatic Updates" and select Enable and then the option 2 "Notify before downloading and installing any updates".
By doing this WU will check for updates but not install them unless you agree.
BEWARE, even with this option if you ever check for update manually WU will immediately download and install whatever it finds! So, don't do it unless you want that.

DesignHeaad9206 · Aug 11, 2024

Brink said:
It would be best to create a new thread for anything not directly related to this tutorial so as to keep it on topic.

I am pretty confident that it's at least potentially related to why WU still manages to sneak drivers updates for some people despite your tweaks, but I'll do as requested!

EDIT: at least the first question is definitely related to this thread

cheaterslick · Sep 24, 2024

This thread is essential since I want Lenovo to update my drivers and not Windows 11!!

And yet Windows keeps rolling back my drivers right after I updated the drivers through Lenovo's website.

I wish they'd knock it off ...

Jett · Dec 13, 2024

After reading this thread I am a bit confused. So is the consensus that the OP tutorial of either the gpedit or reg edit the way to go? Even with the disclaimer "This will still not always prevent drivers for existing devices from getting updated via Windows Update." is it even worthwhile?

Jett.................

Brink · Dec 13, 2024

Jett said:
After reading this thread I am a bit confused. So is the consensus that the OP tutorial of either the gpedit or reg edit the way to go? Even with the disclaimer "This will still not always prevent drivers for existing devices from getting updated via Windows Update." is it even worthwhile?

Jett.................

Hello Jett,

Unfortunately, it will not always guarantee that drivers for existing installed devices will not show up in Windows Update.

You can try and see.

Windows Update Enable or Disable Include Drivers with Windows Updates in Windows 11

Enable or Disable Include Drivers with Windows Updates in Local Group Policy Editor

Enable or Disable Include Drivers with Windows Updates using REG file

Attachments

Member

My Computer

Active member

My Computer

Administrator

My Computers

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

Active member

My Computer

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Member

My Computer

Administrator

My Computers

Member

My Computer

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

Member

My Computer

Administrator

My Computers

Member

My Computer

Administrator

My Computers

Member

My Computer

Member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Member

My Computer

Administrator

My Computers

Similar Windows 11 Tutorials