Removing Windows 10 updates when troubleshooting performance problems on Dell systems

The following article provides information about when you would need to remove a windows update and how you would be best to do it.

Why would you want to remove Windows updates from your system?

There are several reasons why you may need to remove or block a windows 10 update on your Dell system.

• Your system has recently restarted after an update and now you are having issues booting or it takes longer than it usually does
• You have started seeing performance issues after your operating system has recently updated
• You have started to see an issue with a particular application or utility after your system has updated
• You receive an error message stating a recent update has not installed correctly
• Microsoft has advised that a specific update is causing issues and should be removed or blocked until the issue has been resolved
• You are looking to troubleshoot issues with your operating system and need to rule the updates out of the equation

Note: Best Practices: Dell recommends that you always run a backup before performing any troubleshooting or making any changes to your operating system. In the unlikely event something where to happen, you do not want to lose any of your Data.

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How to remove Windows Updates that are causing performance problems on your Dell PC

Before you Start:

Before attempting to troubleshoot your issue, you should always check the Windows Health Dashboard from Microsoft for any issues that are being investigated and any mitigation or resolutions provided:

• Windows 10 release information 

1. Select your current version of Windows 10 on the side bar going down the left-hand side of the page:

   1. To identify your version of Windows 10, you need to click the Start button

   2. Type winver and click the Run command icon that appears in the menu

   3. A Pop-Up window appears with your Windows 10 version and build number

2. You should review the sections Known issues and notifications and Resolved issues

3. Follow the resolutions steps that are provided if the symptoms or issue matches the problems on your system

What do you do if the Microsoft Health Dashboard does not show the issue? Your first step depends on if you have the name of the suspect update?

• If you do, then go ahead and attempt to uninstall the problematic update

• If you do not, then you start with uninstalling the most recent update. Test your system and if the issue continues, repeat the step and after each update is removed, check if your issue is resolved

Uninstall a Windows 10 update:

Follow these steps to uninstall a Windows update in Windows 10:

1. Click the Start button and select Settings

2. Click Update & Security

3. Click the View Update History link on the right-hand side of the page

4. Click the Uninstall Updates link in the top left-hand side corner of the View Update History window that opened

5. A new window opens with a list of the installed updates

   (The updates should be listed from the latest to the oldest)

6. Click the update that you want to uninstall and then click the Uninstall button that appears at the top of the list

7. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the uninstall

8. Reboot the system if it is required

Temporarily block Windows updates:

If you were to do nothing else, then the next time that your system restarted or ran the Windows update utility then it would undo everything that you have accomplished.

This is because Windows 10 would attempt to reinstall whichever updates you have removed.

Microsoft also recognizes that this happens, and they offer a guide on how to temporarily prevent the update utility from reinstalling the update at its next opportunity.

Read the following Microsoft article for instructions on how to stop the update from reinstalling on your PC:

• How to temporarily prevent a Windows Update from reinstalling in Windows 10 

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