Get Rid of WIndows 10 Notification

I'd further endorse John Hurst's comment concerning GWX Control Panel, It's worked on every Windows computer I've installed it on, and that's quite a few now...

For those experts suggesting the GWX Control Panel, can you tell us what it does under the covers? I don't like to run utilities where I don't know what they're doing to my system.

Also, the asker (LockDown32) wants "an automated solution", but from what I read at the website, the GWX Control Panel requires you to run the GUI manually. There were at least two requests that I saw for an automated, command-line solution:

I like the app. works perfectly.. Are there command-line parameters possible like
GWX_control_panel.exe /accepteula /DisableApp

I really love this tool. It would be awesome if you made a command line Syntax for it :)/

But the response from the author was:

Thanks! It doesn't support command line parameters yet, but that is something I'm considering for a possible update.

Regards, Joe

I like the KISS principle. Don't really want to install anything. Seems kind of pointless to install something to do a one-time things. Even a command line options would be annoying. Isn't there anything where you can just run a exe once and it does the trick?

My first video has something very simple — just hide the icon. But I'd say that my second video has the technique that you want — just run a file once and it does the trick! The file to run is not a .EXE file — it is a .REG file. It is a plain text file and it is attached to this post (it's also attached at the second video along with a .REG file to restore the icon if you ever want it back). There's nothing to install with this approach — just download the .REG file and double-click it. That's it! Btw, it's safer than executing a .EXE file in that you can see in the plain text file exactly what it's doing to your registry and it's easy to remove whenever you want. Regards, Joe
GetW10_remove_tray_icon.reg

The GWX Control Panel has easy to understand settings that get rid of the obnoxious nag. They are well described and you can open and run the program without changing settings until you have understood what it will do.

Oddly enough, the machine I did this on is now out of service in my basement. Both my computers are Windows 10 - my ThinkPad X230 upgraded from Windows 8.1 and my new ThinkCenter M73 that came preloaded with Windows 10 Pro.

> The GWX Control Panel has easy to understand settings that get rid of the obnoxious nag.

I could study the website and/or test the program, but I'm hoping off the top of your head that you can tell me what it does. Hide the icon? Uninstall KB3035583 and hide the update? Disable the GWX tasks in Task Scheduler? Create GWX>DisableGWX in the registry and set its value to 1? Thanks, Joe

Here is a screen shot of GWX


It removes the App (first button)
It removes the Upgrade in Windows Update
It clears the Windows Update Cache

It prevents the Nag, but does not prevent Windows Update from presenting KB3035583 again (so hide it again).

Nothing prevents Windows Update from continuing to present KB3035583, but if you continue to hide it, Windows 10 will not install.

Thanks, John — very helpful!

> Nothing prevents Windows Update from continuing to present KB3035583, but if you continue to hide it, Windows 10 will not install.

Yes, that's the problem with the KB3035583 technique — it keeps coming back in updates so you have to be vigilant hiding it. That's why I prefer the registry technique, for which I've had no reports of its coming back. But, of course, our friends at Microsoft could do something about that in a future update — they've been incredibly aggressive in trying to push out W10. Regards, Joe

I tried the registry technique on one machine and (a) it did not stop the update from presenting itself and (b) worse, I got twice daily GWX has Stopped Working errors. The registry fix was worse than the disease.

> I tried the registry technique on one machine and (a) it did not stop the update from presenting itself

You miss the point. With the registry change, KB3035583 doesn't matter! I left KB3035583 installed and did the registry change — icon is gone!

> and (b) worse, I got twice daily GWX has Stopped Working errors. The registry fix was worse than the disease.

Hasn't happened here. Never a single error message. Registry fix has been perfect. I don't have a clue what the programmers of the GWX Control Panel did, but that's likely the problem.

Regards, Joe

I tried the registry fix on two machines and continued to have issues.

> I tried the registry fix on two machines and continued to have issues.

Did those two machines have the GWX Control Panel installed?

No. The registry fix was the first thing I tried and GWX Control Panel was after.

With all of my personal experience to the contrary, and no reports of failure from any of the 50 views on my video tutorial, this is hard for me to believe. I've done it on many machines without a problem. Just did it less than an hour ago on an ASUS laptop running W7/64-bit...double-clicked the .REG file...worked perfectly...rebooted and the icon is gone (and with KB3035583 still installed). I guess this falls under the "YMMV" mantra, as do many things in Windows. I think we've taken our opinions on this as far as necessary. Regards, Joe

Interesting. It doesn't sound like either the registry fix or GWX does a complete job. Un-installing KB3035583 and hiding it isn't that big of a deal. It might actually be the lesser of all evils.

   Yesterday on one computer I uninstalled KB3035583 and rebooted. To my surprise both the icon and KB3035583 were back immediately after the reboot. I scratched my head and uninstalled it a second time and when it rebooted the icon and the KB were gone.

   I thought that might have just been a fluke so I tried it on another computer. I actually had to uninstall KB3035583 THREE times before the icon went away and the KB was actually uninstalled. That's when I figured there had to be a better way. Guess not.

Thanks Microsoft!

Try Joe's method on your computer and try GWX Control Panel on another .

I am following these ideas here and elsewhere because I have a Windows 7 virtual machine that I wish to keep as Windows 7 forever. So far (as you note) I just have to keep hiding the update. Maybe when a year has gone by, it will stop prompting

> It doesn't sound like either the registry fix or GWX does a complete job.

All I can say is that the registry fix has never, ever failed on any machine I've done it on, or on any machine that other users have done it on based on my recommendation — and not a single failure comment from the 50 views of my video tutorial. John's machines are the only negatives that I've ever heard. If you don't mind experimenting, please try it on a machine — just download and double-click the .REG file attached to my post http:#a41392638 and reboot. Let us know what happens. Simple to remove if it doesn't work for you (see the GetW10_restore_tray_icon.reg file at my video). Thanks, Joe

@Joe, @John I have played with both and both disable the icon which I guess is better than nothing. Neither uninstall KB3035583 or keep it from coming back but I guess if the icon is gone that is more than half the battle.

I like GWX a tad better. They do have a version that is run-only. Don't need to install it. What I like about it is that it will get rid of the WIndows 10 download folder.

I guess having the KB still installed isn't that bad as long as the icon is gone so they can't upgrade.

Hi LockDown,
Thanks for trying the registry method — I'm glad it worked for you, disabling the icon. I appreciate the testing and feedback. Regards, Joe

LockDown32--
"I guess having the KB still installed isn't that bad as long as the icon is gone so they can't upgrade"
I may be wrong but removing the icon from the Notification Area but not uninstalling  KB3035583  , does not MS from offering Win 10.

I have used belt and suspenders as mentioned in this thread
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/28866239/I'm-trying-to-disable-the-GWXTriggers-task-but-can't.html?anchorAnswerId=41295525#a41295525
See John Hurst's post of 11/28 and the following posts.
In the past month I have not been offered neither  KB3035583  nor Win 10

John,
Thanks to jcimarron's post with the earlier question, I just noticed that the registry change you tried is different from the one I'm suggesting. Yours is here:
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/28866239/I'm-trying-to-disable-the-GWXTriggers-task-but-can't.html?anchorAnswerId=41295525#a41295525

And it says this:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate
DWORD value: DisableOSUpgrade = 1

Mine is at the video and above, and it is this:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\GWX
DWORD value: DisableDWX = 1

They're completely different, so maybe that's why you had issues with the registry fix. If you don't mind experimenting, try the one I'm suggesting. Regards, Joe

My Windows 7 systems are all gone. All Windows 10 now.

LockDown,

> Neither uninstall KB3035583 or keep it from coming back but I guess if the icon is gone that is more than half the battle.

With my registry technique, it doesn't matter if KB3035583 is installed. It doesn't even try to remove it. If you want to uninstall it, that's discussed in my first video, but the registry method works whether or not KB3035583 is installed. Regards, Joe

Well I might as well throw this in the works too and it might relate to jcimmaron's comment above. How many Windows 10 notifications are there?

   Obviously KB3035583 but how far does that KB go? I have never really watched. It appears as though all it does is put the little Windows icon down by the clock offering Windows 10 should the user click on it.

   The "second level" I have seem is where there is a popup. It looks like it is coming from the icon and says "Get Windows 10" and long with some other verbiage. That is where I have seen the $Windows.~BT folder get created and the actual upgrade start to download.

   Are these two different notifications or simple KB3035583 left there long enough?

> Are these two different notifications or simple KB3035583 left there long enough?

Getting the popup and clicking on it are two different things. AFAIK, KB3035583 simply installs the "Get Windows 10" icon. The existence of $Windows.~BT (also, Windows.old) is a separate issue. I have removed them via Disk Cleanup>Clean up system files. Regards, Joe

I just hit another computer that had it. It is a pop-up coming from the icon that KB3035583 puts on as mentioned above. The pop-up title is "Windows 10 is Here" and the body says "One part Windows 7, One Part Windows 8, One Part Awesome". $Windows.~BT is created in the root. This pop-up and $Windows.~BT are separate issues? Really? Where do they come from. Another KB?

This particular user that this has happened too is way to timid to click on something he doesn't know what it is. Are you sure it isn't a natural progression of KB3035583?

> Are you sure it isn't a natural progression of KB3035583?

I'm not sure. Some folks think that KB3035583 does it, such as this article:
http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/what-is-the-windows-bt-folder-on-my-hard-drive/

Note the comment (copied here under Fair Use):

The $WINDOWS.~BT folder came from Windows, or more precisely a Windows update. It contains the files needed to upgrade to Windows 10. These files were gradually downloaded over time.

On the other hand, I have several machines with the "Get Windows 10" icon that has never been clicked on, and they do not have the $WINDOWS.~BT folder. I just searched the entire hard drive on two of them (W7 systems) to make sure that I wasn't hallucinating, and neither has the folder. So I don't know if there's a definitive answer. Regards, Joe

What a mess. I found yet another article saying that sooner or later KB3035583 will start downloading the update and putting it in the $Windows.~BT folder. Even removing the $Windows.~BT folder won't do any good unless you remove KB3035583 too. If you don't remove KB3035583 it will keep re-downloading and re-creating the $Windows.~BT folder.

But then.... it goes on to state that Windows 7 users need to also uninstall KB2952664 and WIndows 8 users need to uninstall KB2976978. That these to KB's check for Windows 10 compatibility and also download the Windows 10 Update. Researching those 2 KBs they appear to be nothing more that compatibility fixes. Makes you wonder how accurate the article is.....

You are right — a complete mess! At this point, I'm happy with (1) removing the icon via the registry method (it has never come back on any machine — not to say that it couldn't, depending on the clever folks at Microsoft) and (2) deleting $Windows.~BT (and Windows.old) whenever they appear. I suppose it makes sense also to remove KB3035583, but I know nothing about KB2952664 or KB2976978 — haven't researched either. Microsoft has been extremely aggressive on pushing out W10 and, who knows, more tricks could be coming our way. Regards, Joe

LockDown32--
" Researching those 2 KBs they appear to be nothing more that compatibility fixes"
I think MS is trying to cloud the true purpose of these KB's.

The latest version of the KB2952664 site says
"This update helps Microsoft make improvements to the current operating system in order to ease the upgrade experience to the latest version of Windows."

> "This update helps Microsoft make improvements to the current operating system in order to ease the upgrade experience to the latest version of Windows."

Yikes! Not too subtle. :)  Thanks for posting that, jcimarron, I hadn't seen it.