Uninstall Windows updates. How to remove unnecessary Windows updates and free up tons of space

Anyone who hears the word “updates” for the first time will say that these are certain measures aimed at improving the product. Their task is to correct bugs and shortcomings in any program, not necessarily in Windows 7. For example, a year after the release of the application, the company decided to improve the interface and released a package of updates that the user must download and install, after which he will see these changes.

Updates in Windows 7 are usually aimed at fixing security problems and compatibility of the operating system with drivers and programs. This also includes compatibility issues with programs that require installation of the Microsoft .Net Framework software platform, etc.

Unfortunately, you cannot avoid problems with updates - after a while they become irrelevant, as new ones appear to replace them. In this regard, there is a “dump” in the section with installed updates, and you want to have more free space on your hard drive.

There is only one solution: remove all Windows 7 updates and reinstall only the ones you need. But what if you have a thousand of them? Windows 7 does not have a function that allows you to uninstall all updates at once, so you cannot do without third-party software.

Problems that may arise during a deupdate

It is recommended to create a system restore point, since the methods discussed in this article can lead to unpleasant consequences, for example, certain programs may fail to work, the OS may begin to “slow down,” which may result in a system crash, etc. The only way to fix this is to roll back Windows 7 to the point when the updates were installed.

Not all updates will be removed, only those that do not require user action. The remaining updates will have to be uninstalled manually.

First, let's look at a simpler method that will take literally a few minutes of your time, while the second one is longer and requires certain software. All these processes will not interact in any way with the update center. Just in case, temporarily disable the search for updates to successfully complete operations.

Uninstalling Windows 7 updates via batch file

Do you know a method to remove updates via the command line? So, this method simplifies it: now you won’t have to enter the command “wusa.exe/uninstall/ update number” every time - all possible updates will be automatically removed from your computer.

Let's create a file with the extension .bat (batch file). To do this, write the following code in notepad:

@echo off
color 0A
mode con: cols=40 lines=12
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
Set templist=%TEMP%\listTMP.txt
set list=%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\uninstall_updates.cmd

echo.
echo.
echo Please wait
echo.
echo.

if exist %templist% del %templist%
if exist %list% del %list%

wmic qfe get hotfixid>>%templist%

call:1 "KB" "KB:"
echo DONE
timeout /t 3 /nobreak > nul
exit /b

:1
for /f "tokens=1* delims=]" %%a in ("find /v /n "" ^<"%templist%"") do (
if not "%%b"=="" (set line=%%b) else (set line=not)

set newline=!line:%~1=%~2!
set newline=!newline:not=!

echo wusa.exe /uninstall /!newline!/quiet /norestart>>%list%
::set templist=%list%
goto:eof

Then save with .bat at the end of the file name, selecting “All files.” After running it, uninstall_updates.exe will appear on your desktop. To begin the update removal procedure, run it and wait for the process to complete (the command line window will automatically close).

In my case, when the program finished its work, only 90 modifications remained out of 233. We can safely say that its task was partially completed. Restart your computer to reconfigure Windows.

Uninstalling updates using Revo Uninstaller

To complete the update removal process, we need the Revo Uninstaller program. You can buy it on the developer’s website for $39 or download it somewhere, it’s up to you.

After launching Revo Uninstaller, we see a list of programs available for removal, but there are no updates here. To fix this, in the top menu, click on the “Tools” tab and select the section with parameters (Alt + O). In the navigation panel on the left, click on the “All programs” item and check the necessary settings: show system updates, show system components, click “OK” and you will notice significant changes in the list of programs - applications will appear, the name of which will contain the update number.

Select them and click “Delete”. Of course, this method requires certain actions from the user, but you do not have to manually click on each component in the Windows 7 update center.

All users of modern computerized devices (be it a computer, phone or any other gadget) have at least once encountered a situation where a program or even an operating system asks for an update. In the case of Windows patches(that is, updates) appear almost every day.

On the one side This is good- after all, day by day technologies are becoming more advanced and in order for a computer to keep up with the times, it is necessary to at least occasionally update the programs installed on it and the operating system as a whole.

What does a Windows update provide?

As you know, nothing is perfect in the world. The same can be said about the operation of modern operating systems, including Windows. After the official release of the OS, a lot of time still passes for the system to work equally effectively on all computers.

From time to time, developers receive various complaints from users about the poor performance of the OS. To fix problems, Windows creators have to release patches in the form of files stored on official servers. It is these files that the system downloads, so that it can then use them to solve certain operational problems.

Thus, timely downloading of Windows updates is a kind of guarantee of system performance from the developers.

Why remove updates?

Sorry, loaded updates don't always benefit your computer. This is due to the fact that they sometimes do not fit specific car user. After all, today in the high technology market there is competition among a large number of manufacturers motherboards, video cards, processors and other computer components. These components are created in different factories using at least slightly different source materials, which often leads to problems with Windows on a particular computer.

It is in such cases that updates do not lead to improvement, but on the contrary, deterioration OS performance. This usually happens after installing the so-called optional patches. These updates are usually not important for the system as a whole, but only for some programs. Experienced users most often do not even download patches marked “ Optional"or decide to disable updates altogether, thereby protecting yourself and your computer from unnecessary problems.

Be that as it may, in order to return the system to working condition after the next patch, you need to perform a rollback, namely - removal of such updates.

This can be done in different ways. Let's look at the simplest ones.

Removing patches through the Control Panel

The easiest way to remove patches manually in Windows 7 is to use the system tool. First you need to go to " Windows Update" through Control Panel. The latter is in the menu " Start».

Here you should find the section " Windows Update" and go to it.

To view the list of currently installed patches, follow the “” link located in the left corner of the bottom part of the window.

In the list presented, you will see several patches at once (or maybe in your case there will be only one) that have already been installed on your computer.

All you need is highlight patch, which you want to delete, right-click on its name and select the appropriate item from the drop-down list (you can also just double-click on the name). Please note in advance installation date the patch you are trying to remove. If you roughly remember the day after which your computer began to act up, then select the patch from the list, installed at that very moment. Immediately after this action, the computer should reboot.

If you need to completely remove it right away several patches, then unfortunately, it won’t be possible to do it all at once. This means that it is impossible to select a certain number of patches, so you will have to delete each one in turn.

Using the command line

If for some reason you are unable to remove a particular patch through the Control Panel, or you want to simplify the process uninstalling many updates, you can use command line- she is also capable of performing this task.

To get started, launch it by pressing Win on your keyboard + R and enter the cmd command in the window that appears

In the window that opens, you need to write the command wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:<номер>and click " Enter“(by “number” we mean the number of a particular patch). It can be found in the “” section mentioned above.

You can find out complete information about the capabilities of the wusa.exe program by running the command wusa /?

After entering the command and pressing the Enter button, a window with help information will appear:

If you know for sure (for example, you saw it on some forum) which of the important or optional updates led to problems with your computer, then write exactly its number.

Automatic removal of multiple updates

If your goal is to remove a large number of updates, then it is easier to perform this procedure by creating a file with the extension bat. To do this, open a text editor and create a file containing lines of code like this: wusa /uninstall /quiet /norestart /kb:1234567

Here's what it looks like in an example (a file has been created updatedel.bat):

Keys quite And norestart are needed in order to prevent the removal confirmation window from appearing for each update and automatic reboot.

How to disable updates

If you don't want your Windows to be updated, you can disable this feature in settings. For this:

Go to again Update Center;
Go to the section " Settings", which is on the left side of the window;
To turn off updates, select from the list " Don't check for updates" and then click OK.

Video on the topic

The article discusses ways to uninstall all updates in Windows 7 at once. Since OS developers have not built in such a function, you cannot do without third-party software.

Why are updates needed?

Problems that may arise during a deupdate

Not all updates will be removed, only those that do not require user action. The remaining updates will have to be uninstalled manually.

Uninstalling Windows 7 updates via batch file

Let's create a file with the extension .bat (batch file). To do this, write the following code in notepad:

@echo off
color 0A
mode con: cols=40 lines=12
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
Set templist=%TEMP%\listTMP.txt
set list=%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\uninstall_updates.cmd
echo.
echo.
echo Please wait
echo.
echo.
if exist %templist% del %templist%
if exist %list% del %list%
wmic qfe get hotfixid>>%templist%
call:1 "KB" "KB:"
echo DONE
timeout /t 3 /nobreak > nul
exit /b
for /f "tokens=1* delims=]" %%a in ("find /v /n "" ^<"%templist%"") do (
if not "%%b"=="" (set line=%%b) else (set line=not)
set newline=!line:%~1=%~2!
set newline=!newline:not=!
echo wusa.exe /uninstall /!newline!/quiet /norestart>>%list%
::set templist=%list%
goto:eof

In my case, when the program finished its work, only 90 modifications remained out of 233. We can safely say that its task was partially completed. Restart your computer to reconfigure Windows.

Uninstalling updates using Revo Uninstaller

To complete the update removal process, we need the Revo Uninstaller program. You can buy it on the developer’s website for $39 or download it somewhere, it’s up to you.

Select them and click “Delete”. Of course, this method requires certain actions from the user, but you do not have to manually click on each component in the Windows 7 update center.

By default, Windows 7 has the option to automatically download and install updates enabled. The operating system downloads update packages from the Microsoft server every time you connect your computer to the Internet. In theory, automatic updates are useful, as they are designed to patch up system “holes,” modify files, and optimize Windows performance, but in practice, there are a number of reasons why you should disable Windows updates. Let's look at the main reasons:

There have been cases when, due to updates or critical errors during their installation, failures occurred that led to Windows not working;
Over time, there are more and more installed update packages, and there is less and less free space on the system disk, which can lead to Windows malfunctions if the C drive is small;
While downloading updates, Internet speed may drop significantly (especially noticeable for users with small Internet channels); also, for some users, updates may hit their pockets (if the Internet is limited or a package with payment for traffic is connected);
Many people are annoyed that during the installation of updates they cannot turn off the computer and sometimes have to wait quite a long time for the process to complete;
Using a pirated version of Windows may limit the functionality of your operating system when trying to download updates;
There is a whole list of less significant reasons that I will not consider in this article.

Let's move directly to ways to disable Windows 7 updates.

How to disable Windows 7 update completely

To completely disable Windows 7 updates, you need to get into Windows Services Management. To do this, click Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services, or Start -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> Administrative Tools -> Services.

Use your mouse wheel to scroll to the bottom of the list and open the Windows Update service. In the window that opens, select the startup type “Disabled”, then click the “Stop” button and only then the “Apply” button.

You can close all open windows. Windows 7 update is now completely disabled. If necessary, the update can be enabled in the same way.

How to disable automatic updates in Windows 7

If you don't want to completely disable updates, you can disable only Windows 7 automatic updates. You will still have the option to download updates manually. To do this, go to Start -> Control Panel -> Windows Update, or Start -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> Windows Update. Click "Settings" in the left menu.

In the window that opens, select “Do not check for updates (not recommended)”; it is also advisable to uncheck the boxes below. Click "OK" at the bottom of the window to confirm the changes.

Windows 7 automatic updates are now disabled. To manually download updates, you can go to Windows Update at any time and click the "Check for updates" button.