How to Cancel Windows 10 Reservation (Properly)

by Dennis Faas on June, 19 2015 at 09:06AM EDT

Infopackets Reader Tim P. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

How do I cancel my Windows 10 reservation? Also, how can I prevent Windows 10 from downloading onto my system? I see the 'Get Windows 10' icon in my tray bar, which has been there since June 1st. Originally I wanted the upgrade to Windows 10, but now I'm not sure it's a good idea because I'm concerned that the upgrade might fail or cause problems. I read on the Internet that the 'get windows 10' icon has to do with Microsoft patch KB3035583, whatever that is. Can you tell me how to remove the Windows 10 reservation? "

My response:

You are correct: Microsoft patch KB3035583 is directly related to the Windows 10 reservation. You can use the "Get Windows 10" app to cancel the reservation, but I also suggest that you also remove KB3035583 from your Windows Updates as this will also remove the "Get Windows 10" app from the tray bar (which should effectively block Windows 10 from downloading onto the system). I'll explain how to do all of that a bit further down.

How to Prevent Windows 10 from Breaking Your System

If you intend to upgrade to Windows 10 and are concerned that the upgrade might break your system (whether it's a failed upgrade, or due to incompatibility issues), then I suggest you download Acronis True Image and make a disk image backup of your system prior to the Windows 10 July 29th deadline.

If something goes wrong with the Windows 10 upgrade, you can use your disk image backup to revert your entire system to the way it was before any changes were made. If you don't know how to make a disk image backup using True Image, you are welcome to contact me for help and I will be more than happy to help. You can purchase Acronis True Image through our website (proceeds support the site); 1 PC license is $49; where as the 3 PC license is $79, which is a much better deal if you own more than one PC.

With that said, let's move onto instructions on how to cancel the Windows 10 upgrade - if that's what you want to do.

How to Cancel the Windows 10 Upgrade Reservation

If your system qualifies for the Windows 10 upgrade, you should see a white Microsoft logo in your tray bar next to the clock. This is the "Get Windows 10" app, which allows you to 'reserve' your free copy of Windows 10. If you hover your mouse over top of the white Microsoft logo and leave it there for a second without clicking on anything, it will say "Get Windows 10".

If you've already clicked on the logo and reserved your copy of Windows 10, you can undo the reservation using the following steps:

Move your mouse over top of the "Get Windows 10" icon and right click it; then, select "Check your upgrade status"
A new window will appear. At the top left of the screen you will see a blue graphic that has 3 horizontal lines in the shape of a square. Some articles online the Internet refer to the 3 horizontal lines as the "hamburger icon" because it sort of looks like a 'hamburger'.
Left click on the icon with 3 horizontal lines; this will slide out a gray menu with headings. Underneath the "Getting the upgrade" heading, select "View confirmation"
The gray menu will now disappear and the title of the window will read "Your upgrade is reserved!" In the lower left of the window, click the words "Cancel reservation" to cancel your reservation.

If you change your mind, you can always reserve Windows 10 again.

Next, I'll explain how to uninstall the 'Get Windows 10' app and prevent Windows 10 from downloading onto your system.

How to Prevent Windows 10 from Downloading onto Your System

Earlier this year, Microsoft released the KB3035583 patch for Windows 7 and and 8.1. If you visit the page for KB3035583, the title reads "Update enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1". Unfortunately the title is rather ambiguous, but I can tell for sure that the patch KB3035583 is directly related to the Windows 10 reservation.

Here's how to remove the KB3035583 patch from your system, assuming the "Get Windows 10" icon appears in your tray bar:

Click Start, then type in "Windows Update" (no quotes).
Wait for the "Windows Update" icon to appear at the top of the list, then click it.
The Windows Update window will appear; on the left side, click the link that says "View installed updates"
The window will now read "View your Update History". On the proceeding line, click the link that says "installed updates"
The window will now read "Uninstall an Update". At the very top right, it will say "Search installed updates". In the search field, type in "KB3035583" (no quotes).
The list of items in the window will diminish with only the KB3035583 update listed. Right click the KB3035583 patch and choose "Uninstall"
Now, run Windows Update and check for updates; KB3035583 will probably appear again. If it does, right click it and choose "Hide Update". This will prevent KB3035583 from ever appearing on your system (unless you 'unhide' it).

With your Windows 10 reservation canceled, and the KB3035583 uninstalled, Windows 10 should not download to your system.

What if you Don't See the 'Get Windows 10' in your Tray Bar?

If you don't see the "Get Windows 10" program running in your tray bar, then it may be due to a number of reasons, according to Microsoft's Windows 10 FAQ:

Your PC, laptop, netbook, etc, isn't up to date with at least Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update. These updates are required to upgrade to Windows 10.
You have Windows Update turned off, or Windows Update is not set to received updates automatically.
Windows Update is broken / blocked / uninstalled, and the Windows Update won't update. You can fix Windows update by reading our article "How to fix: Windows Update Won't Update"
Your device is not running genuine Windows, so you can't upgrade to Windows 10.
Running Windows Update and installing any available updates should fix the first two issues.

Also (not listed on the page):

If you tried to install Windows 7 SP 1 or Windows 8.1 Update 1 and it failed, then you won't be able to get Windows 10, and
If you are connected to an Enterprise Windows Domain (for example, at work), then KB3035583 would most likely be blocked as it is the role of the Administrator to allow the upgrade to follow through.

I hope that answers your question.

Are You Still Plagued by Windows 10? Here's Some Additional Steps

Update 20150828: If you have done all of the above steps and you are still plagued by Windows 10 popup notifications, etc - please refer to my article entitled How to Remove: 'Your upgrade to Windows 10 is ready' for additional removal instructions. This latest article is complimentary to the instructions discussed here, but go a little further and should remove any indication of Windows 10 being present on your system.

Got a Computer Question or Problem? Ask Dennis!

I need more computer questions. If you have a computer question -- or even a computer problem that needs fixing -- please email me with your question so that I can write more articles like this one. I can't promise I'll respond to all the messages I receive (depending on the volume), but I'll do my best.

About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.

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Comments

Windows 10

Permalink Submitted by pdriddell_4818 on Fri, 06/19/2015 - 15:53

I had to weigh in here because we as end users are at the mercy of the software/hardware manufactures. I've had my share of problems with both over a 30 plus year career. Time for your readers to become somewhat tech savvy. The best backup that you can make is a clone of your existing drive, IMO. No more searching for software or applications or drivers if something goes wrong. Its all there in the cloned drive, assuming you've first ensured that you have cloned a healthy drive. It really doesn't matter which cloning software you use but I so heartedly support you with your choice of Acronis. Not only does this software do an excellent and easy to use backup of all my software, applications and user settings, thank you Acronis, but in a catastrophic hardware failure I can port my cloned hard drive to any windows machine and have instant access to my data files. Not all cloning software seems to do that. But here's the real cool thing, if microsoft or the hardware manufactures screw up with their updates and they do/have, as they recently did with me, you can pull your recently cloned drive off the shelf, install it in your machine and be up and running and back where you were before 'THEY' screwed up. But this is where your readers have to develop a little tech savvyness in that they need to learn how to swap out the drive in their machine. Not a terribly difficult thing to do but certainly a somewhat fearful endeavour the first time. Ask a friend or a repair shop to show you how.
I'm fed up with microsoft and the hardware manufactures who throw us to the dogs or want to charge us to fix their mistakes. But it is what it is, so defend yourself, clone your drive and buy yourself some time while you, regrettably, try to figure out where 'THEY' went wrong.

Windows 10 Download

Permalink Submitted by chergray3_4822 on Sat, 06/20/2015 - 00:39

Hi Dennis, Firstly, thanks for the newsletter which is full of so much info for us Windows users. Secondly, as a follow-up to your article on cancelling the Windows 10 auto update, can you advise a tyro on how to create a DVD for self-installation of the update? If, e.g., I follow the cancellation instructions how is it possible to download the new OS to burn a DVD? Additionally, will it be possible to have Windows7/8.1Pro run on the same machine (PC or tablet), and how could that be done? Sorry if these are too much to answer in one reply, but it sounds like the intro of the new OS is going to be a bit fraught ;). TVM Graham

Windows 10 ISO and Dual Booting

Permalink Submitted by Dennis Faas on Mon, 06/22/2015 - 07:32

Although Microsoft has not mentioned any specifics yet, you should be able to download the full version of Windows 10 as an .ISO file, then create a bootable DVD or USB drive from it. I don't know the date when that will be released, however.

As for keeping the existing Windows versions, I don't know what the policy on that is, however if you are upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10, then most likely you won't be able to keep the previous operating system. You would have to install Windows 10 fresh (presumably using an .ISO).

Your best bet would be to convert the previous Windows installations into a virtual machine, and then run them through Windows 10 - assuming you have enough RAM.

Why would you?

Permalink Submitted by f58tammy on Sat, 06/20/2015 - 07:36

Hello I have been a Windows Insider since Windows 7 Preview, admittedly that's only about 10 years. This is a one time deal with the Windows 10 install you will be able to get future version of Windows for FREE for the life of the machine you install Windows 10 on. If you wait past the year window to install Windows 10, they are talking about a pricing structure comparable to the one for Office 360. A yearly or monthly fee in order to get any Windows updates.
A few other points there is a folder called Windows.old, it contains the previous system that was on your drive (in my case it is about 16GB). I used the option to "Go back to an earlier build" in the Recovery setting. Which uses this file. I had no problems, even had the Sticky Notes that was on that desktop.
If you have been using Windows 10 Insider Preview, on July 29th you will be able to update to the Windows 10 OS for free.
I have some cosmetic issues (my personal taste) mainly with the new folders look, as to the system functioning it has been flawless, I have had no compatibility issues with older software being installed.
I hope this was helpful to someone.

"Get Windows 10:" App in Tray Comes Back - Like a Zombie

Permalink Submitted by Kris on Fri, 07/17/2015 - 14:19

Dennis et al,

I followed the process above "How to Prevent Windows 10 from Downloading onto Your System" back in June, including hiding the update.

To my surprise today the icon reappeared in my tray.

I went thru the kill process again to remove it. Then when I searched for KB3035583, it showed with a published date 7/9/2015.

I would guess that the 'softies updated the patch, and in their infinite wisdom ignored my hiding the update and slipped it in again.

Hopefully the icon will not reappear, otherwise I guess I'll have to do this again.

Undoing Windows 10 reservation

Permalink Submitted by rinah_5031 on Fri, 07/24/2015 - 15:59

I followed your advice, but received a message saying that if I cancel my reservation, I might miss out on the offer of a free upgrade (in case I decide in the future that I do want Windows 10). Is this for real? Is there any way I can restore that privilege?

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