Staycalmsyndrome disable chrome update services

Thanks but Google Update has disappeared after uninstalling Chrome.

As soon as I get online, the old version of Chrome upgrades to the most recent version.

Garman Firefox ESR does not come with the latest features but it has the latest security and stability fixes.

Thanks. My eyes are really in a bad shape. I have had Windows 10 updates forced thru and I have been exposed for hours to horrible LED lighting these last days so it is hard to tell what is what, but Opera does not look viable. I am keen on trying Firefox ESR.

Garman Using the LTSC service model, you can delay receiving feature updates and only receive monthly device quality updates.

Thanks for this tip as well. Are you sure though, that quality updates do not affect image rendering? KB5015684 changes my Windows 10 version to 22H2 making the system unusable. This update seems to belong to the category of Quality Updates.

    AGI Thanks for this tip as well. Are you sure though, that quality updates do not affect image rendering? KB5015684 changes my Windows 10 version to 22H2 making the system unusable. This update seems to belong to the category of Quality Updates.

    No, of course not, there is no way for me to know what Microsoft considers a quality upgrade for LTSC versions in the future and how/if different OS changes will affect people's eyestrain.
    However, in my understanding the whole point of an LTSC is that your Windows version number stays the same, so if you are on Windows 10 21H1 LTSC, you should not get any updates that will change your Windows version to 22H2.

    In general, I am just pointing out possible options - if they might be viable in your situation is something only you can decide. I feel possible software alternatives are the easiest options to try though. It's probably a lot more feasible for many users to download an LTSC Windows version, install it on an old hard drive and see if it helps with the eyestrain, as opposed to a larger investment like ordering new hardware such as a Sun Vision display.

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      Staycalmsyndrome Thanks. I did not know about the scheduler. Neither here I can find signs of Google Update, though. But I got why Adobe Acrobat Reader and Office among other software keep updating. It looks like Firefox ESR, which I just installed, will look for updates too every day. Is it something that you recommend doing or would you disable the task? If I understood, only security patches will be installed on the ESR version. Thanks.

      Garman In general, I am just pointing out possible options - if they might be viable in your situation is something only you can decide.

      No worries, I understand. Thanks for the tip in any case! I will evaluate what to do (it is a business laptop so I have limited room for action).

        AGI Hmm.. Have you tried renaming the update folder? It's located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Google. Try uninstalling Chrome completely before installing the old version(have to manually delete some folders).

        Security patches for Firefox ESR won't affect rendering untill it jumps to the next iteration(september). In Windows, i find feature updates(ex: 22H2) to change rendering and also .NET framework updates.

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          Staycalmsyndrome Thanks. That's what I did, fully uninstalled Chrome and deleted some folders manually as per a protocol I had found online. One doubt is that, afterwards, I may have installed the old Chrome version using the incorrect executable, like, I read somewhere that I needed the full installer and not the downloader, but I wasn't sure about the difference. Maybe I did a sorta partial (re-)install?
          One thing that I'm considering is reversing all recent updates on my laptop - from Chrome to OS - using a restore point I had created. Have you ever done it? This would be without authorization by my IT admin, and I have some concerns I may fuxk up my laptop... What a stress!

            AGI I see. An online installer(1-2 MB in size) always downloads and installs the latest setup package. Offline installers can be found here(70-100MB in size). Download the version that you had but disable internet connection before you install and disable update services/tasks because it opens the browser automatically after it's done and triggers autoupdate. If update services don't appear, the installation got corrupted somehow and you just have to rename the update folder.

            Using a restore point returns software, registry, and driver configuration at a specific point. If you made one before uninstalling chrome, it should return it to normal. I use it to revert drivers and never had problems with it.

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              Staycalmsyndrome You can find older offline installers here.

              I will check this out, many thanks!
              EDIT: That is what I had used, ca. 100 MB size...

              I did a system restore. It was not fully successful. I am still checking what the damages are (as of now, Skype is not booting). A "Google" folder has shown up in Program Files (x86), but there are still no Google Update folder and Google-related services. Chrome is not installed so I must have created the restore point after its uninstall?

              Unfortunately, although I had expanded the space allocated for system restore points to 10% of the HDD (95 GB), I could not load older restore points than the one I used. Not sure why they got deleted as there is plenty of space.
              I will keep investigating. Thanks for now!

              @Staycalmsyndrome Sorry for the soap opera - I had to undo the system restore because a few things got screwed up. I still got an error that the undo did not complete successfully, but at least Skype and OneDrive work now. Meanwhile I found a Google folder in C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Local\Google. Inside there is an empty GoogleUpdater folder. There is also a Chrome\User Data folder with heaps of sub-folders. I reckon it is there that Firefox and Opera imported all the Chrome bookmarks and passwords from, when Chrome was already uninstalled.
              Do I have to eliminate all this stuff in AppData as well before reinstalling Chrome? Thanks!

                AGI hope you managed to downgrade chrome. I haven't gotten round to trying to do it yet - I'm using another device on which chrome hasn't been updated.

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                  Why don't you just use Firefox ESR instead of Chrome?

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                  Deepdeep No, sorry, I have been busy reversing Windows updates and the BIOS. I am testing Opera and Firefox ESR for the moment. I don't know anymore what causes what, but my laptop screen hurts like hell.

                    It's not the browser. Stop and take a break. Do a clean install, there is no point trying to reverse updates and the bios both at the same time. Plan things out properly.

                    AGI sorry to hear that you haven't managed a fix yet and hope you find one soon. Meanwhile, it might help to try using sunglasses coz in my experience they can reduce the strain on some devices, and sometimes quite significantly. I wear the sunglasses over my prescription glasses, btw.

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                      4 days later

                      Deepdeep I am considering trying Avulux glasses. Theraspecs ones didn't make a difference. I'm a bit tired of throwing money away, though.
                      I'm skeptic I'll find a solution as I have limited control of my laptop. I'd need to ask my IT admin for a clean install of Windows, and then the OS version will be 22H2 which I'm not confident I can adjust to.

                      Back to Firefox ESR for just a question: pop-ups for update appear; is it safe to update (strain-wise) or should I just keep dismissing them?

                      It's fine. ESR updates are just security fixes. Next version bump isn't till Sep or Oct.

                        a year later
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