Update Control Desktop v4.3.1 Preview

Update Control Desktop 4.3.1 Preview

Download Update-Control-4.3.1.exe · Portable ZIP

Fixed

• Busy or slow services: Hard Block waits up to 120 seconds per service, observes pending start/stop states, retries transient error 1061 at five-second intervals, and shows progress. A stuck service still fails with attempted rollback; genuine access denial is not treated as success.
• Unnecessary restart prompts: The app compares the saved startup setting with Windows' live setting. A warning about an optional delayed-start flag does not request a restart when the desired startup mode already took effect. Resolved or superseded restart reasons are cleared; remaining reasons identify the affected services.
• Recovery and watchdog: Failed apply targets cannot block baseline rollback. Legacy repair follows the same readback rule. The existing single watchdog has enough execution time for bounded waits and does not overlap itself.

Updating

Close the older app and open this EXE. Existing logs and restoration backups remain in ProgramData. To install the updated watchdog logic, select Hard Block and apply it once; opening the new EXE alone does not replace an already-installed watchdog. Wait for Verified. Use Unblock updates → Unblock & remove tasks to remove this app's block and recognized tasks.

Validation and limits

Regression tests cover pending states, slow completion, 1061/1062 races, timeouts, real denial, partial configuration warnings, actual saved/live mismatches, rollback and cleared restart reasons. Windows integration tests use disposable services, including a real 25-second StopPending transition, scheduled SYSTEM enforcement, and cleanup of known tasks while preserving unrelated tasks. WPF and embedded-package checks are included.

These tests do not establish Windows Update/Store behavior on every client PC, behavior after a real reboot, permanent update suppression, or antivirus acceptance. See the attached validation record for the exact source commit, successful CI run and EXE hash.

Public preview — use at your own risk. The earlier 4.2.2 Defender report remains unresolved. These functional fixes do not establish antivirus clearance. Keep protection enabled; do not add exclusions to bypass a detection. Security notice · Review status · Validation limits

The EXE download is now named Update-Control-4.3.1.exe. Its contents and SHA-256 are unchanged; only the filename and download links were updated.

Update Control Desktop v4.3.0 Preview

Update Control Desktop 4.3.0 Preview

Public prerelease. The reported 4.2.2 Defender detection remains unresolved. Use at your own risk; this disclaimer does not establish safety. Keep antivirus enabled and do not add exclusions to bypass a detection.

Download Update-Control.exe · Portable ZIP

Hard Block still uses one SYSTEM watchdog with startup and one-minute triggers. It now validates the exact task command, identity, enabled triggers and installed-script hash, then starts the task and waits for proof it ran and checked the block. A failed initial verification triggers attempted rollback. Changes that require a restart are not reported as fully verified.

The interface separates Saved mode from Verified / Awaiting verification / Needs attention, shows the latest watchdog check, and provides individual results under System details.

Unblock updates → Unblock & remove tasks disarms enforcement, removes all recognized tasks across all folders, removes the installed watchdog script and health record, and restores saved settings. Archived backups remain available. Windows Task Scheduler and unrelated tasks are preserved. Store Friendly also removes the app's watchdog components.

Validation covers controller rollback, startup timeout, corrupt/stale/future health, service drift, changed scripts, live versus saved service configuration, WPF actions/layouts, and package integrity. Disposable Windows API tests exercise temporary services, a real SYSTEM task, the automatic one-minute trigger correcting drift, nested known-task cleanup and preservation of an unrelated task. They do not prove client Windows Update or Store behavior, startup after a real reboot, or antivirus acceptance on the affected PC.

Published as a preview at the maintainer's request. This build has not passed the documented release review requirements, and no vendor determination has been obtained. Functional tests do not establish antivirus acceptance or permanent Windows Update suppression. The assets are the unchanged validated candidate files; enclosed review records describe their state when built.

Source and screenshots · Validation limits · Security notice
Validated build: https://github.com/ajaykareer/Windows-Update-Manager/actions/runs/38916520365

Update Control Desktop v4.2.2 - unresolved Defender report

Security notice — 2026-10-09: unresolved Defender report. A user reported Trojan:Win32/Sabsik.FL.A!ml (Severe) for a file named Update-Control 4.2.2.exe. The affected copy has not been hash-matched to this release, and no false-positive verdict has been established. Do not run or allow the reported build while this remains unresolved. The historical negative scan below is not clearance. The ZIP and older versions are not verified workarounds.

Read the current notice and containment steps. If Hard Block was applied, stop its separate watchdog and preserve the saved baseline; quarantining the downloaded EXE does not restore Windows Update settings. No Microsoft determination has been obtained.

The assets below are unchanged historical release artifacts. The feature notes describe the preview; they are not an instruction to run it during this investigation.

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Update Control Desktop 4.2.2 makes the large mode cards selectable and separates choosing a mode from applying it.

Installation guidance is on hold pending resolution of the report above.

• Click anywhere on Store Friendly, Hard Block or Restore, including the heading and description.
• A radio marker and highlighted border show the pending selection. The Current mode panel still shows the saved Windows configuration.
• Use the single action button in the bottom bar to apply. The bar stays visible even in small windows.
• Hard Block shows a confirmation before changing anything; cancel preserves the current configuration.
• Read-only, busy, missing-status and unsupported-edition states explain why Apply is unavailable. Status refreshes preserve your choice.

The service/policy controller is unchanged.

Validation: Windows CI passed on the release commit, including card heading/body/padding hit targets, Apply visibility at normal/minimum sizes, accessibility-provider selection and invocation, no changes on selection/cancel, modal isolation, action routing, package integrity and isolated real Windows service/SYSTEM-task lifecycle tests. Physical input and live update/Store changes on the affected PC were not exercised by these automated tests.

The attached Defender report covers the exact release files and records their hashes and security-intelligence version. It is a point-in-time file scan, not a guarantee of future detections or SmartScreen reputation.

This preview remains unsigned, so unknown-publisher or reputation warnings may appear. Signing guidance.

Updated screenshots and instructions · Troubleshooting

Update Control Desktop 4.2.1 Preview

Update Control Desktop 4.2.1 adds an original update/pause icon to the EXE, window/taskbar, title bar and sidebar.

Download Update-Control.exe below. The icon is already embedded. Separate ICO (16–256 pixel frames) and PNG (1024 pixel) files are also included.

• Preserves the existing Store Friendly, Hard Block and Restore behavior.
• Adds optional SHA-256 publisher signing with RFC 3161 timestamping and signature verification for a trusted certificate you control.
• Updates screenshots and documents UAC, SmartScreen and antivirus detections separately.

Validation: Windows CI passed for this release commit, including controller recovery, WPF icon loading, all seven icon frames, real temporary-service/SYSTEM-task lifecycle, package integrity and real EXE extraction.

Microsoft Defender found no threats in a custom scan of these exact release files. The attached Defender-scan-v4.2.1.txt records the date, engine/intelligence version, output and SHA-256 hashes. This is a point-in-time file scan, not a SmartScreen reputation test, publisher certification, or a guarantee against future/other-vendor detections.

This preview is still unsigned. No suitable publisher certificate was available. UAC/Unknown publisher and SmartScreen warnings can still appear. A custom icon does not establish trust, and even publicly trusted signing does not guarantee immediate SmartScreen reputation. No Defender settings, exclusions, or machine trust settings were changed.

If you previously used the old batch blocker, choose Restore Windows first, then Store Friendly on a supported Windows edition for app installation. Live Windows Update and Store behavior on a representative client PC remains outside the automated tests.

Signing and warning guidance · README and screenshots

Update Control Desktop 4.2.0 Preview

Update Control Desktop 4.2.0 introduces a native GUI, more reliable watchdog removal, and a single EXE download.

Download Update-Control.exe below. It includes the GUI and repair components and extracts them automatically. Accept the administrator prompt. The EXE is unsigned, so Windows may show an unknown-publisher warning.

• Store Friendly: keeps automatic OS updates disabled by policy on supported editions while leaving Store download services available; no watchdog.
• Hard Block: disables shared update services and maintains one guardian task. Store downloads can fail in this mode.
• Restore Windows: disarms enforcement, removes recognized old/current watchdogs across every scheduler folder, and restores saved pre-block settings.
• Includes preserved baselines, rollback attempts, logs, diagnostics, a portable ZIP, screenshots and source/build documentation.

If you used the old script, select Restore Windows first, follow any restart message, then select Use Store Friendly for app installation.

Validation: the release commit's Windows CI covers controller/legacy regression tests, WPF interactions, real SYSTEM-task and temporary-service lifecycle tests, EXE extraction, and package integrity. These are actual Windows API tests on isolated resources.

Preview limitation: real Windows Update blocking, protected legacy repair, reboot behavior, and a Microsoft Store installation on a representative Windows 10/11 client remain unverified. No claim of perfect or permanent update blocking is made. Coverage and limits.

The EXE uses built-in Windows PowerShell and .NET Framework and caches its components under Program Files. The ZIP is available for manual extraction or the console fallback. SHA256SUMS.txt covers both downloads.

README and screenshots · Troubleshooting