Here are solutions to some common problems with removing updates.
Because updates can enhance the security of your computer, it's best not to remove an update unless you're certain that it is causing a problem. Take these steps to be certain you want to remove an update:
Open Installed Updates by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Programs, and then, under Programs and Features, clicking View installed updates.
Select the update that you want to remove, and then click Uninstall. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Because updates can enhance the security of your computer, it's best not to remove an update unless you're certain that it is causing a problem. Try to find information about any problems that have occurred on the computer by checking for a solution. For more information, see Check for solutions to software problems. If no solutions are available, check the Windows Update history to learn more.
Open Windows Update by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Update, and then, in the list of results, click Windows Update.
In the left pane, click View update history.
To view more information about an update, double-click it.
You can also search online newsgroups or communities for more information about an update. Try the Windows Update forum on the Windows Community website.
If an update applies to security-related areas of the operating system, you might not be able to remove it. If your computer is connected to a network, contact your system administrator or your organization's technical support before removing the update.
Your computer might be connected to a network where updates are managed by Group Policy. These network-wide settings can prevent you from removing an update. In other cases, you might not be able to remove an update because it applies to a security-related area of the operating system. If you think an update that you can't remove is causing problems, contact your system administrator or your organization's technical support.
Your computer is probably connected to a network where Group Policy settings determine which updates must be installed on each computer. These network-wide settings can reinstall any required updates that you've removed.
You might also have Windows set to automatically install updates, which is the recommended setting for your computer. If you don't want Windows to install an update, you need to hide it.
In the left pane, click Check for updates.
When Windows finds updates for your computer, do one of the following:
Click the link that tells you important updates are available if you have important updates to hide.
Click the link that tells you optional updates are available if you have optional updates to hide.
Right-click the update you don't want to install, and then click Hide update. The next time you check for updates, the update won't be automatically selected or installed. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
If you want to show the hidden update later, see Restore and install hidden updates for more information.
You can choose to have Windows stop offering you this update. Here's how:
You might need to revert to a previous version of the driver for that device. Check the manufacturer's website for a more recent version of the driver, or remove the driver and restart your computer. For help with these steps, see Update a driver for hardware that isn't working properly.
If you successfully removed an update, the update will no longer appear in Installed Updates:
