W10 Feature Update 1903 Nightmare
Well here I am on day 4 of attempting to get the new Windows update installed 
When you realise your laptop has become slow, laggy and speeds dropping away, you look at the security centre and see a update in progress (I hate the way these things happen automatically at the most inopportune times 
). I managed to continue what I was doing, albeit slowly until I got a BSOD and an error of "Bad Pool Header" and lose my work. Machine then restarts and hey presto, automatically goes into download/ install mode again, as is the W10 way! So, once again, I have to wait to see what happens with this issue, while trying to Google the issues. BSOD again after a few hours and restart Google wasn't particularly helpful, but with a bit of perseverance, I found that I had to manually update all of my drivers, easier said than done while Windows is trying to do what it wants and using resources galore. After a 3rd BSOD and same error, I finally managed to get all my drivers updated. I then found I had to disable Comodo which has run faultlessly on my systems for years. Success, the download completed. Then..... A restart to install updates. This totally disabled my laptop for 6 hours and I left it overnight to do its thing, as after 6 hours it was still only 60% installed!! Came down this morning to find the home screen, whoopee I thought 
Nope, PC has to be rebooted to install updates 
. So here I am 3 hours later with a almost fully functional laptop again, but there are still updates to be installed [-Censored-].
Funnily enough, Comodo is not now an issue? Why do these updates have to be so complicated? Why do they not tell you your equipment will be unusable for so long? How on earth do businesses cope with it on multiple pcs and the downtime?
So just to summarise.Before attempting the update, make sure all your drivers are current and that you disable any protection (anti virus/ firewall) you have running, or you may suffer the same problem. I am dreading when my mate tells me his has issues!
Mark
@Anonymous wrote: at least you know what the fix is. New drivers and a lot of patience
Until the next update. I'm not convinced about W10 updates at all. It comes across as very much 'work in progress' with each update. Android apps aren't that much different either, update after update, same same. Ok, with Win 10 you can delay the updates now for X days but at some point it wants to install them. 3 hours isn't that uncommon judging by the 2 laptops here - about a 5Gb download each time. And I see it now reserves parts of your drive as dedicated space for the updates!
And is it really that much different to what has gone before? Still got a keyboard, screen etc.
@Marksfish I've found the Win 10 update assistant seems to do a better job than going the automatic way.
@idonno @Marksfish +1 for windows 10 update assistant. However, you need a few other changes as well to stop auto updates
- Change the update "active hours" to prevent automatic restarts - I have them set to 5:00-23:00
- Run net stop wuauserv" to suspend updates, I have it in a command file "updateoff.cmd"
- Run net start wuauserv" to restart updates, I have it in a command file "updateon.cmd"
You can also change the registry to make all net connections metered, but that needs permission changes in the registry that MS kindly reset with some updates
You can still do things manually.
@Marksfish One of the laptop tried 3 times to install an update - kept failing. Went searching and came across the W10 update assistant. Not only did it work first time but it actually bypassed the update in question and told me there was a latter version i.e. 1809. [-Censored-]! Needless to say when 1903 came out, waited a couple of weeks and then forced the update with the update assistant. Done when I wanted to update it, there and then.
@PeeGee Ver 1903 allows you to suspend, delay etc but it still doesn't get around the fact that at some point, W10 wants to take over for a period of time. As @Marksfish found out sometimes that can take hours, and if you initiate it during the night, the last thing you expect to find when you get up in the morning, it still ain't finished. You'd think we all bought computers just to hang around while MS plays around, instead of using them for serious work.
Thanks for the insight both of you. I shall go and search out the assistant 
Have Microsoft started charging money for these rubbish updates?
A total reinstall (even a MS install) would surely be a bit quicker faster?
@Anonymous wrote:
OK that's my update complete in 77 minutes, I'm a happy chap, don't know what to expect from it but time will tell with that.
Wish i'd been so lucky, i'm dreading doing my tower pc and when my mate rings to have his done . I haven't really noticed any difference, except my file manager settings were all changed and grouped weirdly, which I managed to change back.
Will definitely try the update manager on the next one.