How to uninstall KB3035583 - The Windows 10 Downloader for Windows 7 and 8.1

Users that want to remove the KB3035583 "Windows 10 downloader" update from their Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 installation can take several steps to get rid of the update.  The "Windows 10 downloader" update is installed as recommended update KB3035583 and adds a /Windows/System32/GWX folder to the system. The folder contains GWX.exe which has the description "Get Windows 10".

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(Dutch version of Windows 8.1 – Windows 10 downloaden (download Windows 10) clear visible as file description)

Once the update is installed it will notify the user of different phases of Windows 10 availability. E.g when Microsoft's upcoming operating system nears its release, the update will add a Tile to the Homescreen and a notification icon in the system tray urging the user to update to Windows 10.

Although the KB3035583 update is "Recommended" by Microsoft and therefore requires users to manually add a checkmark to get it installed, most users weren't aware of what they were installing, as the update description stated nothing more than "enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications when new updates are available to the user". Some users even report that the update became "Important" by the end of March and was therefore automatically installed with other updates on users that allow Windows to automatically download and install updates.

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Knowing what the update now actually is about, users might want to learn how to remove it from their system.

How to uninstall KB3035583

In order to find out whether the update is installed see the instructions for Windows 7 here, or Windows 8 here.  If "Update for Microsoft Windows (KB3035583)" is in the list with the status message "successful" then GWX is installed on your PC.

There are two steps to remove KB3035583 from your computer, the first step is described here for Windows 7 and here for Windows 8. and involves uninstalling an update. In this case make sure you remove the KB3035583 update and not accidently another one. After a few seconds the update is be removed and your computer doesn't need to restart.

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On some systems the file GWX.exe remains in /Windows/SysWOW64. To remove that file, you need to take ownership of the folder, a description of an easy way can be found here, a method that requires some more work can be found here. Once you've taken ownership, you can delete the GWX.exe file.

In order to make sure Windows doesn't install KB3035583 again with the next round of updates, uncheck "Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates". This will make sure the update will be listed under the "Optional" updates and no longer automatically install.

If you want the update to disappear entirely, right-click the update and choose Hide Update in the contextual menu of the KB3035583 update. Now you should be be saved from the notifications, don't forget to read our site to know when Windows 10 is ready to install.

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