By now, most Windows 7 and 8 users would have noticed a new Windows icon that has popped up on the system tray. Clicking on the icon leads to a dialogue box that tells you about Windows 10 and lets you know if you are eligible for a free upgrade. The release date for Windows 10 is July 29 and most of us are eagerly awaiting it. After all, many believe that it will remove most of the bugs found in the earlier versions. Windows is also banking on this OS to bring in more customers and hence is promoting it very aggressively. So most current windows users will be getting it as a free upgrade and that’s the main reason for this icon that pops up on your computer.
So how did this app get installed in the first place?
The ‘Get Windows 10′ app was installed as part of a recommended Windows update (KB3035583) that arrived in April 2015. If you read the fine print, you would have noticed that it says that KB3035583 makes it possible for you to get automatic windows update notifications. But of course no one reads the fine print.
How to remove “Get Windows 10″ Tray item?
There are a few methods that you can follow to get rid of it. Another point to note is that Microsoft has provided no real solution for this problem. Anyway,
METHOD 1:
a. Click on Customize in the system tray.
b. You will see the ‘Get Windows 10 update notification’. Turn it off.
Sounds simple enough right? But the problem with this is that it only works on the current session. The moment you restart your system, the notification is back tray.
Read on to find out ways to permanently block it.
METHOD 2:
So the only option left is to completely remove the application from your system. In any case, it is not mandatory to have this application if you want to update to Windows 10. So we don’t really see any harm in getting rid of it.
a. open the ‘Windows Update’ and click on the ‘Installed updates’ in the bottom left corner. This will open up a list of applications.
b. sort this list out by name and find KB3035583.
c. Right click it and choose uninstall to get rid of the program.
d. You will be asked for a confirmation and then your computer will be restarted.
On restarting, you will notice that the application is removed and the icon is missing from your system tray.
Unfortunately, you might find that the update returns after some time. This will happen if your Windows update is set to install automatically. To prevent the icon from reappearing, click on the Windows Update application and select ‘Hide Update’. After this the icon will be automatically hidden unless you decide to restore it.
METHOD 3:
This is really the last option, if even the above method fails. Hit WIN + R and type regedit.exe. This is the registry editor. Here you can find the key that holds a folder known as Gwx. You will find it under Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Gwx. After you reach it, create a new value called DisableGwx and give it a value of 1.
We hope that this helps you get rid of this annoying update application. While Windows 10 is definitely a good thing for everyone, we could do without the constant reminders.
