@Negahyphen@infosec.exchange Moving to Linux Mint is the right move overall, but just for fun, If you're powershell saavy you can have some (emphasis on "Some") more granular control if you check for/install updates via the pswindowsupdate module.
Some examples:
#check for updates (and don't install them):
get-windowsupdate
#Install updates (it will prompt for consent for each entry, allowing one to skip):
get-windowsupdate -download -install
#If you want to check for updates from Microsoft Update:
Get-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -Verbose
Doing this along with a combination of disabling wuauserv can maybe ease the pain, but I agree overall that MS has made this entire process unacceptable and stupid. You made the right move by just exiting the OS.
