Windows 10 - Controlling Automatic Update

Question

I'm currently running Windows 7 but I'll probably get a new PC with Windows 10 Pro this year. I've heard horror stories about automatic updates with Windows 10 happening at unpredictible times and causing big problems so I'm trying to understand them. This question implies you can "defer" them but was a little unclear about defer them to exactly when, or how long? Likewise the suggestion about Active Hours was a little unclear about how rigorously Microsoft follows it, i.e., if I say my "active" hours are 8AM to 6AM, does that guarantee that updates will only happen between 6-8AM?

I do professional video production so I'm often in the middle of big projects with tight schedules, and my PC is often running long multi-hour exports or conversions. Overnight I'm often running batch-jobs, complete backups, malware scans or de-frags. So an unscheduled reboot or interruption could be disastrous.

How do I exercise precise control over this risk? I'd be perfectly happy to run an Update every single day as long as I could start it manually to make sure that no backups, exports, de-frags are running at the time.

Answer 1

Short Answer:

Get Windows 10 Pro or better

With the aforementioned versions of Windows 10, you can get better control over auto-updates, although if you ignore too long, it will get less willing to wait.

Less Desirable Answer:

Even with Windows 10 Home you can get control over the auto-updates, by marking your internet connection as Metered. In this case Windows will not auto download the updates, and thus cannot autoupdate.

(Source)

Answer 2

Windows 10 implements mandatory updates for consumer products.

Business/Enterprise users may delay updates up to 8 months, unless they are on a "Long Term Servicing Branch", where feature updates may be delayed from implementation indefinitely.

The scheduling system has resulted in consumer complaints, so it's best to check inside Windows 10 when updates are scheduled to be installed. This tends to be when you use your computer the least (over night).

EDIT: Instructions on how to "join" the CBB, or current branch for business is provided in the last link, but here's the general idea in a single image.

URL Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10#Feature_updates

http://www.urtech.ca/2015/12/sovled-how-to-get-windows-current-branch-for-business/