# Need advice - Satellite internet - will Windows 10 be a problem?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-satellite-internet-will-windows-10-be-a-problem/730638
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 11, 2015, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-satellite-internet-will-windows-10-be-a-problem/730638 "2015-09-11T02:19:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2015, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-satellite-internet-will-windows-10-be-a-problem/730638/1 "2015-09-11T02:19:29Z")
I’m helping someone choose a new laptop. He has satellite internet, with bandwidth caps.
I’ve heard that Windows 10 does automatic updates, and that this can’t be shut off. That’s a problem with bandwidth caps.
Anyone here tried using Windows 10 with satellite?
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### Author:  [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2015, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-satellite-internet-will-windows-10-be-a-problem/730638/2 "2015-09-11T04:24:21Z")
> [@Postariti](#):
>
> I’m helping someone choose a new laptop. He has satellite internet, with bandwidth caps.
>
> I’ve heard that Windows 10 does automatic updates, and that this can’t be shut off. That’s a problem with bandwidth caps.
>
> Anyone here tried using Windows 10 with satellite?
It should be a minimal issue, bandwidth are more of a floating use per 24 hour period, if you average over X amount the speed gets dialed down. Windows updates if they are regularly downloaded are around 30-50MB in a given week. Trying to stream HD movies OTOH will hit that cap in a big hurry.
One of my customers we sat down and calculated out he could average 250MB a day without getting his speed throttled, thats alot of web browsing.
They slow down your internet access making it harder and harder to hit that cap. Some providers also allow you to pay a extra and get more breathing room.
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-satellite-internet-will-windows-10-be-a-problem/730638/3 "2015-09-11T04:31:56Z")
You can turn off automatic updates on Windows 10 but they’ve kinda hidden the option. Set the internet connection that you use to be a metered connection and Windows will not use it to automatically download updates.
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### Author:  [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2015, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-satellite-internet-will-windows-10-be-a-problem/730638/4 "2015-09-11T06:45:12Z")
I upgraded to Windows 10, and found that automatic continual updates were killing my internet speed. But a quick web search turned up the option of setting my connection to “metered connection,” which fooled the OS into thinking that I have a data cap. BAM, the profligate updates stopped, and my internet speeds were instantly back up to snuff. They don’t make it easy to find, but it works like a charm.
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### Author:  [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2015, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-satellite-internet-will-windows-10-be-a-problem/730638/5 "2015-09-11T07:34:37Z")
How do you change this setting?
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### Author:  [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2015, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-satellite-internet-will-windows-10-be-a-problem/730638/7 "2015-09-11T12:58:37Z")
Does anyone know how big the initial install file is? We are on satellite, too, and get 10gb month.
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### Author:  [@The\_Angry\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Angry_Badger)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2015, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-satellite-internet-will-windows-10-be-a-problem/730638/8 "2015-09-11T13:03:30Z")
> [@Renee](#):
>
> Does anyone know how big the initial install file is? We are on satellite, too, and get 10gb month.
I’m not sure about the direct upgrade, but I did download the ISO for Pro (to burn to DVD), and that came in at 3.12GB.
As far as the automatic updates are concerned, I’ve not really noticed a lot of difference since upgrading one of my laptops. I’m on a 15gb/month 3G connection so have to keep an eye on things, but so far so good.
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### Author:  [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-satellite-internet-will-windows-10-be-a-problem/730638/9 "2015-09-11T17:30:57Z")
There is a thread in MPSIMS that tells how to remove the Windows 10 update and prevent it from returning. See the post by Lemur866.
[You’re Getting Windows 10 Whether You Want It Or Not!!!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=767852)
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### Author:  [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2015, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-satellite-internet-will-windows-10-be-a-problem/730638/10 "2015-09-12T01:26:09Z")
Thanks so much for the help! I’m glad to know the automatic updates can be turned off.
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### Author:  [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-satellite-internet-will-windows-10-be-a-problem/730638/11 "2015-09-12T02:04:12Z")
Usually the way you handle updates with satellite internet is that there’s a few hours in the middle of the night where downloads don’t count towards your bandwidth cap. (At least that’s the way it works with HughesNet. I assume the other satellite ISPs have something similar since occasional large updates are really unavoidable these days.) At least with Windows 7, you can tell Windows Update when to start downloading stuff. The only risk there is if it’s a really big download it might still be going after the free hours are over, but for most routine updates it works just fine.