Please pardon me if this question has been answered elsewhere on this fantastic forum (which I hope stays around for a while, because I consider you all a part of my music family!). I did a search and didn't find anything conclusive on here.

My question is fairly simple, the answer may not be. As many of us have discussed, I'm in need of locking in the current Win 10 OS so that no more updates take place for a couple months while I complete projects. The fear being that an OS update may upset the working status of SPLAT.

QUESTION: Does anyone know how to disable the internet connectivity within Win 10 without disconnecting the Ethernet cable physically? I need constant access to the network in my studio for many reasons (based on how my studio is setup on many levels, incl a shared sever and WiFi control of Sonar via V Control), but I do not need internet access. In fact, at this point, I'd really prefer no internet so that I can hold Windows updates hostage. I need a couple months of worry-free session time in SPLAT while I wrap up projects. Does anyone know how to do this if it is possible?? Thanks in advance for any insight, advice, and/or suggestions you might have for me.

PS: Whatever DAW I eventually call home after 20+ years with Cakewalk, I hope that user community is as awesome as this community has been. You guys rock!!

Somewhere/how you are connected to the internet. A phone line DSL, your cable company, fiber or a dish ~ right?

In your studio where you have this network established via wire and/or wifi router you need to disconnect from that service. It may require getting secondary wifi router in there (if the rest of your house/family is enjoying connectivity) and then NOT connecting it to phone line, cable, fiber or dish. Your studio is in essense your ‘deserted but well equiped island.

As secondary approach is upgrade to Windows Professional where Microsoft has allowed pay for your right for you to defer updates indefinitely which was done away with in the Home version because most people are using there PC to get Email, cruise Facebook or watch Netflix, etc.

This was point out in another thread by I think @CakeAlexSHere

https://www.howtogeek.com/223083/what-does-“defer-upgrades”-in-windows-10-mean/

Thank you @GreenwoodStudios! That linked article was very insightful. I'm wondering if those security updates that are allowed to still update might be potential issues for Sonar Plat? I'm nervous... Also at the fact that to defer only means to hold off, and that eventually, at Microsoft's discretion, the OS updates will install anyway. I'm thinking I might actually already have the Pro version... I'll have to check in the morning.

I really like your explanation of having my studio on a "deserted but well equiped island"!! Makes perfect sense, and has me thinking along those lines. But here's my current issue. I've got 6 workstations networked in my studio/office including the server. The others for sure need internet access daily. It's ONLY the DAW machine that I need offline... Yet they're all connected on the same router/switch with dedicated IP addresses. So, I need the island to still be connected... I just need one hut on the island to be deserted/disconnected. Ugh.

This has me wondering though... If I'm able to tweak the Ethernet card settings so that I set the default gateway (or whatever that term is) to all zeros, leaving the IP address intact? You are right, my internet provider (V FiOS) has a router set up with internet... I'm running a CAT6 cable to the studio that connects to a switch, which in turn has all the workstations, print servers, and even the office phone line (Voip), hardwired behind that switch. I'm going to toy with it in the morning and see if that renders access to the internet null on the DAW machine, while still allowing connectivity to the network.....

Thanks a million for your input!! I'll follow-up with any updates on what I find....

Check this, it may help
 
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-networking/blocking-internet-access-while-allowing-lan-access/03b6cb9a-5759-4892-94e1-b9faf8ab2db1?auth=1
 
 

I have a similar situation as I use 2 computers one upstairs one downstairs and I use One drive to share my CWP files. Otherwise I rarely need the internet other than updates ( that's history) and looking for a lyric. 
So what I did was installed a new C drive SSD and used W 8.1. Problem solved. 
Sonar seems more stable on W8.1 so far. W10 was a bad idea for music computers.. the opposite of a Mac. 

If it's just windows updates you want to block, the easiest way is to disable the Windows Update service:

• Win + R:  type services.msc then click OK
• Go down to Windows Update, right click and select properties
• Click Stop if the service is already running
• Change Startup Type to disabled
• Click Apply
• Click OK

if/when you're ready to enable updates,

• Win + R:  type services.msc then click OK
• Go down to Windows Update, right click and select properties
• Change Startup Type to manual
• Click Apply
• Click OK

That's what I use to do, and it works fine, been doing it since build 1511, but unfortunately it is not a permanent thing as I have recently found out. I had 5 Pc's and laptops with Windows 10 updates disabled that way, eventually they updated anyway even though 'Windows Update' service was disabled. All of a sudden without any notice the updates started to download and install, upon checking I noticed that disabled had been set to manual and the rest is history. After checking that the othe machines were still set to 'disable', which they were, another started downloading and updating. So I just bit the bullet and updated them all, everything is fine. So while disabling the Windows Update service works . . . for a time, in the end Windows 10 WILL update. I now just have my 2 main DAW PC's disconected from the net as it is the only way to be sure, a PITA as far as convenience goes, but what else can you do, there is no way known I would downgrade to Windows 7 or 8, Windows 10 has just been superior in every way (update situation aside), speed, stability, all far ahead of Windows 7 and 8 in my experience, wouldn't go back if you paid me.

msmcleod
If it's just windows updates you want to block, the easiest way is to disable the Windows Update service:

• Win + R:  type services.msc then click OK
• Go down to Windows Update, right click and select properties
• Click Stop if the service is already running
• Change Startup Type to disabled
• Click Apply
• Click OK

if/when you're ready to enable updates,

• Win + R:  type services.msc then click OK
• Go down to Windows Update, right click and select properties
• Change Startup Type to manual
• Click Apply
• Click OK

I don't think that works under Windows 10, only for earlier OS's... it resets if you reboot or after a period of time.

Anyway here's another article if you have Win 10 Pro:
https://www.petri.com/und...indows-update-business

There is the business ring, a delay field and you can even pause updates for a number of days in group policy.

No, it works under Windows 10, Pro or Home versions (I have both), it doesn't get reset after a reboot, although as I mentioned above, even with it disabled Windows 10 eventually will have its way, and update you will. It takes a while though, months, but eventually you loose.

Weird. Mine always reset the service, but then it was quite a while since I have done it, I found the group policy solution anyway.