Post Upgrade Windows 10 Update Assistant Cleanup
What with the release of Windows 10 1909 last week (November 12), some may have already used the Update Assistant to apply the upgrade. Once it’s all done, there’s no real reason to keep that program around. Thus, post upgrade Windows 10 Update Assistant cleanup may be warranted. There are several ways to do this, so I’ll mention them in no particular order. Find the Update Assistant on the Download Windows 10 page, right up top:
When you click “Update now,” the process begins with downloading and installing the Update Assistant to your Windows 10 PC.
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What Makes Post Upgrade Windows 10 Update Assistant Cleanup Necessary?
It’s an application that shows up in a file named Windows10Upgrade9252.exe (for the 1903 to 1909 upgrade, anyway). Right-clicking the download, and selecting “Run” installs it on the target PC. This also launches the update installer. By default, this also creates a folder named Windows10Upgrade on the system/boot drive, like this:
As soon as you give the go-ahead, the Update Assistant sets up a root-level directory on the C: drive and gets to work.
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Even though they’re no longer needed, the Windows10Upgrade folder and its contents stick around afterward. There’s really no reason for this (you’ll have to download a new one for the next upgrade anyway), so clean-up is a good idea.
Performing the Post Upgrade Windows 10 Update Assistant Cleanup
The easiest way to make this go away is to simply uninstall the Windows 10 Update Assistant. Visit Control Panel → Programs and Features, where it shows up in the list of installed programs. Right-click the program name, and “Uninstall” appears as an option. Select that option, and the uninstall program will remove the Windows10Upgrade folder and its contents at the same time it gets rid of the Update Assistant program itself. It will also remove the shortcut to the program that it leaves on your desktop, too. Alternatively, if you prefer to use a third-party uninstaller (I’m a fan of Revo Uninstaller myself) you can use something like it instead to bid adieu to the Update Assistant.
Other removal methods make the Update Assistant program unable to run through various means. Manually deleting the folder and its contents will do the trick (don’t forget the desktop shortcut, either). Or, remove execution permission on the program (Windows10UpgraderApp.exe in the Windows10Upgrade folder) for all users. That’s handled in File Explorer, where you’ll reset its “Read & execute” security properties. For those details, see Step 4 in this story from TheWindowsClub.
Personally, I think uninstalling is your best bet (it’s safest and easiest, too). When the next upgrade comes along, if you want to use the Assistant again, you’ll download and install another one, anyway. And don’t forget the cleanup!