I like my privacy and don't google/fb/twitter etc. Microsoft was one of the good guys...before 10.
Then found this:
Windows 7, 8, and 10: Now all collecting user data for Microsoft | InfoWorld
One of the updates, KB 3068708 (for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry) is tagged as mandatory, while the other two -- KB 3075249 (which adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7) and KB 3080149 (intended for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry) -- are considered optional. The mandatory update superseded a nonsecurity update (KB 3022345) released back in April, which created the Diagnostics and Telemetry Tracking service.
I deleted these 'customer experience updates'.
(No thank you, I didn't sign up for any advertisement tracking lists.)
I also unchecked the 'Allow MS to provide other product recommendations' box.
It warned me 'Are you sure?
Updates will be unavailable!'
Losing "Updates" seems to be an ambiguous term...
I proceeded.
Windows Update disappeared altogether.
Then Win7 Update popped up a few days later.
My laptop battery life went from five hours to less than one.
Ok fine. Go ahead and update then.
For several hours the MS server seems to be asleep. No movement.
It just likes to run in the background.