Cancel the Windows Technical Preview Install

Being curious of how the install process would work, I downloaded the executable to get a look of the up and coming release of Microsoft's next major OS release but was surprised with how the setup process varied this time around. With this particular beta, the install restarts your system and prompts you to download the files through Windows Update.

I did this on my main desktop with Windows 7 but decided to change my mind and use an alternate box for testing. Even after canceling the process on Windows Update, I still kept on getting prompts to install the Technical Preview in between restarts and such. After some digging around, I found out that you have to remove a particular update. Simply do the following:

  • View installed updates under Programs and Features in Control Panel
  • Look for the KB2990214 update and uninstall it
  • Restart your machine