Opera apparently decided that I want automatic updates, how do I revert that ?

[tupac67]

tupac67 last edited by

@haleba Thanks a lot for the environment variable info. It's the simplest workaround of all and the only one that is not a hack, since from the name OPERA_AUTOUPDATE_DISABLED I infer that disabling automatic updates is exactly its purpose. This environment variable should be advertised much more in my opinion.

This makes it even more awful that Opera doesn't contain a related option. Whatever.

[haleba]

haleba last edited by

UPDATE

I noticed that my version had been updated in the background yet again even though the environment variable setting has update checking disabled. I started a thread specifically for keeping track of this. At that time "About Opera" reported

Version: 35.0.2066.37 - Update checker is disabled

even though the current version was 35.0.2066.68, so the environment variable setting was definitely working, but some other process is circumventing this, because checking today I have

Version: 35.0.2066.68 - Update checker is disabled

And it only gets worse, because checking the Opera program folder revealed a 35.0.2066.82 folder dated 2/25/2016. At 124 MB this is not cool since I'm on a metered connection now.

The program folder contents don't reveal anything that can be disabled/deleted to stop this.

I'm out of ideas on how to stop this. Might have to try emailing Opera directly.

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by

Try renaming the autoupdater executable.

[haleba]

haleba last edited by

@leocg

Noticed this yesterday.

The root Opera program folder didn't have any obvious configuration files except for a file named installation_status.xml, the first line of which is

install_log version="35.0.2066.82" copy_only="False" all_users="True" pinned="False" app_id="1445376192" ... path subfolder="35.0.2066.82"

So Opera does an incremental update that overrides the disabled auto-update, since another line of the XML has a registry entry

key path="Software\Classes\OperaStable\shell\open\command" clean="2" ... value name="" type="REG_SZ">"C:\Program Files (x86)\Opera32\Launcher.exe" -noautoupdate -- "%1"

as well as a list of Opera program files that includes

opera_autoupdate.exe

opera_autoupdate.licenses

opera_autoupdate.version

Opera runs using files in a subdirectory named after the currently installed version and then "hands off" to the next version in the update "pipeline" after some programmed interval.

Took no chances and renamed all of the autoupdate.* files in both the 35.0.2066.68 and 35.0.2066.82 folders. No issues except for Opera appearing to stall momentarily during start-up after the autoupdate files were renamed.

Unfortunately, this was not enough to stop Opera updating yet again, since "About Opera" now reports version 35.0.2066.82. Once a new version folder is created there is no way to keep Opera from using it as the new installation, which probably explains the hitch when I restarted.

And there appear to be issues (or at least unfixed bugs) with the 35.0.2066.82 version being reported in other Opera Forums threads. Great. The other reason I want control over updates.

Now a waiting game to see if the renames stop new versions from eating into my data allotment.

[donq]

donq last edited by

Just a guess - if you add -noautoupdate switch to you Opera launcher shortcut, does this stop autoupdates?

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

Haleba, use Markdown's showing code.

Like this:)

[haleba]

haleba last edited by

Looks like it's on for the big test: the latest version is now 35.0.2066.92.

No recent alterations except a sinister looking file named debug.log dated yesterday

[0227/235136:FATAL:launcher.cc(317)] Failed running the autoupdate client
[0228/235136:FATAL:launcher.cc(317)] Failed running the autoupdate client
[0229/235136:FATAL:launcher.cc(317)] Failed running the autoupdate client
[0301/235136:FATAL:launcher.cc(317)] Failed running the autoupdate client
[0302/235138:FATAL:launcher.cc(317)] Failed running the autoupdate client

All dates from when I renamed the autoupdate files. Yay!?

So now maybe I ask "Is there an update and is this actually an improvement?" on my terms rather than Opera's.

@donq

The environment variable effectively adds that switch to launcher.exe, as indicated by the ..open/command registry key in my Feb 28 post. Unfortunately, it only works to delay updates.

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

Haleba, you might always be able to have a "standalone stream". Or the beta stream - to check the coming update or something like that. I might think they'll be having their folders separate etc.

[donq]

donq last edited by

@donq
The environment variable effectively adds that switch to launcher.exe, as indicated by the ..open/command registry key in my Feb 28 post. Unfortunately, it only works to delay updates.

IIRC shell open command registry key is not used, when launching Opera by shortcut. shell open command is used when you launch url (internet shortcut) or htm(l) page or similar - any registered document through shell (explorer) interface.

Well, I have not experimented myself and cannot be 100% sure.

[haleba]

haleba last edited by

Was looking at the status of my Opera installation and I'm rock solid at version 35.0.2066.82 since renaming the autoupdate files.

Opera is now at version 38, but Opera's changelog page only goes to Opera 37, even though 38 has had several changes. The changelogs show a lot of issues with ad blocking, introduced with Opera 37

http://www.opera.com/docs/history/

so I decided to go with Opera 36 for now, but actually finding where to get older versions took a little digging

http://www.opera.com/download/guide/?os=windows&list=all

Hopefully Opera hasn't changed the autoupdate file layout. Here goes nothing.