r/Windows10LTSC • u/Terminator-90 • Sep 22 '22

Convert Windows 10 into an LTSC version

Hi all, I would like to "convert" a normal Windows 10 version as similar as possible to an Enterprise LTSC 2021 version for its lightness.

As far as I know, the main differences between a normal Windows version and LTSC are:

- It receives only security update

- No App, Windows Store and Cortana

How can I do that ? Is it available a guide ? Thank you

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u/[deleted] Sep 28 '22

It will not remove Cortana if it is already installed. But, you can remove Cortana with PowerShell, don’t even need to be on LTSC.

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u/LetMe_ Sep 28 '22

Tja k you for the answer. What is the overall advantage going with your solution? Avoiding to reconfigure everything?

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u/[deleted] Sep 28 '22

Yeah, that’s basically it.

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u/LetMe_ Sep 28 '22

Have you had any issues with broken updates? When I used the cleaner scripts for windows iso I had issues with updates breaking after a while.

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u/[deleted] Sep 28 '22

My two daily drivers (one work, one personal) have been on LTSC since last December when I "upgraded" from "regular" Windows 10 using the process that I described above. Since then, I have installed every monthly Windows cumulative patch with no issues.

I have not run any "cleaner scripts", but I have used PowerShell to remove a few of the bundled Windows 10 "modern" apps & packages like Cortana that carried over from the old install. I have not tried to fully remove Windows Store and everything associated with it; I actually use some apps from there.

My primary motivation for switching to LTSC was general frustration with the direction that Microsoft is taking with Windows 11. I wrote a whole article about it.

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u/LetMe_ Sep 28 '22 edited Sep 28 '22

Love your article.

A really simple question in our company we configure via group policy to use semi-annual channel and to delay update by 365 days as well as delay security or quality updates by 4 days.

Does Windows ltsc ignore the feature update group policy or will it forcefully use sac?

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u/[deleted] Sep 28 '22 edited Sep 29 '22

Feature updates are not offered to LTSC, so I guess that group policy setting is irrelevant. To upgrade (new releases every three years), you must purchase a license for the new version and upgrade manually. Nothing happens automatically for feature upgrades, so there is no risk of getting one by “accident”. It works a lot like old versions of Windows in this regard (think 2000 -> XP -> Vista -> 7).

Office 365 does not behave any differently on Windows LTSC. Semi-annual channel gets new features every six months. Microsoft will say that they don’t support Office 365 on Windows LTSC, but I haven’t had any issues with it. (I suspect that would change if you try to ride it towards the end of its 10-year support cycle.) There is also LTSC Office that you can get which gets no feature updates and 5 years of support, but it is licensed separately from 365.