Disable update popup on Windows 2012 R2

Question

We have started to deploy more Windows 2012 R2 servers on our network. When we log on to these servers (only admins log on to these servers), we are sometimes presented with a blue banner that says Updates are available and Go to Windows Update to install the updates now. It gives us the choice to either Install the updates or to Close the popup banner. That would be all well and good if this was a Windows 8 system, but it is not, this is a Windows 2012 R2 server.

We need to disable the banner so that someone doesn't accidentally click on Install. Stopping the update service on the server is not a solution for us. We want to be able to manually install updates on these servers.

How can we disable the popup banner on Windows 2012 R2 so that the notification doesn't appear on our servers?

Solution

Create/Modify a GPO using the Group Policy Object Editor.

Mode 1 (only administrators have Windows Update permission)

Disable notifications for non-administrator users. Obviously non real administrators should use a non-administrators group account

In GPO Object Editor expand Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, expand Windows Components, and then click Windows Update.

In the details pane, click Allow non-administrators to receive update notifications, and set the option.

Mode 2 (not all administrators have Windows Update permission)

If you have users with administration rights but they're not the responsibles of install updates you can create a new OU for that non full administrators and link a GPO on that OU.

On that GPO, expand User Configuration.

Expand Administrative Templates, expand Windows Components, and then click Windows Update.

In the details pane open "Remove Access to use all Windows Update features" and enable it.

All the users on that OU won't have access to Windows Update. Obviously full administrators with windows update access should be out of that OU.