How to get rid of Windows update on Windows 11 permanently?

Recommend the "Hardlink" Service Trap if you want to get rid of the Windows 11 update. Instead of disabling the Update service, you corrupt its executable path using a Windows built-in tool (mklink) so the system can't even find it. This is a nasty trick that survives most minor repairs.

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Step 2: Stop the Update service:

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net stop wuauserv

Step 3: Rename the original update executable folder:

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rename C:\Windows\System32\wuaueng.dll wuaueng.dll.bak

Step 4: Create a hardlink pointing the update engine to a dummy, harmless system file (like calc.exe):

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mklink /h C:\Windows\System32\wuaueng.dll C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe

Result: When Windows tries to invoke its update engine, it actually launches Calculator instead. The update fails silently with no error popup. This is extremely obscure and rarely documented.

 To get rid of the Windows 11 update, you'll need to reverse every step manually (restore ACLs, delete WMI filters, remove hosts entries, or restore the original DLL).