No, only way is a clean install.
blogs.windows.com
Do you by chance have a backup image of a " stable " build.
I never considered that maybe one of the "plain" updates was more recent and that somehow triggered me leaving the Insider program. Truthfully, it was a bit of a surprise that I found myself ejected, but I'm not going back.
Also, I didn't have WU off, I was getting updates regularly and even had the"Get the lastest updates as soon as they're available" flag on.
To be honest, I didn't know for sure exactly why you couldn't go back. I assumed it was something along those lines, but after my spontaneous experience of going back without asking, I realized that I really didn't understand the mechanism.
Using myself as an example. I would have to go back so many years that it would be easier to just do the clean install and start over. What you posted can and does work but it all depends on the length of time and the number of changes one has made. I'm sure there are many Canary users in the same boat as I am. The Canary builds have been running fine so as of date the only complaint I have is that there haven't been any exciting updates. From what I read and understand is this is going to change later this year. The Canary builds are now on 26H1 and MS has said that computers that don't meet the new requirements will stop getting updates. I hope MS doesn't throw us under the bus and gives us a exit ramp. If not I will do the clean install and start over even though I will loose a few programs.
Actually MS went ahead and upgraded the Insider ring I was on to the Canary build. This wasn't a problem because I wanted to try the newest Windows features before they were released. Sadly over time MS forgot what the Canary builds were supposed to be all about and started using other builds to do the first testing. Except for receiving boring updates the Canary builds have been running very good on my computers. Because they are running bug free I don't have a problem staying on the Canary ring. MS decided to upgraded the Canary builds to 26H. Something I also didn't have a problem with it. That is until they mentioned that later this year computers that don't meet the new requirements will stop getting updates. Are they going to offer us an exit ramp and let us decide what Windows we want to move to? Only MS knows or should know. If not that would be the same as passengers being thrown off (for example) a train and not being offered a safe way to get back home. And before anyone post it, don't expect me to believe that MS can't do it. They said the same thing about the Skip Ahead builds. They did do the right thing and offered those who wanted to drop out a small window of opportunity to do so.
They can do more than that! I was on the DEV Insider release, and I decoded to just do the BETA Insider releases when they offered the off-ramp. I was on BETA for a few weeks, and suddenly after an update, I was out of the Insider program! I didn't so anything to trigger it, but an update happened, and I was no longer an Insider!
The more I think about it the more upset I get. MS should have allowed us to move off of the Canary build before they updated it to 26H1. I'm still hoping we get the opportunity to drop out with out the need to do a clean install. It's not like we're dropping out because we want to. MS is kicking us out.
Never going to happen. It was very clear Canary was not a path to RTM versions.
When MS stopped the Skip-Ahead ring they didn't abandon us and force us to do a clean install. I couldn't remember the details so I looked it up. Those of us that didn't want to do a clean install and start over were moved to the Fast ring.
I am not sure info is correct. I googled it and conflicting statements. But hey moot point as no way with Canary ever checkout from Hotel California.
I know the info is correct. I was on the Skip-Ahead ring when it happened. I just couldn't remember how the move was done. If MS did it once I'm sure they can do it again.
It is not as obvious as you said. Let's imagine that we have a Canary build 28020. We can expect that soon or later the release build number will become more than current Canary (say, 28200), which would allow to update it normally. Unfortunately, the Canary builds are time-limited, they cannot outlive the normal progression of release builds. Sure, it will be possible to set the clock in Canary back, but then Windows Update may refuse to work at all, it requires that PC clock is set more or less correctly (I saw this several times).
