Windows 7 Update CPU slowdown (and what to do about it!)

The Problem

So this is my quick elaboration on this.  Which, I find, isn't that effective of a fix (at least on laptops), in that the system can still be slowed to a crawl when Windows update is kicked off.  Where Windows Task Manager will allow you to visualize the problem.  First from the consumed CPU,

Even when you have more cores, your PC can still feel quite sluggish.

and also the netsvcs-based svchost process,

Reminder: you need Admin rights to enable the "Show processes from all users" before you can see svchost processes

The Solution (Workaround)

Stop the Windows Service for Windows Update,

this will give your machine some momentary reprieve; for you to do whatever work you need to get done.  That said, you should allocate some time when your machine can be left idle, to let the Windows Update service run its course.  Otherwise, it'll start consuming your CPU resources again after the next restart (or whenever the service runs next).