Peter it's strange that you say Win 10 does not give you notice of updates. This should always display in 'Settings' where you can set up the update to the time/date you want. As an insider over the past few weeks I've had several updates, but have always been notified in Setting. For backing up I use the free version of AOMEI Backupper freeware, but here's a full description of how to use Win 10 for backing up files or indeed a system image.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/wi...ws-10-3635397/
Harry