How can I run Ubisoft games with the old UPlay instead of Connect?

I’ve tried every solution I’ve found online, to no avail. I can install UPlay but I can’t run it without going online, and as soon as I do it updates to Connect. There was a suggestion to alter the version.txt file to a different value to prevent updates, but that file is locked up tight security-wise and can’t be altered even by changing the security settings. Any suggestions gratefully received. Thanks for reading.