How to Stop Windows Update From Automatically Rebooting?

[sysprog]

I prefer an approach along the lines of 'your machine does what you (or your experts) decide that it should do' -- https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zos/2.4.0?topic=concepts-what-is-smpe

 

[GTrax]

Even I turn the damn update off in service and group policy, it turned itself on last night! It rebooted my computer while my program is still running! It ruined my last three days!

It is for this reason that our satellite tracking control software and data haul servers use Linux. When some tons of dish hardware is moving, with servo-motor and positional encoder technology required to be pointing correctly at a particular celestial time, there is no room for an OS to be going off doing update housekeeping, not even in a background interrupt manner.

There are several "levels" of software platform access in Windows, none available to users. Software that needs to have the highest priority for it's own critical routines can get scrambled when Windows does it's updates or runs internal programs. Moreover, the "update" seems to require upload of large amounts of data, which we cannot permit. I have once, in the past, had an entire night run of logging data stopped because a program was aborted after being denied access by Windows doing an update. It was in control of a vacuum furnace, and the whole episode was very costly!

Unless you are very locked to a particular application set or vendor product, there is no great pain in trying out Linux. Probably a very easy install like Linux Mint might suit you. Once you try it, you see that all computing you could desire can be done in normal fashion.

 

[pbuk]

I love it when someone says that I am to blame if I don't protect myself correctly, but if others get hurt because I didn't protect myself, apparently others don't have that responsibility to protect themselves as I do.

I think you are missing @Vanadium 50's point: if you don't protect your devices correctly and they become a bot participating in e.g. DDoS attacks then you are doing damage regardless of whether the DDoS target is protected.

Protecting against distributed malware costs businesses, governments and academia billions. I'm all for Microsoft forcing system updates on ignorant users if it saves some of that. I'm also willing to live with any consequences for my systems: Windows Home and Pro editions are not designed for use in time-critical or process-critical environments, that is what Windows Server and Enterprise editions are for.

 

[MikeeMiracle]

In the Windows Updates window there is an option to pause updates for 7 days, that should allow you to get any work done. if whatever you are running will take longer than 7 days then perhaps a personal computer is not the best way to be performing the calculation.

Microsoft are in a tough spot, either they get slated for having an insecure OS because people do not want to patch or they anger people for forcing updates. Between the ability to manually install updates at a convenient time, the setting of active hours, and the ability to delay updates, they have built in tools to help avoid unexpected restarts.

Utilize the tools provided to help you, switching to Linux just because of this seems like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut on top of all the relearning the OS you will have to do.

 

[jack action]

I think you are missing @Vanadium 50's point:

Not at all.

if you don't protect your devices correctly and they become a bot participating in e.g. DDoS attacks then you are doing damage regardless of whether the DDoS target is protected.

Protecting against distributed malware costs businesses, governments and academia billions.

Look at that, it happens anyway, even after years of auto-updating. There will always be bad things happening to you, whether one considers there is someone responsible for it or not.

You have to protect yourself against overload and have a proper backup protocol. That is how YOU protect YOURSELF. Not by forcing others to do - or not do - something. It never works (the proof is that it happens anyway), and it gives a false sense of security: "Others should have done something, therefore I don't need to worry." A great way of ridding people of any responsibility.

Even if there was a law stating that anyone who doesn't do regular updates is sentenced to a lifetime in prison, I wouldn't trust any unknown computer connecting to mine. It is all about what I do, not what others do.

I'm all for Microsoft forcing system updates on ignorant users if it saves some of that.

I'm against taking money from ignorant users. If you don't know how to use a computer and are not willing to learn, don't use it.

When I was young, I didn't use computers, they had no appeal to me. When I did get interested in them, I was more and more curious about how they work and I slowly learn about them.

As of today, I'm not interested in smartphones and I still don't use one. I can't seem to understand why most of us need one (especially me) and I don't trust how everything is done in the background, by I don't know who, often on some unknown server. I know how programming works and it's scary. But ignorant users love them. I deal with the consequences of not using one (+ve and -ve), they should deal with the consequences of using one.

I'm also willing to live with any consequences for my systems

I'm not, that's why I switched OS. But what I'm afraid of, is being forced to live my life according to other people's fears. It always begins as an option, and then someone proposes "Anyway, everyone should do it, right? Why not make a law about it? We've already done it before so it must be OK."

That's why I will never give an inch to anyone saying others have the responsibility to calm his fears or make his life easier.

 

[Vanadium 50]

The fact that I have protected my system from receiving malware attacks (and I am locked down pretty tight here) does not release you from the obligation of protecting your computers from sending them.

A DDOS attack impacts me no matter how well I am protected. (Indeed, it doesn't even need to be directed at me - just a machine that uses the same upstream router)

 

[MikeeMiracle]

But what I'm afraid of, is being forced to live my life according to other people's fears. It always begins as an option, and then someone proposes "Anyway, everyone should do it, right? Why not make a law about it? We've already done it before so it must be OK."

That's why I will never give an inch to anyone saying others have the responsibility to calm his fears or make his life easier.

We need to work together and stick to agreed norms to make society work otherwise everything descends into chaos if everyone does whatever they feel like.

 

[dlgoff]

Even I turn the damn update off in service and group policy, it turned itself on last night! It rebooted my computer while my program is still running! It ruined my last three days!

http://ultimateoutsider.com/downloads/

oops, this is for windows 7 and 8

 

[Nik_2213]

"So, now, every time this PC wants to up-date, I make sure to force one on 'Box', too..."

And did so yesterday. Took a remarkably long time, but meant I could then render overnight without concern...

 

[FactChecker]

"So, now, every time this PC wants to up-date, I make sure to force one on 'Box', too..."

And did so yesterday. Took a remarkably long time, but meant I could then render overnight without concern...

I recommend routinely checking for updates and doing them before starting any program that needs to run a long time.

 

[sysprog]

I recommend routinely checking for updates and doing them before starting any program that needs to run a long time.

I'm ok with that recommendation; however, I prefer disallowing all 'updates' that I didn't explicitly authorize. That can be a bit laborious with Win 10. I think that I should ask permission from a Mentor/Moderator before publishing a full eplanation of how to do it here; however, a search on 'disabling Windows Update Service Medic triggers' may be helpful in that regard.

 

[Nik_2213]

I do not allow graphic card driver updates because they try to install FPS-tweaked 'gamer' versions.
This might be okay for a single card, but my matched pair of GeForce GTX 750 Ti cards need the 'generic' Nvidia driver to 'play nice' together, drive four displays stably and ray-trace efficiently.

FWIW, when I priced upgrading even one of those two cards, I realized would be significantly cheaper and better --A rare combo !-- to build a network-render PC for CPU-only ray-tracing. Also, more 'future-resistant' as not limited to GPU's RAM. Hence 'Box'. Whose Ryzen-7 quietly deploys all its many cores at 95~~100%, grabs as much of the 32 GB mobo RAM as it needs. Swoosh !