Random mornings I wake up to find that my computer has restarted due to a windows update.

On several occasions though I have clicked on the start menu, entered the "Windows Update" tab, and set the update program to "download update but let me choose whether to install them." Yet Bill Gates creeps into my room some random night and manages to change this setting to "download and install automatically at 3 AM every day" b.c weeks later I'll find it set back to this.

What is going on here?

[Edited on November 25, 2009 at 7:30 AM. Reason : l]

11/25/2009 7:29:47 AM

XP, Vista, 7?

11/25/2009 7:43:37 AM

There are some updates that are deemed so critical that they will override that setting. The only one to prevent that is the do not download updates one and manually get them.

11/25/2009 7:56:47 AM

I've never had this happen with that setting checked.

11/25/2009 8:03:18 AM

http://www.coderetard.com/2008/12/10/how-to-disable-automatic-restart-after-windows-update/

11/25/2009 8:06:37 AM

Vista

Quote :

"There are some updates that are deemed so critical that they will override that setting. The only one to prevent that is the do not download updates one and manually get them. "

That must be what it is unless its just a bug on my computer.



[Edited on November 25, 2009 at 8:08 AM. Reason : s]

11/25/2009 8:08:24 AM

Quote :

"There are some updates that are deemed so critical that they will override that setting. The only one to prevent that is the do not download updates one and manually get them."

What? Quit making up shit. Microsoft can put flashing lights and bells on updates it considers OMG THE WORLD IS ENDING critical, and still won't force your computer to reboot. If Microsoft forced updates in some places, they'd be doing more harm than good, so they'll only lead you to them.

If you have that "let me choose when to install the updates" setting set, and then it's changed back, you need to look elsewhere for the problem.

11/25/2009 9:27:41 AM

Why the fuck would I make up the fact that I told my computer to "Not automatically update" but then came back months later to magically find it set back to "Automatic Updates"

11/25/2009 4:00:45 PM

^^yeah, my computer has definitely restarted to install updates, and i have the "download updates but let me choose whether to install them" option checked. i know it was restarted for this purpose because i got that wonderful "windows restarted your computer to install updates" popup the next time i logged on. i even explicitly went to check that setting upon seeing this just to make sure i wasn't making stuff up.

11/25/2009 4:21:44 PM

^

11/25/2009 4:38:55 PM

I used to hate this when I had aim......I would miss my away message responses.

11/25/2009 5:35:31 PM

^^^ I too, have had this happen. It pisses me off.

11/25/2009 7:27:52 PM

i think of it as this, maybe i will have some new shit that will make my computer better

11/26/2009 12:45:23 AM

Quote :

"Why the fuck would I make up the fact that I told my computer to "Not automatically update" but then came back months later to magically find it set back to "Automatic Updates""

Please re-read what I said. I did not suggest that you'd made anything up, or that you'd changed the setting yourself.

I haven't seen this behavior myself, but I'm now curious to know why you and others are seeing it. If Microsoft had forced this change on its customers, you'd think there would have been more of an outcry about it. IT people do NOT like having Microsoft make update decisions for them, especially if they force an unwanted reboot.

11/26/2009 12:48:30 AM

play with yourself to make the time go by faster

11/26/2009 12:52:47 AM

o_O

11/26/2009 12:56:55 AM

Quote :

"What? Quit making up shit. Microsoft can put flashing lights and bells on updates it considers OMG THE WORLD IS ENDING critical, and still won't force your computer to reboot. If Microsoft forced updates in some places, they'd be doing more harm than good, so they'll only lead you to them."

Yeah I don't know what I'm talking about. I only work on an IT team for a Fortune 500 company who was recently involved in a long discussion via conference call with Microsoft's people about this very issue and had this given as the explanation. I mean I'm making it all up, since it didn't come from anyone with any authority or direct knowledge of that situation from the fucking people that wrote the goddamned software.

[/snark]

I really wish our employees/agents weren't "independent contractors" and we could lock down their settings so we could manually push necessary updates, but as it is they're each allowed to change whatever settings they want since it's their own hardware. Nothing but headaches.

[Edited on November 26, 2009 at 7:49 AM. Reason : *]

11/26/2009 7:48:08 AM

Quote :

"I mean I'm making it all up, since it didn't come from anyone with any authority or direct knowledge of that situation from the fucking people that wrote the goddamned software."

Fair enough.

11/26/2009 9:51:08 AM

Quote :

"What? Quit making up shit. Microsoft can put flashing lights and bells on updates it considers OMG THE WORLD IS ENDING critical, and still won't force your computer to reboot."

false.

For speaking so forcefully about something I'd think you'd know what you're talking about.

11/26/2009 6:32:28 PM

I'm running Windows 7 and i don't think my computer has ever reset due to an update, and i didn't change any settings.

11/27/2009 8:28:32 PM

It can fixed so it never reboots if you can get into Windows Updates via Group Policy. What version of Vista are you running?

EDIT: See synapse's link for an example of this. If you can get to that screen, let us know, and I can post a screenshot of what settings to put in there.

[Edited on November 28, 2009 at 4:26 PM. Reason : .]

11/28/2009 4:24:27 PM

Alright my Vista Home edition definitely somehow last night changed its setting to "Install updates automatically", installed new updates last night, and restarted my computer.

WTF why do they even give you an option if they are going to override user options to put super serious updates on your computer if you like it or night.

12/10/2009 7:35:32 AM