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I want to turn off the automatic restart for Windows Update on Windows 7 Home Premium. How do I do this?

Anonymous
2009-11-05T12:57:50+00:00

I went to sleep last night and when I woke up my computer had been restarted.  I did not tell it to restart, I did not want it restarted, and I had documents opened that I cannot recover because it restarted.  It restarted because Windows Update had a single update to install.  I am running Windows 7 Home Premium, so I do not have the group policy editor, and the registry key that some websites mentioned to use to disable the restart is not there.

Keep in mind, I just want to prevent an involuntary restart.  I do not want to turn off Windows Update, and I don't mind being prompted to restart.  I just don't want my computer restarting on its own ever again.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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Anonymous
2009-11-05T13:05:29+00:00

In Windows Update, click on change settings. Under Important Updates, select 'Download updates but let me choose whether to install them'. This will give you the control on when to install and restart if required.

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-03-14T21:14:14+00:00

    Sure it's safer if it works. But I repeat that the title for that option is "System failure", and it doesn't say that it concerns Windows Update too. It is a very strange place to put that option if it's for Windows Update, but if it works, fine. Maybe someone else can tell us if it works for them, since I already modified the Registry a long time ago and don't want to mess around with it again, since it does what I want now - let me choose when to restart.

    My setting is 'Download updates but let me choose whether to install them' because I want to know what goes on. But starting the installation doesn't mean I necessarily want to restart there and then.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-03-14T20:21:46+00:00

    If you read the original question, it wasn't whether or not it's a good idea, but how to do it if you absolutely must (paraphrasing here). And I daresay that, for most users, my approach is a whole lot safer than messing around in the registry.

    Of course, the correct way of doing things is to tell windows to _NOT_ install updates automatically, just like the right time to make a back-up is _BEFORE_ you find out you need it.

    But if you have some project of days' worth of work in progress that cannot be paused while windows restarts, and it's getting late and you need to go to work real early in the morning... and 'postpone' can give you only 4 hours at a time before it destroys your work?

    Catch 22, because telling windows to _NOT_ automatically install updates is also seriously ill advised. Screwed if you do, damned if you don't.

    Perhaps there just isn't a _right_ way to deal with windows update.

    ~

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-03-14T19:35:52+00:00

    The title for that setting is "System failure". Are you saying that Microsoft considers Windows Update a system failure by applying the system failure restart setting to Windows Update?

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-03-14T18:59:04+00:00

    Sheesh... so much drama... oh, well, it kept me entertained. anyway...

    the simple answer is actually so simple I forgot how I did it last time and had to go hunting for it again.

    the steps outlined below are the abridged version of someone else's larger explanation

    -> Click on the Start button and then on Control Panel.

    -> Click on the System and Security link.

    -> Click on the System link.

    -> click the Advanced system settings link.

    -> Locate the Startup and Recovery section near the bottom of the window and click on the Settings button.

    -> In the Startup and Recovery window, locate and uncheck the check box next to Automatically restart.

    -> Click OK in the Startup and Recovery window.

    -> Click OK in the System Properties window.

    -> You can now close the System window.

    No need to restart in order to prevent windows from restarting on its own,

    no need to fiddle with the registry

    just use the tools windows actually offers

    ( but _DO_ restart as quickly as convenience permits... just sayin' )

    ~ Mike

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