Vista knows best... it thinks

[xenophek]

I'm not sure why, but at 3:15 AM today, Windows Vista updated itself and restarted itself... without asking me what I thought about the matter. Automatic updates are off, so it always asks me if I want to update. And it usually says, "Hey dude, I just downloaded some updates and you need to restart" but it just took charge and restarted this time.

Am I missing some bit from the EULA where Microsoft says, "We reserve the right to do whatever the eff we please, even if you explicitly tell us to ask you first?"

I'm an IT student. I think I have this whole bag of chips pretty well figured out, but this puzzles me. I know that I hadn't pressed any buttons because I've been watching a movie for the last hour and a half, and I know that I told it not to do anything important without asking me first.

So, has anybody else heard something like this? Is there a way to keep this from happening again, aside from disconnecting the cable? I'm a little disturbed that I'm not in control here...

 

[Shuppa]

yup, there actually is way to avoid this....install linux

 

[xenophek]

install linux

Actually, if I could just get my sound card to work right I'd probably make the jump over to Linux, but I tried and it became more of a pain than Windows.

 

[Shuppa]

Yeah I know, linux support for every piece of hardware can be a pain in the behind.

But at least it doesn't do anything behind your back

 

[ShadowBlade72]

I'm almost 100% sure it's in the EULA that Microsoft has the right to update their system or whatever whenever they want. Last time they forced an update it was to update their update system. They obviously didn't want people to still be rolling with the old system if updates weren't going to be pushed to it anymore. I don't really see a problem with forced updates and I don't understand why, outside of a server environment, you would ever have updates turned off.

 

[xenophek]

I don't understand why, outside of a server environment, you would ever have updates turned off.

Maybe I'm a control freak, or maybe I had an automatic update go wrong and crash the whole system. Maybe I don't trust that what Microsoft puts out on the wires will work on 100% of systems.

 

[Favonius]

You could always disable the Windows Update service, then just turn it back on when you need it. Just remember to turn it on once in a while to get the latest security updates.

 

[Hav0k]

From Maximum PC

A Registry Hack Lets You Keep Windows From Rebooting Automatically After Installing Updates: TRUE

Another huge nuisance in Windows. There’s just nothing quite like leaving a file open overnight, then returning to your PC in the morning to find that Microsoft has helpfully restarted your machine for you, shoving all your work into digital limbo and leaving an evil calling card: “This update required an automatic restart.” It’s possible to stop auto-reboots, but it’ll take a registry hack.

Run regedit and browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPolicesMicrosoftWindows. Create a new key under Windows and call it WindowsUpdate. Now create another new key under WindowsUpdate called AU. With AU selected, in the right-hand pane right-click and create a New DWORD. Call it NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers. Double-click the DWORD and give it a value of 1. Reboot, and Windows’s death grip over your system will be ended.