Probably a dumb question about Windows Update

[vampie]

I just went off to brush my teeth and when I returned, I was surprised to see that my computer was shutting off by itself.. then it restarted, and when Windows came back on, a little green shield icon appeared on the system tray and said something along the lines of "New Windows update was automatically installed, your computer was restarted"..

Is this normal? For as long as I've had XP, I've always let the updates download automatically while I installed them manually afterwards.

[thrak76]

It does the same with Vista too. I think that some updates have a priority that overrides your manual install. They'll install and restart without your consent.

[1oooop]

yea, I hate that... the last time my server crashed was because of that... stupid windows

thats why I joined the linux revolution :D

[vampie]

It's kinda messed up that Windows can actually do that.. good thing I wasn't working on documents or Photoshop or anything.

[jpappy789]

Not the same problem but Vista wanted me to update 12 different items yesterday...then it got stuck on number 8...had to restart my computer and redo the entire installation.

I can't wait until I can upgrade to Windows 7. Not a Vista hater, but it can be annoying.

[tekonus]

If you have it set to not automatically install... it won't. What might have happened is that you ok'd an install to go on in the background and then when it was done it needed to restart. At this point it usually gives you a little pop up window that says "System needs to restart, restart now? Or click Ignore to ignore this message and restart at a later time." This pop up usually also has a timer that will auto restart the computer if you leave it alone for something like 45 seconds (don't remember exactly). It assumes that if you leave the computer... you don't care that it is restarting. While impractical at times, it is logical.

[vampie]

Has Microsoft already given up on Vista? It seems like only a few years since it was released, and now they're onto the next one?

[vampie]

Hey tek, I just checked my settings and it is indeed on automatic dl/install. I've always installed them manually, right after the download finishes and the little yellow shield icon pops up saying "downloaded new updates, click here to install". This certainly is a new experience.

[tekonus]

They kind of got a huge backlash when Vista was first released, as it had many many compatibility problems when it was released. Just like XP did, just like 98 did, just every windows that has ever been made did for the first few months before things got ironed out. Problem is that these days the internet news and slander is so big that what everybody read from a few geeks mouths a few years ago still holds true for them today. Most of the people I know that say "Vista sucks!" have never even used it, and they just trust the word of someone they know that probably also hasn't used it. I was one of the people who adopted Vista early and was disappointed with the compatibility issues enough to convert me back to XP for a while. Now I've been happily on Vista Ultimate 64 bit for over a year and haven't had a SINGLE problem yet... I love it.

Also, don't let the Linux nerds fool you, you'll never get half the common things you use and love to work as well on Linux as it does on Vista these days. Especially if you're a gamer. I currently dual-boot Ubuntu 9.04 64bit on a secondary drive with my Vista 64 bit computer. I would switch to Linux permanently but I can't get core things to work. The only thing the Linux driver for my all-in-one Canon printer does is print... no scanning... no copying... just print. I can't play a good 75% of my games on Linux reliably, if at all. I can't update my iPhone on Linux. So on, and so forth.

They are trying to get away from the typical windows stereotypes with 7, reinventing themselves. While I personally haven't used it, as I'm not big on being a beta tester and running into problems on purpose, I've heard great things about it so far.

[tekonus]

Hey tek, I just checked my settings and it is indeed on automatic dl/install. I've always installed them manually, right after the download finishes and the little yellow shield icon pops up saying "downloaded new updates, click here to install". This certainly is a new experience.

Glad you figured it out. :headbang2:

Vista is actually very user friendly, especially if you aren't great with computers and go into it expecting nothing. Many of the things people dislike about it are things that just simply "aren't where they use to be" compared to previous versions of windows.

[jpappy789]

Yep...scheduled for public release on October 22nd.

[serissime]

Windows update restarting my computer really annoyed me until I finally figured out how to turn off the auto install.. I am not a vista hater but... I'm not very satisfied with my computer right now, whether it is the make or the OS. My computer is only a year old (lenovo), and I'm having to use all my nerdiness to keep it limping along until I get back to college and the tech guys there will fix it up (it's under school protection/warranty/whatever) OR SOMETHING. I take good care of it too :(

anyways sorry about my rant... so glad my auto-install is off!

[MTiffany]

I think the annoyance factor with Vista comes from the interminable delays with the launch date, and the "unturnoffable autopilot" (pre-SP1) aspect of the OS, like MS incorporated all the worst aspects of that damnable Clippit the Office Assistant into the whole of Vista.