How do I stop Windows Update from restarting my computer in Windows 7 Home Premium?

Anonymous
2009-11-04T14:27:38+00:00

While I do not mind Windows Update automatically updating my PC, hacing it force a reboot when I am logged in is causing a problem.  I currently have WU set to perform the updates at 3am, and when it finished, if there needs to be a reboot, I am not there to tell it to wait.  I would prefer to leave the time settings as they are, and simply disable the automatic reboot, instead opting for WU to let me know it needs to reboot the PC.  I found ways of doing this in XP and Vista, including registry edits and group policy modifications.  However, The registry is obviously slightly different so the keys do not exist compared to what I found, and since I am running Home Premium I do not have gpedit.

Where in the registry can I make a change so I don't have lost data when WU resets my computer at night?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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Anonymous
2009-11-05T21:05:54+00:00

Another way to do it without hacking the registry, which can be scary for some users), is to follow the instructions on the following website:

http://weblogs.asp.net/jgalloway/archive/2006/02/11/438009.aspx

I've pasted in the main parts of it, in case the link goes dead (but no nice pictures though):

  1. Go to Start -> Run(or in Vista and 7 simply press the windows orb)
  2. Type: gpedit.msc
  3. Expand Local Computer Policy / Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / Windows Components / Windows Update
  4. Double-click "No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Updates installations"
  5. Select "Enabled", then OK. Close the Group Policy configuration program.

That should stop it autorestarting.

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-07-01T17:23:43+00:00

    http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows\_7-windows\_update/how-do-i-stop-windows-update-from-restarting-my/2c1a75f3-7cc3-4ea1-93a3-418718e95fb9

    1st reply by Sokratees9 replied on November 6, 2009

    Go to Start -> Run(or in Vista and 7 simply press the windows orb)

    Type: gpedit.msc NOT ABLE TO OPEN IT,error-CANT FIND It

    Azeez N replied on November 5, 2009

    Try this and check if it works :

    Open up regedit.exe through the start menu search box or run dialog, and navigate down to the following key, creating new keys if they don’t exist.

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU

    Create a new 32-bit DWORD value named NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers and give it a value of 1 to prevent automatic reboot while users are logged on. Delete the value to put things back to the way they were.

    IN THIS THERES NO OPTION LIKE THIS-NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers

    I DONT WANT TO STOP AUTO UPDATE for the getting latest SECURITY UPDATES and keep myself safe.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-07-01T17:23:38+00:00

    I DONT WANT TO STOP AUTO UPDATE for the getting latest SECURITY UPDATES and keep myself safe.

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-07-01T17:20:08+00:00

    http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_update/how-do-i-stop-windows-update-from-restarting-my/2c1a75f3-7cc3-4ea1-93a3-418718e95fb9

    1st reply by Sokratees9 replied on

    Go to Start -> Run(or in Vista and 7 simply press the windows orb)

    Type: gpedit.msc NOT ABLE TO OPEN IT,error-CANT FIND It

    Azeez N replied on

    Try this and check if it works : 

    Open up regedit.exe through the start menu search box or run dialog, and navigate down to the following key, creating new keys if they don’t exist.

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU

    Create a new 32-bit DWORD value named NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers and give it a value of 1 to prevent automatic reboot while users are logged on. Delete the value to put things back to the way they were.

    IN THIS THERES NO OPTION LIKE THIS-NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-02-25T14:04:06+00:00

    Hi WriteOn,

    Please see the following article regarding automatic updates:

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Turn-automatic-updating-on-or-off

    If you have further questions, please start your own question and provide any details so we can further assist you:

    http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vistawu

    Thank you.

    Debra

    Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

    Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think

    The fact still remains that MS shouldn't have hid the possibility of turning it off to people knowledgeable about the registry. Why not have a check box is the admin section somewhere? It's absolutely ridiculous. And some wonder why MS has such a large amount of people refusing to buy MS anything, especially windows.

    I absolutely hate Windows Update and wish I could just delete it. I'm a programmer and I can't tell you how many times I have Sql Server, Visual Studio, Redhat SQL, and a plithera of windows up for my work and I come back to my PC and it's all wiped out. Yeah and MS products don't recover from that at all. Visual Studio is a maybe. If MS is going to make people angry once or twice a week, you would think at least their own products could recover from their own evil program shutting it down.

    This used to work, but MS removed don't reboot with Vista. Windows Update is a nightmare.

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