Disable Windows 10 automatic restart after updates

Anonymous
2019-02-14T12:17:31+00:00

Is there any REAL way to disable this cancer feature?

This is not the first time i have lost unsaved work due to this annoying function, that almost every Windows user hates.

I'm trying to behave, but it is really hard to keep calm after loosing unsaved work multiple times.

Why is it that Windows cannot just wait until the user decides to restart at a convenient time? It's not like the end of the world that users doesn't restart at a specific time.

In a time where Apple's Mac is already "stealing" a lot of Windows customers, it is a very risky (and dumb) feature to add to Windows.

This alone is very difficult to argue against in a Mac vs. Windows discussion.

Luckily (for Microsoft) Microsoft have secured themselves from a law suit in their policy.

MS knows that all Windows users hates this feature, and yet they still have it. WHY?

So back to the question. Is there any official/unofficial way (FOR GOOD)  that allows me to disable this annoying feature?

I tried following some tutorials on YouTube, but little did it help obviously, as i just came home and found my computer restarted, and my work deleted.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Settings

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-03-11T13:09:32+00:00

    No matter if some people enjoy the feature or not... It's quite appalling. I bought this computer and the copy of Windows.... Like the OP, things happen on on this computer at all hours: backups, scripts, me logging in from home... It should never, ever, ever restart without permission, even if it's just that one predictable day of the month that it wants updates... I understand that many updates only work when the computer is not being used... Fine, I'll restart it right before I go home for the day.

    Though work is a Windows environment, I am all Linux at home and am about one frustration away from moving myself to Linux at work as well so that I can actually have control over my computer (oh no! The nerve!)

    Nothing should be forced on users (except for by those user's Admins).... Updates, Cortana (ugh), restarts, windows store, links to stupid games in the start menu on "professional" editions of windows... none of it.

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-03-14T18:42:55+00:00

    I've had it restart while transferring data over SSH sessions, entire dev teams and global collaboration force waiting its finish to take cluster of geo-replicated servers from beta / staging to production = hundreds of thousands of dollars of man-hours wasted. - It just restarted while performing data recovery on a customer's fragile almost completely dead hard drive - it can't handle running at all unless for data recovery now...and that was wasted. I won't be trusting Microsoft to handle this for me ever again. Someone has to take charge. So far as I know: windows cannot programatically reboot without being able to call /Windows/System32/shutdown.exe with a "r" flag for reboot. Rename that file. Problem solved, so far as I know.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-02-11T12:03:00+00:00

    I disable the updates on my machines (Windows 10 Home) by doing the following:

    Run > services.msc

    Find Windows update and double click

    In the General Tab > Stop the service

    Also in General Tab > Startup Type > Set to Disabled

    In the Recovery Tab > First Failure > Set to Take no action

    We have a client that runs windows devices on screens like a kiosk 24/7. For support, we VNC in remotely. You can imagine my frustration when one time Windows automatically updated itself, restarted and disabled the wi-fi driver...no more remote access to 5 screens.

    I've found the above works well for us. If we ever need to update Windows, just reverse the above, run the updates manually, and then disable again when done.

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-02-15T16:25:23+00:00

    I asked if there is a way to REALLY disable automatic restart, and you answer me on how to change active hours. 

    It's not possible to disable the restart, because the changes made by a feature update can only be processed while the computer is not being used. Most software operates this way.

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-03-15T15:03:11+00:00

    This has been tried and proven not to work

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