Windows 10: How do I prevent Windows Update from restarting my computer without my consent?

Win10 Pro user here. I can't stand this anymore. I haven't lost any computer data to an actual virus or malware attack since the year 2003, but I lose work to Windows' intrusive update procedure on a near-monthly basis. Windows might as well be the virus at this point. It's infuriating to lose my work and my time to this. Why did I pay extra for the Pro version over the Home version if I'm still locked out of any meaningful control over my own computer?"Active Hours" are NOT a solution. All of my hours are active. It's fine if Windows needs to download and install updates automatically, but it

:)

 

Windows Updated(16299.309).KB4088776 Restart is required to complete.

Hi dalchina. Good news, I followed your suggestion and reinstalled the update and now it appears as "installed correctly" *Biggrin Maybe it was not necessary to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter or maybe if necessary. But using it I do not think it could have worsened something. The installation was very fast, unlike the first time it showed step 1 and step 2 completed.

Thanks for the suggestions and for the time to respond Best regards.


And thanks for the tip of that program, I'll have it on my list.

 

How can I prevent Windows Update from rebooting my computer without my consent?

Thank you for checking in.

The device is managed by a domain.

Currently on 1709 Build 16299.192

The Windows Update options offered by the current build of Windows are insufficient in allowing users to preserve their work for periods greater than 18 hours. Some processes take more than 18 hours and some projects require that files and programs remain
open for more than 18 hours.

Changing active hours does nothing to prevent Windows from rebooting my computer during non-active hours. Windows rebooting WITHOUT WARNING on its own to update to 1709 recently cost me an incalculable amount of work and two entire days of time working to
recover. My project had a short timeline and important deadlines were missed. It wouldn't surprise me if the unexpected reboot ends up costing me 6 digits in lost revenues as a result of the delays and lost data I experienced.

I was NEVER notified that an update with a restart was pending, so I never had any opportunity to "Schedule a time" in the restart options as you suggest.

No operating system should ever restart a computer without the explicit consent of the user. For no reason, EVER. I understand that some updates require a restart to be effective. However, an operating system MUST permit the user a sufficient opportunity
to save his work.

Windows 10 is no different than MALWARE since it takes control of my computer without notice or permission and destroys files.

 

windows 10 says it needs to update for security reasons, then updates and restarts, then upon restart it restores the previous version

Hi Kathleen,

One of the usual reasons why you are experiencing this issue can be because of corrupted or missing system files that are interrupting the update process. We would like to know the following to isolate the root cause of the issue:

• Were you able to login to the computer before it updates and restarts?
• Which version of Windows 10 are you using? Is it Windows 10 1703 or Windows 10 1709?

If you are using the Windows 10 version 1703 or 1709, we suggest setting up the
Active hours on your computer to prevent automatic restart. This will help us perform the needed troubleshooting steps without the computer suddenly restarting.

Kindly follow the steps below to set it:

• Open your Settings.
• Choose Update & security.
• Under Windows Update, choose change active hours.
• Choose the time where you will perform the troubleshooting steps.
  
  
  
• After you successfully set it up, we recommend downloading the troubleshooter on this article and run it:
  Windows Update Troubleshooter.
  This will identify the root cause of the issue and provide the appropriate fix for it.

Update us with the outcome so we can provide further assistance.