Delayed automatic restart - ggrrrrrr

Hi all
I've no problem with Windows Update except that it perform a restart without
my agreement.
No way to ask it not to proceed. Just two buttons : "Do it now" or "Do it
later" (not exact messages)
I have some job in progress, then I choose Later, but when I go away (ie to
eat), the computer restart itself.
I've missed some data from my work ... and a great amount of time ! grrrr
Is there a way to desactivate this $*@$ timer ?

Some weeks ago, I notice that, when I shut down the computer, the update
starts before down. A good way to proceed. Why has it change its manner of
working ?

The only way I find to protect my work is to choose "ask when update ready".

Thanx for help
Jack, MVP 21128

Okay.. Jack..

First, you should /NOT/ be posting your MVP ID number in a public forum.

Second, if you choose Reboot Later, and then logged off of your computer,
you've now given your computer permission to Reboot when the "Reboot Later"
timer times out. If you did not log off, then I'm challenged to believe that
the computer was rebooted as a result of the "Reboot Later" prompt.

Third, did you actually get this prompt after browsing to Windows Update and
selecting updates?

As for a couple of weeks ago, if you installed updates at shutdown, then you
probably were using the new feature "Install Updates and Shutdown" which is
only available to XP SP2 systems, and was probably pursuant to the October
monthly updates being applied after being downloaded by Automatic Updates.

However, the good news is that we can definitively determine exactly what
happened on your PC if you will post the segment of the WindowsUpdate.log file
starting from the time you went to the Windows Update website, and going
through the time when you returned from lunch and found your system rebooted.


"Jack_II" <> wrote in message
news:617A8618-C9C8-48FE-818A-...
> Hi all
> I've no problem with Windows Update except that it perform a restart without
> my agreement.
> No way to ask it not to proceed. Just two buttons : "Do it now" or "Do it
> later" (not exact messages)
> I have some job in progress, then I choose Later, but when I go away (ie to
> eat), the computer restart itself.
> I've missed some data from my work ... and a great amount of time ! grrrr
> Is there a way to desactivate this $*@$ timer ?
>
> Some weeks ago, I notice that, when I shut down the computer, the update
> starts before down. A good way to proceed. Why has it change its manner of
> working ?
>
> The only way I find to protect my work is to choose "ask when update ready".
>
> Thanx for help
> Jack, MVP 21128

Then, why, Lawrence, did you repost his MVP ID number by not deleting it
from the original message?

Tom
"Lawrence Garvin [MVP]" <> wrote in message
news:%...
|
| Okay.. Jack..
|
| First, you should /NOT/ be posting your MVP ID number in a public forum.
|
|

Aw... shucks. Tom.. it's irrelevant.. Jack's post is already spread worldwide
and permanently archived in Google Groups... even if I /had/ edited it.... it
would have been EASILY available to anybody who wanted it.


"Tom Pepper Willett" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Then, why, Lawrence, did you repost his MVP ID number by not deleting it
> from the original message?
>
> Tom
> "Lawrence Garvin [MVP]" <> wrote in message
> news:%...
> |
> | Okay.. Jack..
> |
> | First, you should /NOT/ be posting your MVP ID number in a public forum.
> |
> |
>
>

Thanx Lawrence

>> First, you should /NOT/ be posting your MVP ID number in a public forum.
Ok for the ID, I didn't know it was secret. Noted. (I don't find the way to
edit the message, sorry)

>> Second, if you choose Reboot Later, and then logged off of your computer,
>> you've now given your computer permission to Reboot when the "Reboot Later"
>> timer times out. If you did not log off, then I'm challenged to believe that
>> the computer was rebooted as a result of the "Reboot Later" prompt.
When I leave my keyboard (at home), I didn't log off because some work was
running (calculations).
After the installation of updates, I choosed "Reboot later". A few minutes
later, the popup ask me again and design change : There was a timed
progressbar saying that in 5 minutes, it will reboot if I don't click not to
do so. I was away and cannot perform this choice.

>> Third, did you actually get this prompt after browsing to Windows Update and
>> selecting updates?
It was automatic update

>> As for a couple of weeks ago, if you installed updates at shutdown, then you
>> probably were using the new feature "Install Updates and Shutdown" which is
>> only available to XP SP2 systems, and was probably pursuant to the October
>> monthly updates being applied after being downloaded by Automatic Updates.
I'm using W2k pro (not XP), but it does not matter with WU (I think)

>> However, the good news is that we can definitively determine exactly what
>> happened on your PC if you will post the segment of the WindowsUpdate.log file
>> starting from the time you went to the Windows Update website, and going
>> through the time when you returned from lunch and found your system rebooted.
Great ! Find the file ... A lot of logged data for this date : ~ 300 lines
.... Selecting more efficient lines (I wish) :

2005-10-31 18:26:17 872 36c Agent * WU client version 5.8.0.2469
2005-10-31 18:27:21 872 36c DnldMgr Retrieved 11 persisted download jobs
2005-10-31 18:27:41 872 36c AU ########### AU: Initializing Automatic
Updates ###########
2005-10-31 18:27:41 872 36c AU AU setting next detection timeout to
2005-10-31 17:27:41
2005-10-31 18:27:41 872 36c AU # Approval type: Scheduled (User preference)
2005-10-31 18:27:41 872 36c AU # Scheduled install day/time: Every day at
20:00
2005-10-31 18:27:41 872 36c AU # Auto-install minor updates: Yes (User
preference)
2005-10-31 18:27:53 872 140 Agent ** START ** Agent: Finding updates
[CallerId = AutomaticUpdates]
2005-10-31 18:28:40 872 140 Agent WARNING: Failed to evaluate Installed
rule, updateId = {ED300F67-421C-4C08-B3BA-F35C55F3B427}.100, error =
0x80041017
2005-10-31 18:28:47 872 140 Agent * Added update
{C64A65AC-E1A7-4FF9-9074-D6D4694FB673}.100 to search result
2005-10-31 18:28:47 872 140 Agent * Found 1 updates and 11 categories in
search

///// Note : This computer is currently scheduled to install these updates
every day, at 8 PM, so :
2005-10-31 20:00:17 872 748 AU # Install call complete for all calls,
reboot required = Yes
2005-10-31 20:00:17 872 748 AU AU setting pending client directive to
'Reboot Warning'
2005-10-31 20:00:48 2144 864 AUClnt AU client reboot countdown: user clicked
Restart Later

///// Note : and so on each 5 minutes. When I was out :
2005-10-31 20:35:57 872 65c AU AU setting client response for sessionId 0x0
to 'Complete'
2005-10-31 20:35:58 872 36c AU AU invoking RebootSystem (OnRebootNow)
2005-10-31 20:35:58 872 36c Misc WARNING: SUS Client is rebooting system.
2005-10-31 20:36:11 872 36c AU AU rebooting machine since no user is logged
on and reboot is required.
2005-10-31 20:36:21 872 36c AU AU invoking RebootSystem (OnRebootRetry)

///// Why did it say that "no user logged on" ??

Thanx again

"Jack_II" <> wrote in message
news:47CC85D9-FC84-49D3-88DA-...

> There was a timed
> progressbar saying that in 5 minutes, it will reboot if I don't click not to
> do so. I was away and cannot perform this choice.

There ya have it. :-)

But I'm curious... how do you know that "timed progress" bar was present if
you were away from the computer? Certainly you did not walk away from the
computer with the timed progress bar already displayed, did you?

btw, you can configure that "Restart Later" delay to a longer time (the
default is 10 minutes), which will prevent this happening "during lunch" in
the future.

In the registry, go to
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUp date\AU
and edit or add these values:
"RebootRelaunchTimeoutEnabled"=dword:0x1
"RebootRelaunchTimeout"=dword:0x3c <--- this will set the delay to 60
minutes.

You can set the delay as high as 24 hours. Note that the value must be
converted to minutes, and is configured in hex.

For example, four hours is 240 minutes, which would be 0xe0.

However, I don't generally recommend delaying the restart of a system after
installation of updates. It would be better to delay the start of the
installation of the updates until you're at a point that you can restart the
system immediately.

>>> Third, did you actually get this prompt after browsing to Windows Update
>>> and
>>> selecting updates?

> It was automatic update

Thank you for the clarification. I did not think the "Reboot Later" option was
presented by Windows Update.

>>> As for a couple of weeks ago, if you installed updates at shutdown, then
>>> you
>>> probably were using the new feature "Install Updates and Shutdown" which
>>> is
>>> only available to XP SP2 systems, and was probably pursuant to the October
>>> monthly updates being applied after being downloaded by Automatic Updates.

> I'm using W2k pro (not XP), but it does not matter with WU (I think)

Yes, it does. The "Install Updates and Shutdown" option is /only/ available on
Windows XP SP2 systems, so if you are using Windows 2000 Pro, you did not have
this option. In that case, I'm not sure what you did. Perhaps you merely
responded to an AU notification that updates were ready to install, and
coincidentally, it was while you were ready to shutdown the system?

>>> However, the good news is that we can definitively determine exactly what
>>> happened on your PC if you will post the segment of the WindowsUpdate.log
>>> file
>>> starting from the time you went to the Windows Update website, and going
>>> through the time when you returned from lunch and found your system
>>> rebooted.

> Great ! Find the file ... A lot of logged data for this date : ~ 300 lines

> ... Selecting more efficient lines (I wish) :
>

> 2005-10-31 18:27:21 872 36c DnldMgr Retrieved 11 persisted download jobs

The AU client has already initiated the download of 11 updates prior to this
moment.

>2005-10-31 18:27:53 872 140 Agent ** START ** Agent: Finding updates
>[CallerId = AutomaticUpdates]

Here's where the AU detection was initiated.

> 2005-10-31 18:28:47 872 140 Agent * Found 1 updates and 11 categories in
> search

Here's where it detected another new update to be installed.

>///// Note : This computer is currently scheduled to install these updates
>every day, at 8 PM, so :
>2005-10-31 20:00:17 872 748 AU # Install call complete for all calls,
>reboot required = Yes
>2005-10-31 20:00:17 872 748 AU AU setting pending client directive to
>'Reboot Warning'
>2005-10-31 20:00:48 2144 864 AUClnt AU client reboot countdown: user clicked
>Restart Later

So, as noted, the installation was initiated (automatically) at 8pm, the
dialog box was displayed at 8:00:17pm, and you clicked on "Restart Later" at
8:00:48pm.

But here's the key point:
>2005-10-31 20:36:11 872 36c AU AU rebooting machine since no user is logged
>on and reboot is required.

The WUA thinks that you were not logged on, so it initiated the restart.

> ///// Why did it say that "no user logged on" ??

That's a very good question, John. Regretfully, though, I don't have a useful
answer for that. It would appear that something (or someone) logged you off of
the system.

Note: This may also be possible if the desktop auto-locks. If that is what
happened, we might want to document this and send it back to the WUA dev team
as "undesirable" behavior. I will put an item on my task list to do a test of
this scenario and see if that's what is happening.

In any event... the "moral" of this story is: "Don't walk away from the system
with /any/ restart activity pending." :-)

Also, if you normally work in the timeframe of 8pm, you might want to consider
changing the 'scheduled' install time for your updates.

Hello Lawrence
I am absolutely delighted that you understood my english ! and that you find
something abnormal with the WU behavior !

> But I'm curious... how do you know that "timed progress" bar was present if
> you were away from the computer? Certainly you did not walk away from the
> computer with the timed progress bar already displayed, did you?
Because I met this "timed-progressbar" during the 5 WU popup asking for
restart.
Under this timed-progressbar, a button makes it possible to delay the
restarting, like with the standard popup.

>>> ///// Why did it say that "no user logged on" ??
> That's a very good question, John. Regretfully, though, I don't have a useful
> answer for that. It would appear that something (or someone) logged you off of
> the system.
Nobody at home.

> Note: This may also be possible if the desktop auto-locks. If that is what
> happened, we might want to document this and send it back to the WUA dev
> team as "undesirable" behavior. I will put an item on my task list to do a test of
> this scenario and see if that's what is happening
You speak about desktop auto-locks : I'm using 'Boinc Manager' from Berkeley
( http://boinc.berkeley.edu ) BUT don't use their screen saver with which I
had trouble at awake event. Perhaps a track ?

Sincerely, thank you to spend time with this long questionning and for your
recommendations
Thanx for your patience ! Great !
Jack

"Jack_II" <> wrote in message
news:FDEE56FF-4E7F-460E-8CB8-...
> Hello Lawrence
> I am absolutely delighted that you understood my english ! and that you find
> something abnormal with the WU behavior !
>
>> But I'm curious... how do you know that "timed progress" bar was present if
>> you were away from the computer? Certainly you did not walk away from the
>> computer with the timed progress bar already displayed, did you?
> Because I met this "timed-progressbar" during the 5 WU popup asking for
> restart.
> Under this timed-progressbar, a button makes it possible to delay the
> restarting, like with the standard popup.

Uh-huh.. and ignoring the popup will result in a reboot. So.... you walked
away, ensuring an opportunity to 'ignore' the popup was about to happen. :-)

>>>> ///// Why did it say that "no user logged on" ??

>> That's a very good question, John. Regretfully, though, I don't have a
>> useful
>> answer for that. It would appear that something (or someone) logged you off
>> of
>> the system.

> Nobody at home.

>> Note: This may also be possible if the desktop auto-locks. If that is what
>> happened, we might want to document this and send it back to the WUA dev
>> team as "undesirable" behavior. I will put an item on my task list to do a
>> test of
>> this scenario and see if that's what is happening

> You speak about desktop auto-locks : I'm using 'Boinc Manager' from Berkeley
> ( http://boinc.berkeley.edu ) BUT don't use their screen saver with which I
> had trouble at awake event. Perhaps a track ?

Possibly.... but truly, since you've noted above that you received the timer
dialog at each re-prompt, the rest is really academic.

The WUA gave you reasonable notice that it /was/ going to restart the system
unless you responded to the dialog box. You walked away, and thus, did not
respond to the /next/ appearance of the dialog box.

What's unfortunate is how the WUA logged that activity. I will investigate
that particular issue further to see if maybe the next release of the WUA can
be a bit more accurate about why it takes such actions. It should not report
that the user was logged out (that may well be an assumption on the part of
the WUA because it did not receive a response to the dialog timer), but should
simply report that "No response was received to the dialog" or some such
entry.

> Sincerely, thank you to spend time with this long questionning and for your
> recommendations
> Thanx for your patience ! Great !
> Jack