Can I stop the "restart" function after windows installs its updates

[Cowtoon]

I've been recovering files and running virus scans and windows update is
messing with me. If I'm not here to click 'start later', it restarts on me.
I'm doing some scans that will take a long time, but Windows auto install
interferes with it. How do I tell it to not restart until I'm ready to
restart under these circumstances. I thought later ... meant I could chose
when it restarted ... but it keeps showing up.

Thanks.

 

[MowGreen [MVP]]

Disable the Automatic Update service while you're cleaning the system.
Start > Run > type in

net stop wuauserv
Click OK

After the system is clean

net start wuauserv
Click OK

REMEMBER some of the CRITICAL updates are replacing files in use and
need to restart the system to do so. IF the system is not rebooted it's
still vulnerable to exploits and can be left in a mixed state causing
instability.
It would be best to clean the system first, then reenable AU, and then
allow it to 'do it's thing'.

MowGreen [MVP 2003-2007]
===============
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
===============

 

[Curt Christianson]

Hi Mow,

I'm not too familiar with running apps from the run box. Why pick
wuauserv, rather than wupdmgr or wuauclt? Where can I learn these run
commands for XP?



TIA,

 

[Cowtoon]

I hear ya. I'm not usually one to interfere with AU process, but what's
going on right now is a little extraordinary.

I was recovering files from a formatted drive that had taken a couple of
weeks to figure out how to do ... and when I did ... it took about a week to
then get it to recover as I wanted (well, not exactly as I wanted, of
course) ... and when I did ... it took hours to recover ... then, I stepped
away for more than a few minutes ... came back and they were all gone. I
was just livid. I'd been stopping the system from restarting by selecting
"restart later" but didn't think it would just restart without my say-so.
So, when I wasn't here ... it rebooted itself ... I was not a happy camper!

Thanks for the instructions ... appreciate it!

Disable the Automatic Update service while you're cleaning the system.
Start > Run > type in

net stop wuauserv
Click OK

After the system is clean

net start wuauserv
Click OK

REMEMBER some of the CRITICAL updates are replacing files in use and need
to restart the system to do so. IF the system is not rebooted it's still
vulnerable to exploits and can be left in a mixed state causing
instability.
It would be best to clean the system first, then reenable AU, and then
allow it to 'do it's thing'.

MowGreen [MVP 2003-2007]
===============
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
===============

I've been recovering files and running virus scans and windows update is
messing with me. If I'm not here to click 'start later', it restarts on
me. I'm doing some scans that will take a long time, but Windows auto
install interferes with it. How do I tell it to not restart until I'm
ready to restart under these circumstances. I thought later ... meant I
could chose when it restarted ... but it keeps showing up.

Thanks.

 

[Cowtoon]

PS ... doing the various A/V and malware scans was a good plan (which is
what I'd originally mentioned) as a few types of unwanted residents were on
the system drive. All clean now. I'd been reinstalling and redownloading
stuff for my system (drive) which I'd formatted about a week ago. This was
in addition to recovering the files for another formatted drive that I'd
mentioned. What a way to kill a lot of time ... yikes!!!

Disable the Automatic Update service while you're cleaning the system.
Start > Run > type in

net stop wuauserv
Click OK

After the system is clean

net start wuauserv
Click OK

REMEMBER some of the CRITICAL updates are replacing files in use and need
to restart the system to do so. IF the system is not rebooted it's still
vulnerable to exploits and can be left in a mixed state causing
instability.
It would be best to clean the system first, then reenable AU, and then
allow it to 'do it's thing'.

MowGreen [MVP 2003-2007]
===============
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
===============

I've been recovering files and running virus scans and windows update is
messing with me. If I'm not here to click 'start later', it restarts on
me. I'm doing some scans that will take a long time, but Windows auto
install interferes with it. How do I tell it to not restart until I'm
ready to restart under these circumstances. I thought later ... meant I
could chose when it restarted ... but it keeps showing up.

Thanks.

 

[MowGreen [MVP]]

Command line ?
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/ntcmds.mspx?mfr=true
Run commands :
http://smartbro.blogspot.com/2006/09/117-run-commands-in-windows-xp.html

wuauserv *IS* Automatic Updates. Kill it and the others will follow


MowGreen [MVP 2003-2007]
===============
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
===============