Clicking "Shut Down" for Important Updates

[Patrick Whittle]

HELO,

When choosing "Turn off Computer" on Windows XP's start bar, the dialog
window "Stand by | Turn off | Restart " comes up BUT it is different.

It now has:

"Click Turn Off to install important updates and turn off your computer"

I clicked "Turn Off" yesterday and it made the normal dialog to shut down
start happening again. (this was after watching some processes happen before
automatic power-down). After using my computer for a couple days now, that
peculiar "shut-down" dialog window comes up again. Do you know what is
happening? Is this a virus?

 

[C A Upsdell]

HELO,

When choosing "Turn off Computer" on Windows XP's start bar, the dialog
window "Stand by | Turn off | Restart " comes up BUT it is different.

It now has:

"Click Turn Off to install important updates and turn off your computer"

I clicked "Turn Off" yesterday and it made the normal dialog to shut down
start happening again. (this was after watching some processes happen before
automatic power-down). After using my computer for a couple days now, that
peculiar "shut-down" dialog window comes up again. Do you know what is
happening? Is this a virus?

If you have automatic updates enabled for Windows, this might be the
security updates that took place earlier this week: at least one of teh
updates required a reboot. I suppose that, if one of the updates had
failed, it might be re-tried, and you might see the message again a
little later.

 

[JS]

You can go to the Windows Update site:
http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us
Choose the option named: Review your update history
This should identify if any of the updates failed.

JS

 

[Tom]

If you have automatic updates enabled for Windows, this might be the
security updates that took place earlier this week: at least one of teh
updates required a reboot. I suppose that, if one of the updates had
failed, it might be re-tried, and you might see the message again a
little later.

I just got the same thing on my Gateway laptop. My Automatic update
settings are "download, but ask me before installing", and it didn't
ask, just installed 6 of them on shutdown. I'm getting a twitching
feeling in my fanny that tells me this batch may not have come from
Microsoft, I emailed them and am awaiting an answer.

 

[John Tiesi]

This is a perfectly normal function of Windows that happens after the second
Tuesday of every month with Automatic Updates enabled. Choose Click Turn
Off to install important updates and turn off your computer. Once the
updates are installed, this option will go away until the following month.

 

[Tom]

Well John, I'm glad to hear you know that, because I couldn't get an
answer out of Microshaft.
Auto-updates used to install when I said to install them, and did not
wait for shutdown time. I asked Microshaft if this change was a result
of something I did, something they did or a spyware site spoofing a
Microshaft server. All they told me was to ask my PC vendor, they don't
provide support for XP-MCE.

When I asked my vendor, Gateway, I was told that automatic updates
should never be run on an XP-MCE based system, it can do a lot of damage
overwriting customized drivers, and I should use the update system they
provide. I have shut off auto-updates.

Tom

 

[John Tiesi]

That's interesting to know about XP-MCE.

Well John, I'm glad to hear you know that, because I couldn't get an
answer out of Microshaft.
Auto-updates used to install when I said to install them, and did not wait
for shutdown time. I asked Microshaft if this change was a result of
something I did, something they did or a spyware site spoofing a
Microshaft server. All they told me was to ask my PC vendor, they don't
provide support for XP-MCE.

When I asked my vendor, Gateway, I was told that automatic updates should
never be run on an XP-MCE based system, it can do a lot of damage
overwriting customized drivers, and I should use the update system they
provide. I have shut off auto-updates.

Tom