Windows update is a virus
 

I had Windows update looping a month or two ago. I had to download Windows update fixit tool to get it working properly.

Now Windows is notifying me of updates from a year or two ago...update after update...endless BS. :mad::mad:

Windows sucks!!! http://blogs.technet.com/b/sus/archi...kb2416400.aspx

Which version of Windows? And how long since a clean reinstall?

Ugh. Sounds like a nasty problem :(

Like the previous poster said, a clean install may be the best route to take...

Is there an easier fix for this? I think one of my computers may be having this problem.

On a similar but separate note:
Windows update is a virus! It just reset my computer, losing all my work. I realized basically Windows update is a virus, if you define a virus as a program that causes you harm.
(I have professional so can put off updates, but I guess only for 35 days. And yesterday must have been day 35)

You didn't save your work, and Windows Update restarted your PC? No sympathy I'm afraid. It gives you lots of notice

No, it doesn't... not on Windows 10. If you step away from your computer for a couple hours in the afternoon, you might find it reboots in the early evening without you seeing any notification.

Installing updates upon reboot is fine... initiating an automatic reboot to install updates is completely unacceptable. Fortunately there's a way to force Windows never to reboot itself automatically to initiate an update, which is the way Microsoft should have set it to behave by default.

gpedit.msc
Local Computer Policy --> Computer Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> Windows Update, then set "No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations" to Enabled.

Maybe it's just something my company supplied Win10 laptop has then. I get a box in the lower right hand corner saying "Updates will be installed by dd/mm/yyyy" of similar. I can then choose to install now, or defer. It looks like a standard Microsoft dialog.
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FT thread -- > "Windows 10 spontaneous re-boot" clinic

Thanks. I never got to group policy editing, just did it. Hopefully it holds (with each change Microsoft seems to want to force updates even more. Even the ones untested and that erase user's data).

It spontaneously rebooted your machine in the middle of what's defined as working hours for Windows without any user notice? That's odd.

Or did you leave unsaved changes overnight?

As discussed in the attached thread, various versions of Windows have settings to avoid this, including the newest version of Home.

I think this is handled in Settings -> Windows Update -> click the Advanced Options link -> turn on "Show a notification when your PC requires a reboot to finish updating"

I have only ever seen it ask me if I'm OK rebooting.

This is really not recommended. Let's forget the leaving yourself open to vulnerabilities (and not even discuss out-of-band patches). You have pending patches that need to be completed. Some of the patches have often been applied (MS says no, it's all or nothing, but I've seen it happen). Which means you could be calling on the wrong libraries in your system. That could cause issues if the files are mismatched.

Then also, you could potentially have TWO months worth of patching pending... (and that's not including feature updates and out of band stuff)

Also, at up to potentially 65ish days of not rebooting, you haven't noticed a performance decrease due to memory leaks?

I have seen older Windows systems that have not been rebooted for up to three years at a time because the app support team didn't want the monthly alerts (and somehow disabled the patching agent)... Let's just say the audit departments had a field day with those teams and some very nasty penalties were issued.

Anyway, my point is, disabling the auto reboot is a bad idea. I'd configure it to reboot outside of active hours at the very least. But definitely manually reboot at least once a week.

No, disabling auto reboots is a GOOD idea. Whether for your own personal computer or for a server, you should routinely patch and reboot it, but you should also control when reboots occur. This is not the same as disabling a patching agent.