Windows restarts don’t have to be automatic

You recognize that the updates that Windows automatically downloads are important. They frequently contain important anti-virus protections intended to keep cybercriminals out of your computer and software. Nonetheless it can be annoying when Windows automatically restarts your computer after every update. Luckily, the Lifehacker Web site recently covered the way to edit your computer’s registry to keep Windows from automatically restarting after an update.

Stopping automatic reboots

Tech Web site Lifehacker recently listed the steps you need to use to disable Window’s automatic reboot feature. It’s not the easiest – you’ll have to edit your computer’s registry – but if automatic reboots aggravate you, the additional work might be worth the effort.

Editing the registry

To do this in Windows 8, first click on the “Start” menu. Type regedit. Start the Registry Editor when it comes up. Next, find this line in the registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindowsUpdateAU. Next, click on the AU key and, when you see it in the right pane, right-click on the empty space and select New >DWORD (32-bit) Value. Then, name the new DWORD: “NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers” Finally, double-click on the new DWORD and assign it a value of 1.

Reboot

When you reboot your computer, Windows will not make you reboot after it installs updates. Remember, to eventually reboot your computer. It is the only way your updates will take effect.