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After running critical Windows updates, you are required to reboot machine within certain period. On my Windows Vista, the longest I can pause is 4 hours.

Is there a way to disable reboot proprompt and be done with it?

4 Answers 4

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Yes. The easy way, assuming you're not in a domain, is to edit the local policy through gpedit.msc

It's in Computer Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components | Windows Update and you can change "Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations".

There are some other settings you can tweak here, including setting AU to download and notify for install instead of just installing.

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    This doesn't work on XP Home either, does it? May 1, 2009 at 16:15
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    Good point about the domain. If WSUS is being used, we're going to hardcode these values via GPO. May 1, 2009 at 16:24
  • Too right, KBK - long-since have done so for my WSUS/GPO environment. May 1, 2009 at 16:27
  • @Richard: No, I am not in domain. Thank you for specifying that point.
    – dance2die
    May 1, 2009 at 16:50
  • @person-b No, it doesn't work on XP Home because you don't have the group policy editor. You can hack the registry to the same effect - they way I would do it is to examine the wuau.adm file on an XP Pro machine (in notepad) and work out what the registry keys are. Aug 3, 2009 at 10:24
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You can also shut down the Windows update service using the commmand sc stop wuauserv It will restart with your next reboot.

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  • Will this work for XP too?
    – Yuval
    May 4, 2009 at 7:51
  • net stop wuauserv will definitely work on XP May 8, 2009 at 15:25
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The equivalent registry data (for Home editions) for the Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations group policy setting is:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\windows\WindowsUpdate\AU]
"RebootRelaunchTimeoutEnabled"=dword:00000001
"RebootRelaunchTimeout"=dword:000005a0

For the maximum (in group policy) allowed value of 1440 minutes, or 24 hours.
Can make a .reg file out of this.

Disabling the timeout defaults it to 10 minutes as the group policy information suggests.

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Why not just set the system to download but not install updates. Then the updates will be installed when you shut the system down (if you allow the install)

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