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When do you prefer a reboot?
Home › Forums › AskWoody blog › When do you prefer a reboot?
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February 5, 2021 at 12:19 am #2340542
Susan Bradley
Managerhttps://twitter.com/ariaupdated/status/1357387308853465090 Notice that never is not an option 🙂 Do you like them a. Overnight when not in use
[See the full post at: When do you prefer a reboot?]Susan Bradley Patch Lady
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February 5, 2021 at 12:30 am #2340548
Kathy Stevens
AskWoody Lounger-
February 5, 2021 at 3:11 am #2340613
doriel
AskWoody LoungerOffice computers should be turned off when people are going home (but sometimes someone forgets), thats when updates can be installed. But the problem can be, when people want to actually leave and take the notebook with them, clicks the turn off and then update begins – please do not turn your PC off 🙂 and you are in a hurry, sometimes that happens.
Microsoft could “borrow” another thing from its archenemy – livepatch kernel process from Linux.
@kathy-stevens May I ask what Windows version do you run 24/7?Dell Latitude E6530, Intel Core i5 @ 2.6 GHz, 4GB RAM, W10 1809 Enterprise
HAL3000, AMD Athlon 200GE @ 3,4 GHz, 8GB RAM, Fedora 29
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February 5, 2021 at 8:29 am #2340665
Kathy Stevens
AskWoody Lounger-
February 5, 2021 at 8:52 am #2340669
doriel
AskWoody LoungerI apologize, I should have been more specific. I was wondering if you use IoT version for this one-task purpose.
We have several machines that run 24/7 with 1809 Enterprise LSTB, but these are not connected to the internet, so they cant “update regullary”, not sure if there is TRV setting in 1809 so that PCs would remain on 1809 if I connect them to the internet.Dell Latitude E6530, Intel Core i5 @ 2.6 GHz, 4GB RAM, W10 1809 Enterprise
HAL3000, AMD Athlon 200GE @ 3,4 GHz, 8GB RAM, Fedora 29
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February 5, 2021 at 10:49 am #2340677
anonymous
GuestTRV is supposed to work for 1803 and later. MS documentation.
But it only affects Feature Updates (which you would not get). Do you get other updates (.NET, security, Defender, etc). Do they require reboots?
I would try connecting to the Internet with only one to begin with and let it run for at least a couple of months before connecting the others. -
February 8, 2021 at 1:14 am #2341717
doriel
AskWoody LoungerI would try connecting to the Internet with only one to begin with and let it run for at least a couple of months before connecting the others.
No, I am not willing to do that and test that. They are production machines, so I am not going to that. It was expensive testing machine (approx 4000 EUR for one).
Dell Latitude E6530, Intel Core i5 @ 2.6 GHz, 4GB RAM, W10 1809 Enterprise
HAL3000, AMD Athlon 200GE @ 3,4 GHz, 8GB RAM, Fedora 29
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February 5, 2021 at 12:49 pm #2341122
Kathy Stevens
AskWoody Lounger
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February 5, 2021 at 4:07 am #2340623
Nibbled To Death By Ducks
AskWoody PlusHave a self-designed XP graphics workstation in storage I’d trained to sleep at the click of an icon, and spin up flawlessly when moving the trackball/mouse. Only had to reboot it once every few weeks. Boy, were those the days! I loved it!
This current flaptop throws a hissy fit every time it’s commanded to sleep or hibernate, coming back out of either state in a foul mood, won’t connect all the way thru the router to the Net, necessitating shutting it down every night, booting it in the AM, and keeping it on all day as a result. 2-minute boot time, every time. Bother! I was sure spoiled!
(I’m looking forward to finding a forum where this recent behavior can be accurately figured out.)
Win7 Pro SP1 64-bit ESU, Dell Latitude E6330, Intel CORE i5 "Ivy Bridge", 12GB RAM, Group "0Patch", Multiple Air-Gapped backup drives in different locations. Linux Mint Greenhorn
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"A committee is the only known form of life that can have least four legs and no brain."-Robert Heinlein
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February 5, 2021 at 6:43 am #2340641
Seff
AskWoody PlusI have two home desktops and they are always switched off at night, and when there’s no-one in during the day. So overnight updating/restarting is out of the question for me, and in any event I strongly favour being in front of a computer when it is restarted in order to pick up on any issues or error messages. So I much prefer restarts when I click on them.
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February 5, 2021 at 7:18 am #2340648
geekdom
AskWoody PlusReboots are manual, while I’m at the computer, and after specific operations:
- Uninstalling or installing third-party software
- Installing or uninstalling Microsoft software including updates
- Registry changes
- Driver changes
- Hardware or peripheral changes
I watch the computer for errors while it is booting.
On Hiatus {with backup and coffee}
offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender TRV=1909 WuMgr
offline▸ Win10Pro 20H2.19042.685 x86 Atom N270 RAM2GB HDD WindowsDefender WuMgr GuineaPigVariant
online▸ Win10Pro 20H2.19042.804 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox86.0 WindowsDefender TRV=20H2 WuMgr -
February 5, 2021 at 9:56 am #2340679
anonymous
GuestFor the workstations I manage at my workplace: After hours. As part of my IT SLA I have reserved after business hours for routine maintenance which would otherwise impede productivity during business hours.
For my personal computer: When I tell it to. This works for me, because I am cognizant of the need to reboot when patching requires it. But I like that degree of control.
Windows 8 handled it the best, in my opinion. A banner would take over the full screen and would politely remind you that a reboot is due. Easier to notice than the tray icon and balloon that earlier versions of Windows used; less intrusive than the way Windows 10 handles it.
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February 5, 2021 at 11:38 am #2341105
KevinG3
AskWoody LoungerI have to tell you I was very surprised to be taken off site to a twitter page that seemed to have little to do with “AskWoody” when I submitted my answer (when I tell it to)
I don’t have a Twitter account. When I worked my way back to Ask Woody I noticed the exact same question below the one that took me offsite, I haven’t tried that one and probably won’t take the chance.
As long as I’m here though I would mention that ever since yesterday’s updates my desktop icons come back reset to “Large” every time I reboot, it’s happened twice now so I’m guessing it will keep happening until MS figures out what they did wrong 🙂
Have a great day-
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KevinG3.
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February 5, 2021 at 2:09 pm #2341141
Susan Bradley
Manager
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February 5, 2021 at 11:39 am #2341106
ClearThunder
AskWoody PlusSince I have all my updates (windows, et al) are set to be manually downloaded/installed, I am always here awaiting a successful reboot. Definition of successful? No BSOD, and all applications work as they did before. Although many would caution me against the practice, I also manually download and install my (third party) internet security/AV app. When I’m away from the computer, I block the internet connection anyway.
"Censorship is thought control" ----- Ronald Reagan
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February 5, 2021 at 3:16 pm #2341151
mbhelwig
AskWoody LoungerI always turn off my computers when not in use. I do not sleep or hibernate my computers ever. I select when I update my computers and then reboot (twice) and then check that everything is working properly. A monthly update from microsoft can take about 2 hours. on my linux mint 20.1 machine it is done and dusted in 15 minutes max.
mbhelwig
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February 5, 2021 at 4:13 pm #2341164
Steve S.
AskWoody PlusI also turn my systems completely off at the end of the day and restart fresh each day. If I’m not using one of my computers, it’s generally “off” and disconnected from the web.
My entire main system is powered through a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) which I also turn off at the end of each day. I’ve removed the sleep and hibernate options from the systems as well. When it’s off, it’s off.
Basically, I’m always at the keyboard whenever updates, restarts, software installation/updates, etc., are happening. Of course, I’m no longer in a business-use scenario.
Win10 Pro x64 20H2, Win10 Home 20H2, Linux Mint + a cat with 'tortitude'.
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February 5, 2021 at 4:19 pm #2341167
Bundaburra
AskWoody PlusSo every time you turn one on, not having been previously put to sleep or hibernated, it must do a full reboot?
If I am away from the PC for a short while (lunch, gone down the street etc.) I put it to sleep. This ensures rapid return to whatever I was working on when I return. At the end of the day, or when away for an extended time, I hibernate. Once the disk activity light goes out, I then turn the power off at the wall. This still allows rapid wake from hibernation at the next start.
Windows 10 Pro 64 bit 20H2
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Bundaburra.
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February 8, 2021 at 12:03 am #2341692
Tom-R
AskWoody PlusIf I’m stepping away from the computer for a short period of time (coffee break, lunch, etc.) I’ll put the system into Sleep mode — since I’ll probably be returning to continue working on whatever project I was already involved in. But at the end of the day I’ll always fully shut down the system.
Personally I don’t see much advantage to using Hibernate. On systems with an SSD boot drive (which I use) the total cold boot time from hitting the power button until I’m logged into the Desktop is well under 60 seconds. I have no problem with waiting a minute once a day in the morning to boot the PC.
I’ve tried using Hibernate mode in the past; but coming out of Hibernation the system takes almost as much time to get me back to the Desktop as a cold boot. And in a few cases resuming from Hibernation actually took longer — possibly due to having my documents folder on the secondary HDD instead of the SSD boot drive. In any case, I just prefer to start my day — and my PC — with a clean fresh baseline.
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February 8, 2021 at 12:44 am #2341708
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February 5, 2021 at 8:41 pm #2341221
James Bond 007
AskWoody LoungerFor me this question has an easy answer : Only when I want or need to. Absolutely no automatic or scheduled restart.
I only turn on my computers when I need to. Like some others, I shutdown all my computers and associated equipment (e.g. routers) at night when I go to sleep. Updates are done manually at a time I decide, automatic updates are completely disabled (Windows 7 / Windows 8.1 / Windows 10 LTSC (Testing purposes only) / MacOS).
Even my iPhones are all switched off at night. This saves power and then I don’t need to charge them so often.
Only when I need to download something that requires a long time (which is rare now) do I leave my computer and router on throughout the night. Otherwise I see no point in leaving any of them on when at night or when I am inactive.
Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.
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February 6, 2021 at 8:48 am #2341289
anonymous
GuestOnly when I click restart, and only when I specifically want to update. Over the past few months with online learning there have been numerous incidents of my instructors encountering an irritating, show-stopping issue that prompts them to restart, but the restart takes half an hour because Windows 10 wanted to update. In the Ye Olde Days of Windows XP, Windows would allow you to shut down the computer without installing updates, so that if you needed to restart to fix a problem, you could be back up and running quickly and be able to install updates at a later time. Now, Windows will happily install the updates when you click “Restart” even if you just wanted to restart to fix a problem. I install updates over the weekend and when nothing critical is scheduled, not during the middle of a workday.
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February 6, 2021 at 12:20 pm #2341347
Ascaris
AskWoody_MVPExactly my thoughts.
I have had Windows 10 pull that several times (though I have since installed Windows Update Blocker to prevent a recurrence). I use Linux (KDE Neon User Edition, specifically) as my main OS, and Windows 10 is only on my Swift and my G3 laptops (dual boot setup) because I do occasionally want to test something in Windows to see how it differs (or does not) with Linux, like when I was doing the laptop battery life tests.
Very often, when I boot to Windows, it is only my intent to be there for a moment to check something that I can’t do in my Windows virtual machine, then to return to Linux. Of course, if Windows has decided it wants to update, the only options are “Update and reboot” or “Update and shut down.” It’s very annoying not to be offered the option of just rebooting, as I had no intention of having a half hour of down time when I decided to briefly jump over to Windows for a moment.
In that case, I just force the PC off in disgust and boot back to Linux when it comes back up. If the installation gets damaged, so be it. When I discover the issue the next time I try to boot Windows, I’ll decide then whether to fix it or just remove the Windows partition and increase the size of my Linux partitions by that amount.
This is one of many reasons I am on Linux in the first place. This kind of thing just really ticks me off! It’s an example of how MS fails to respect that the PC is mine to do with as I please, including the simple things like shutting down or rebooting (and nothing else) when I want to. Every previous version of Windows got this right, but not Windows 10.
There have been numerous anecdotes like yours… people in a business setting preparing to begin a Powerpoint presentation from their laptop, only to have the thing decide it’s not “you” time, it’s Microsoft time, so all of you business people who expected to see the presentation and then to get back to their busy days, have a seat and wait for Windows to finish its thing, while the others glance at their watches and you try to make nervous small talk.
Now, of course, there are things you can do to prevent this, setting up active hours and stuff like that, but I should not need to reserve “me” time on my own hardware (and even if I do, I can still be negatively impacted if others don’t, like in your example). It’s always “me” time on hardware I own, and there are 24 of those active hours each day… but MS won’t let you select that.
Of course, by the time you see that it has decided to update, it’s too late to tell it “no, these are active hours.”
If Windows handled updates as Linux does, this would not be an issue. Windows and Linux are similar in the way they perform the first stage of updating as far as the impact to the user goes, where you can continue to work as it goes on in the background. It’s after that point when Windows needs to shut down so that it can finish the process that is the problem. You can’t do anything with it until it’s done, and that can be a lengthy wait. That’s why the option to “update and reboot” should be there right alongside “reboot.”
In Linux, though, once that first stage is done, all that remains to be done is a normal reboot (or not even that, depending on what was updated). It shuts down as quickly as it usually does, and then it boots back up as fast as it usually does. There’s no need for an “update and reboot” option. That would be a great addition to Windows, as it would solve this issue.
Group "L" (KDE Neon Linux 5.21.4 User Edition)
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February 6, 2021 at 2:02 pm #2341370
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February 6, 2021 at 3:20 pm #2341377
Noel Carboni
AskWoody_MVPNever forget that updates just change software with known bugs out for software with unknown bugs. Somewhat known exploits traded for (possibly worse) unknown exploits. And almost certainly worse performance – by the people who profit by selling you new hardware.
I for one am not driven by “OMG, your computer is insecure! Do {this} right away to make it secure!” That is the worst, most manipulative motivation for doing something Marketing-kind has ever developed.
It is not secure, it will never be secure. You must weigh risks. You must be smart.
And not to mention that there are ways of making it far MORE secure than the “tried and true” ways that the OS makers would have you follow.
I never turn my computer off, and I do many, many things with my computer systems, 24/7. Backups and builds run in the middle of the night. And the least of EVERYTHING I do is more important than the MOST important thing Microsoft wants me to do.
And let’s examine the pretense that “Never is not an option”…
Expectations of reboot have downsides! For example: If the software designers expect regular reboots, and even FORCE it, where’s the incentive to make a software system that doesn’t REQUIRE it? Remember all the systems before Windows NT (and even a few releases of NT)?
A mature operating system is one that can run forever without disruption. “Never” NEEDS to be an option. It is entirely possible. It should be a goal. It was once a goal.
-Noel
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February 6, 2021 at 6:04 pm #2341413
bbearren
AskWoody MVPAnd almost certainly worse performance
Not in my experience. The vast majority of my routine maintenance is carried out by Task Scheduler overnight for my desktop and NAS. The only updates I have blocked are driver updates (via Group Policy), and nothing is paused or deferred.
I have never been interrupted by a sudden reboot, not one time since I’ve been running Windows 10 (now on 20H2). My NAS has the same level of installed updates as my daily driver desktop; I let it get the push from Microsoft. I check for updates on Update Tuesday on my daily driver.
Since I don’t have interruptions, I’m not concerned about interruptions. At 2:00 AM Sunday morning (tomorrow) Task Scheduler will launch Image for Windows to create two sets of three drive images for both sides of my dual boot. After those images are finished, Task Scheduler will run a Robocopy script to copy them to my NAS.
When I get up tomorrow, I’ll use RDP into my NAS, plug a 3TB HDD into its drive dock, start the copy of those drive images to it and go back to my desktop. When the drive activity light on the NAS returns to its normal occasional flickering, I’ll swap that HDD out for my other offline 3TB drive image HDD and repeat. I’ll tuck them both away for safekeeping.
Create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates, in case you need to start over!"When you're troubleshooting, start with the simple and proceed to the complex."—M.O. Johns"Experience is what you get when you're looking for something else."—Sir Thomas Robert Deware -
February 7, 2021 at 1:56 am #2341464
Paul T
AskWoody MVPA mature operating system is one that can run forever without disruption
Such a thing does not exist and never will. Humans err and some of that creeps into things we create.
cheers, Paul
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February 7, 2021 at 4:40 am #2341483
Noel Carboni
AskWoody_MVPWith all due respect, mature Windows OSs have existed. Only policy prevents that from becoming true now.
I’d love to see a new version or update of Windows actually enhance performance. Unfortunately, I have solid evidence of the opposite: I have been benchmarking, and I have kept all the results. Lo and behold in the last decade we’ve reached a stage where the software has become less efficient at a rate that has completely overwhelmed the advancements in hardware to do the very same things. Why? Because all those “updates” that people are being conditioned to expect gradually degrade performance.
Case in point:
I bought, in 2013, a then high-end Dell workstation built on dual Xeon x5690 processors, 1333 MHz ECC DDR3 RAM, PCIe 2.0 buss, with a RAID array of SSDs, ATI Radeon 7850 GPU, running Win 7. At the end of 2013 I upgraded it to Win 8.1, which I kept updated. In 2017 the ATI GPU card was replaced with a nVidia Quadro P2000.
In 2020 I put together a second workstation built on the same technology as the above with only minor variations and put a fresh copy of Windows 10 on it. It immediately showed a degradation in almost every category (enough to actually feel it) – proving Windows 10 was FAR less efficient than its predecessors.
In January 2021 I replaced the entire system with a modern high-end Dell workstation built on dual modern Xeons, 2666 MHz ECC DDR4 RAM, PCIe 3.0 buss, a RAID array of NVMe drives, a nVidia Quadro RTX GPU, now running Windows 10. Hardware specs at least double the 2013 model.
On these systems I have run the very same benchmark tests, one part of which tests a system’s capability of displaying things via the Windows interface on the monitors. Those results, across nearly a decade, show that objectively, my newest hardware running Windows 10 is actually slightly worse at displaying things on the desktop than my very first build in 2013. Something is very wrong with that!
I have had to upgrade my hardware to a system with specs more than twice as powerful to just get back to near the desktop performance I enjoyed in 2013.
-Noel
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February 7, 2021 at 10:38 am #2341531
bbearren
AskWoody MVPWith all due respect, mature Windows OSs have existed.
My question for that statement is, why are you running Windows 10 instead of one of those mature Windows OS’s?
In 2014 I built my daily driver desktop using 2013 vintage MB, CPU and DRAM (I prefer to stay behind the curve with hardware to save $$$). I transferred (via drive images) a Windows 7 Pro installation to it.
OS-wise, I’ve upgraded through every iteration of Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Upgraded, never a clean install. In addition, I’ve upgraded peripheral hardware (HDD’s to SSHD’s to SSD’s) but the hardware platform is unchanged. 2013 Intel DH87RL MB, Intel Core i5-4670 CPU @ 3.40GHz. and 16GB DDR3 DRAM @ 1600MHz.
I have dual booted throughout this transition, initially using Windows 7 Pro as my go-to, piddling with 8, then 8.1, then 10. This made it extremely easy to compare OS’s on the same hardware all the way through up to Windows 10.
The speed difference became noticeable with the 8.1 upgrade; it was faster than Windows 7 Pro in all respects on the same hardware. Windows 10 upgrade is faster than Windows 8.1.
I abandoned Windows 7 Pro (while keeping drive images) in favor of Windows 10, for the simple reason that I find it superior in all aspects, including speed. I still dual boot, but it’s Windows 10 Pro on both sides, in different configurations.
Naturally, YMMV.
Create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates, in case you need to start over!"When you're troubleshooting, start with the simple and proceed to the complex."—M.O. Johns"Experience is what you get when you're looking for something else."—Sir Thomas Robert Deware-
February 7, 2021 at 11:09 am #2341533
Kathy Stevens
AskWoody LoungerWe are still running several Windows 7 machines and are finding that they are more stable then their Windows 10 brethren.
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February 9, 2021 at 8:37 am #2342170
doriel
AskWoody LoungerMy question for that statement is, why are you running Windows 10 instead of one of those mature Windows OS’s?
In enterprise, we are driven by management, thus we have simpy no other option, but update; because otherwise its considered as outdated and dangerous. Auditors will cut you to the peices, if you run W7 in automotive today.
For home computing, I use happilly GNU/Linux Fedora and I miss nothing.Dell Latitude E6530, Intel Core i5 @ 2.6 GHz, 4GB RAM, W10 1809 Enterprise
HAL3000, AMD Athlon 200GE @ 3,4 GHz, 8GB RAM, Fedora 29
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February 9, 2021 at 8:11 am #2342164
doriel
AskWoody LoungerThank you for your detailed research, Noel. I would like to agree with your statements.
I have interesing experience with SW performance on W7 and on W10.Old PC was Dell Precision T3610
New PC is Dell Precision T5820The new one should be cutting edge of technology.
Intel Xeon W-2223 (4C 3.6GHz 3.9GHz Turbo HT 8.25MB 120W DDR4-2666MHz)
32GB DDR4 2666 MHz
PCI NVMe SSDIt cost more than 2000 EUR and the performance is worse.
Loading this CAD application takes like 2 times more than before on the old W7.The only thing thats faster on the new PC is “multitasking”, where I can click everything and PC is still fast and responsive. But for single task, the computer is very very disapointing.
And why did we do that? because… the dictate of the mighty as Noel wrote above..
I for one am not driven by “OMG, your computer is insecure! Do {this} right away to make it secure!” That is the worst, most manipulative motivation for doing something Marketing-kind has ever developed.
Same with O365, where its still the same Ofiice 2007, but with new interface and more bloat, so microsoft can sell it as a brand new product. Prove me wrong.
Dell Latitude E6530, Intel Core i5 @ 2.6 GHz, 4GB RAM, W10 1809 Enterprise
HAL3000, AMD Athlon 200GE @ 3,4 GHz, 8GB RAM, Fedora 29
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This reply was modified 2 months ago by
doriel. Reason: RAM speed
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February 7, 2021 at 8:45 pm #2341656
RamRod
AskWoody PlusI concur. I did not feel welcomed by this site not having the option to answer ‘never’. Perhaps ‘rarely’ or only when something happens that requires a reboot. I never turn off my pc. And I feel the new management here is losing touch with some of us and paying too much fealty to the crowd mentality of security at any cost and for every reason.
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February 7, 2021 at 9:51 pm #2341669
Charlie
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February 8, 2021 at 1:07 pm #2341927
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February 7, 2021 at 9:53 pm #2341670
Cybertooth
AskWoody PlusI don’t care generally for recent versions of Avast Antivirus, but one feature they have that I like is that when they request a reboot to complete some update to their program, one of the choices for when to reboot is “sometime next century.” 🙂
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February 8, 2021 at 12:15 am #2341697
Ascaris
AskWoody_MVPI did not feel welcomed by this site not having the option to answer ‘never’. Perhaps ‘rarely’ or only when something happens that requires a reboot.
“Only when I click restart” covers that. If you never want it to restart, you’d never click restart, right?
Group "L" (KDE Neon Linux 5.21.4 User Edition)
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February 8, 2021 at 10:42 am #2341898
Cybertooth
AskWoody Plus1 user thanked author for this post.
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February 9, 2021 at 6:34 pm #2342243
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February 6, 2021 at 3:42 pm #2341388
Microfix
AskWoody MVPThe only time I restart is when patches land and needs a restart, outwith my control.
However with linux devices, I only reboot when a kernel update is required, my choice since forever. I also switch off and unplug devices when not in use and a night.1 user thanked author for this post.
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February 7, 2021 at 8:50 pm #2341659
Casey S
AskWoody PlusMicrosoft is pushing even harder for enterprises to apply and reboot outside of active hours. They’ve incorporated it recently in their security baselines:
I’ve commented to check the delay restart until grace period expires. This give the user the option to choose when to reboot. If they ignore it for a predetermined time (for our network, it’s 2 days), the system will then reboot.
This is a hybrid solution, and seems to work well. Users have some say, it’s only if they delay two long (pun intended), is the choice made for them.
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Casey S.
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February 8, 2021 at 1:16 pm #2341945
Charlie
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February 9, 2021 at 2:47 am #2342120
Paul T
AskWoody MVPThe registry is read when an app / Windows wants to read it. No need to reboot for most things to update their settings.
A reboot post update install is to copy the new files into place so that Windows can use them – this can’t be done when they are in use.
cheers, Paul
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February 9, 2021 at 3:09 pm #2342245
Charlie
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February 10, 2021 at 1:36 am #2342361
Paul T
AskWoody MVP-
February 10, 2021 at 8:55 am #2342427
bbearren
AskWoody MVP… the registry is always accessible and programs can read it and refresh their settings anytime.
From one who plunders around in and edits the registry a great deal, your statement is not correct. The registry hives are in \System32\config, and a couple of volatile hives that exist only in memory and are rebuilt afresh on startup.
Some registry changes can indeed be immediately effective, and some registry changes will only take effect after a reboot.
Create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates, in case you need to start over!"When you're troubleshooting, start with the simple and proceed to the complex."—M.O. Johns"Experience is what you get when you're looking for something else."—Sir Thomas Robert Deware
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February 10, 2021 at 10:17 am #2342456
johnf
AskWoody LoungerThere’s an excellent answer about why Windows needs to reboot so often on Forbes, from Mark Phaedrus, Software Engineer at Microsoft. Here’s a link to the article:
Why Does Windows Require A Restart After Installing Updates?
In short, it involves Shadow copy. Mark also goes into why Linux can go longer without reboots than Windows or iOS:
Linux is the big outlier; a Linux box can typically update anything except the kernel without a reboot, and some variants can even apply kernel updates without rebooting. Linux had its origins in Unix, and Unix was designed as a multi-user OS from the very start, unlike most other PC operating systems (which started as single-user OSes and may have had multiuser features grafted on later), and unlike phone OSes (which are almost always single-user). Largely because of that need for simultaneous multi-user support, Unix (and Linux) was designed with more layers of isolation, abstraction, and security that separate programs from each other, separate programs from the OS, and separate OS components from each other. This layered approach imposes some significant performance penalties; but since it was vital for the way the systems would be used, the designers of Unix (and Linux) were willing and able to pay those penalties in order to get the security and maintenance benefits. As a result of that design, just about any component of a Unix (or Linux) system can be updated without a reboot. And now that CPUs are so much more capable than they used to be, and most PCs don’t use all the CPU power they have, this decision really shines — the performance penalty no longer really matters, and Linux has a great advantage on this point.
So, Microsoft is in a box…they really need to re-design the OS to take care of several issues (the registry is a flat file that has no place in a modern OS) to resolve the reboot issue, but can’t because of the backwards compatibility issue. Also, since Windows 10 is not a major revenue generator now, there likely isn’t any incentive for MS to spend the money necessary to do that.
The reboot is still a MAJOR issue for institutions. For example, I used to work for IT in a hospital, and we had to go through all sorts of hoops to prevent desktop PC’s (many of which were running medical devices) from forcing reboots during procedures. And yes, I know there are remote policies to prevent this, but they weren’t 100% effective. The other issue was having to schedule reboots (we normally scheduled them once a month, on an early Sunday morning, between midnight and 4 am. Verification usually kept us up until breakfast time!!)
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This reply was modified 2 months ago by
johnf.
5 users thanked author for this post.
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February 11, 2021 at 2:44 am #2342627
doriel
AskWoody LoungerSo, Microsoft is in a box…they really need to re-design the OS to take care of several issues
Thank you for your link, quite interesting reading. I am not fan of Windows too. But I disagree with quoted statement. Its been proved last few years, that Microsoft does not need to do anything, since it has this inertia (momentum) from the past. Now like 85-90% OS market share.
MSFT can sinmply ignore what is needed, because peolpe and enterprise corporations are enslaved by legacy of Windows. There is just no will to change this, its too difficult, too time consuming, etc.. Especially when:since Windows 10 is not a major revenue generator now, there likely isn’t any incentive for MS to spend the money necessary to do that.
No obvious money for Microsoft, thus nothing will happen? I agree. They can sit on their pile of gold. Who cares what people want 😉
Still Windows is good for most of people, its a quite good OS, but its shame that it has such unnescessary cadence of unnescessary updates. Lets hope its going to improve in the future. The reeboot is just tip of the iceberg.
Dell Latitude E6530, Intel Core i5 @ 2.6 GHz, 4GB RAM, W10 1809 Enterprise
HAL3000, AMD Athlon 200GE @ 3,4 GHz, 8GB RAM, Fedora 29
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February 11, 2021 at 4:52 pm #2342869
AlexEiffel
AskWoody_MVP-
February 12, 2021 at 12:32 am #2342930
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February 13, 2021 at 6:32 am #2343241
Ascaris
AskWoody_MVPAn excerpt from the Forbes excerpt above, posted by @johnf:
Linux is the big outlier; a Linux box can typically update anything except the kernel without a reboot, and some variants can even apply kernel updates without rebooting.
Linux is not Unix, but it’s pretty close, and was built on the same principles.
Group "L" (KDE Neon Linux 5.21.4 User Edition)
1 user thanked author for this post.
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