.BAT file to turn off updates?

I always set Control Panel | Windows Update | Change settings |
Important Updates = "Check for updates but let me choose whether to
download and install them".

But every so often I'm in the middle of some development or
troubleshooting task, have to re-boot, and get the dreaded "Installing
xx updates...".

The last one took me down for about a half hour.

There is a nuisance factor there..... A *major* nuisance factor if I'm
in the middle of troubleshooting some production problem.

I am assuming that, somehow, Windows 7 manages to change my "Important
Updates" setting every so often.

So, The Question: can I schedule a .BAT or .CMD file to re-set the
"Important Updates" setting or some other setting so I don't get
blind-sided?
--
Pete Cresswell

On 12/07/2014 07:42 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
I always set Control Panel | Windows Update | Change settings |
Important Updates = "Check for updates but let me choose whether to
download and install them".

But every so often I'm in the middle of some development or
troubleshooting task, have to re-boot, and get the dreaded "Installing
xx updates...".

The last one took me down for about a half hour.

There is a nuisance factor there..... A *major* nuisance factor if I'm
in the middle of troubleshooting some production problem.

I am assuming that, somehow, Windows 7 manages to change my "Important
Updates" setting every so often.

So, The Question: can I schedule a .BAT or .CMD file to re-set the
"Important Updates" setting or some other setting so I don't get
blind-sided?




Yes, something even worse happened on my wife's Win7 machine.

What I did was just plain turn "updates" off.


Now, when she is not using it and I have the chance, I just do the
updating.

Per philo*:
Yes, something even worse happened on my wife's Win7 machine.

Was it anything like what happened to one of my laptops: the machine
became unusable until it was re-imaged?
--
Pete Cresswell

On 12/7/2014 5:42 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
I always set Control Panel | Windows Update | Change settings |
Important Updates = "Check for updates but let me choose whether to
download and install them".

But every so often I'm in the middle of some development or
troubleshooting task, have to re-boot, and get the dreaded "Installing
xx updates...".

The last one took me down for about a half hour.

There is a nuisance factor there..... A *major* nuisance factor if I'm
in the middle of troubleshooting some production problem.

I am assuming that, somehow, Windows 7 manages to change my "Important
Updates" setting every so often.

So, The Question: can I schedule a .BAT or .CMD file to re-set the
"Important Updates" setting or some other setting so I don't get
blind-sided?


I also have "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and
install them". I only saw this overridden for an update to Windows
Update itself. Indeed, the window for Windows Update settings says
"Note: Windows Update might update itself automatically first when
checking for other updates."

If I see Internet activity when I do not expect it, I disable my
Internet connection.

--
David E. Ross

The Crimea is Putin's Sudetenland.
The Ukraine will be Putin's Czechoslovakia.
See http://www.rossde.com/editorials/edtl_PutinUkraine.html.

On 12/07/2014 08:58 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per philo :
Yes, something even worse happened on my wife's Win7 machine.

Was it anything like what happened to one of my laptops: the machine
became unusable until it was re-imaged?




It was the biggest "mess up" I've ever seen.


She was working on a project and as the updates were being applied, the
machine starting acting erratically. After the update completed and she
re-booted the machine, a few of her apps were not working at all.


A System Restore fixed one of the apps, but on next boot the machine
went into a CHKDSK and would not boot to the desktop after that.


After I tried everything I could think of, I booted with the Win7 DVD
and took the automatic repair option.

It completed successfully but still, the machine would not boot to the
desk top.

Theorizing that the machine may have had multiple problems and only one
was corrected, I tried again booting with the Win7 DVD and selected the
repair option. This time I Ok'ed a System Restore and it moved things
back up to the (then) present date...and I'll be darned the machine
booted normally.

I did have to reinstall the now disappeared application that stopped
working and the machine has been OK ever since.


Updates have been completely turned off and I will do them only when she
is not in the middle of some project.


Though of course all data were backed up and it would not have been the
end of the world to totally re-install the OS...it would have been a
major set back for her schedule.

She does have a lesser back up machine at work that could have been used...
plus one more good machine at home with the same project on it.

On 12/07/2014 09:36 AM, David E. Ross wrote:



snip

I also have "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and
install them". I only saw this overridden for an update to Windows
Update itself. Indeed, the window for Windows Update settings says
"Note: Windows Update might update itself automatically first when
checking for other updates."

If I see Internet activity when I do not expect it, I disable my
Internet connection.



I might as well also add:

I have a seldom used Win7 machine myself and I (foolishly) let it update
while I was doing work.
I then got the message informing me that it would re-boot in ten minutes
but I was able to set the machine to postpone for four hours.

Since I was still working 3 1/2 hours later, I figured I better ask for
some more time...so selected again to postpone for four hours.

Yep, you guessed it. In 30 more minutes, it just rebooted!

Updates are now turned off of course.

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
I always set Control Panel | Windows Update | Change settings |
Important Updates = "Check for updates but let me choose whether to
download and install them".

But every so often I'm in the middle of some development or
troubleshooting task, have to re-boot, and get the dreaded "Installing
xx updates...".

The last one took me down for about a half hour.

There is a nuisance factor there..... A *major* nuisance factor if I'm
in the middle of troubleshooting some production problem.

I am assuming that, somehow, Windows 7 manages to change my "Important
Updates" setting every so often.

So, The Question: can I schedule a .BAT or .CMD file to re-set the
"Important Updates" setting or some other setting so I don't get
blind-sided?

Would blocking something in the HOSTS file be
enough to stop it ?

This is a fairly old article, but it'll get your
imagination going.

"How to disable Windows Update completely"

https://www.aqtronix.com/?PageID=96

Paul

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
I always set Control Panel | Windows Update | Change settings |
Important Updates = "Check for updates but let me choose whether to
download and install them".

But every so often I'm in the middle of some development or
troubleshooting task, have to re-boot, and get the dreaded "Installing
xx updates...".

The last one took me down for about a half hour.

There is a nuisance factor there..... A *major* nuisance factor if I'm
in the middle of troubleshooting some production problem.

I am assuming that, somehow, Windows 7 manages to change my "Important
Updates" setting every so often.

So, The Question: can I schedule a .BAT or .CMD file to re-set the
"Important Updates" setting or some other setting so I don't get
blind-sided?

Why not just turn updates off?
That function is off on all my w7 machines.
When I feel like messing with updates I manually connect
to MS updates. Usually once per month.

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
I always set Control Panel | Windows Update | Change settings |
Important Updates = "Check for updates but let me choose whether to
download and install them".

But every so often I'm in the middle of some development or
troubleshooting task, have to re-boot, and get the dreaded "Installing
xx updates...".

The last one took me down for about a half hour.

There is a nuisance factor there..... A *major* nuisance factor if I'm
in the middle of troubleshooting some production problem.

I am assuming that, somehow, Windows 7 manages to change my "Important
Updates" setting every so often.

So, The Question: can I schedule a .BAT or .CMD file to re-set the
"Important Updates" setting or some other setting so I don't get
blind-sided?

If you want to write a batch file you might want to look at the SC
command from the command prompt. You could write 2 batch files. One to
disable windows update and BITS and one to enable them. I always keep
these 2 services disabled and reenable them through service.msc when I
am ready to update.
--
Bill

Brought to you from Anchorage, Alaska

On 12/7/2014 9:45 AM, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
I always set Control Panel | Windows Update | Change settings |
Important Updates = "Check for updates but let me choose whether to
download and install them".

But every so often I'm in the middle of some development or
troubleshooting task, have to re-boot, and get the dreaded "Installing
xx updates...".

The last one took me down for about a half hour.

There is a nuisance factor there..... A *major* nuisance factor if I'm
in the middle of troubleshooting some production problem.

I am assuming that, somehow, Windows 7 manages to change my "Important
Updates" setting every so often.

So, The Question: can I schedule a .BAT or .CMD file to re-set the
"Important Updates" setting or some other setting so I don't get
blind-sided?

Why not just turn updates off?
That function is off on all my w7 machines.
When I feel like messing with updates I manually connect
to MS updates. Usually once per month.


Even if you turn updates off, every time you launch Windows Update it
will automatically download and install any updates to Windows Update
itself.

--
David E. Ross

The Crimea is Putin's Sudetenland.
The Ukraine will be Putin's Czechoslovakia.
See http://www.rossde.com/editorials/edtl_PutinUkraine.html.

David E. Ross wrote:
On 12/7/2014 9:45 AM, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
I always set Control Panel | Windows Update | Change settings |
Important Updates = "Check for updates but let me choose whether to
download and install them".

But every so often I'm in the middle of some development or
troubleshooting task, have to re-boot, and get the dreaded "Installing
xx updates...".

The last one took me down for about a half hour.

There is a nuisance factor there..... A *major* nuisance factor if I'm
in the middle of troubleshooting some production problem.

I am assuming that, somehow, Windows 7 manages to change my "Important
Updates" setting every so often.

So, The Question: can I schedule a .BAT or .CMD file to re-set the
"Important Updates" setting or some other setting so I don't get
blind-sided?
Why not just turn updates off?
That function is off on all my w7 machines.
When I feel like messing with updates I manually connect
to MS updates. Usually once per month.


Even if you turn updates off, every time you launch Windows Update it
will automatically download and install any updates to Windows Update
itself.

Ohh.. Thanks.
I knew the MS anti-virus would still update but did not know
about the update updater.

On Sun, 7 Dec 2014 10:45:45 -0900, "Bill Bradshaw"
wrote:

snip

If you want to write a batch file you might want to look at the SC
command from the command prompt. You could write 2 batch files. One to
disable windows update and BITS and one to enable them. I always keep
these 2 services disabled and reenable them through service.msc when I
am ready to update.

I learned something new - SC.

But what is BITS ?

Thanks,

DC

wrote:
On Sun, 7 Dec 2014 10:45:45 -0900, "Bill Bradshaw"
wrote:

snip
If you want to write a batch file you might want to look at the SC
command from the command prompt. You could write 2 batch files. One to
disable windows update and BITS and one to enable them. I always keep
these 2 services disabled and reenable them through service.msc when I
am ready to update.

I learned something new - SC.

But what is BITS ?

Thanks,

DC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backgro...ansfer_Service

Paul

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
I always set Control Panel | Windows Update | Change settings |
Important Updates = "Check for updates but let me choose whether to
download and install them".

But every so often I'm in the middle of some development or
troubleshooting task, have to re-boot, and get the dreaded "Installing
xx updates...".

The last one took me down for about a half hour.

There is a nuisance factor there..... A *major* nuisance factor if I'm
in the middle of troubleshooting some production problem.

I am assuming that, somehow, Windows 7 manages to change my "Important
Updates" setting every so often.

So, The Question: can I schedule a .BAT or .CMD file to re-set the
"Important Updates" setting or some other setting so I don't get
blind-sided?

If WU is set to notify their is an exception to that setting. Updates to
the Windows Update engine itself are installed regardless of user
settings...and are very rare - only once this year circa August 2014.
The only other causes of seeing 'Installing Updates' when WU is
configured to notify before download and install are (1)user approved
or (2) user interruption of a prior approval.

Nothing will stop Windows from updating the Windows Update engine or an
approved or aborted/interrupted prior update. Windows will always
protect itself first and in fact it may need those files to operate
(since an update will lock out files Windows needs to perform the update).

One can not indefinitely postpone updates when given the opportunity to
do so... Windows is hard coded to override the maximum postpone time
when surpassed (i.e. you get one shot to max the postpone time before
the code will continue the update process (usually within 30 min).


--
....winston
msft mvp consumer apps

David E. Ross wrote:
On 12/7/2014 9:45 AM, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
I always set Control Panel | Windows Update | Change settings |
Important Updates = "Check for updates but let me choose whether to
download and install them".

But every so often I'm in the middle of some development or
troubleshooting task, have to re-boot, and get the dreaded "Installing
xx updates...".

The last one took me down for about a half hour.

There is a nuisance factor there..... A *major* nuisance factor if I'm
in the middle of troubleshooting some production problem.

I am assuming that, somehow, Windows 7 manages to change my "Important
Updates" setting every so often.

So, The Question: can I schedule a .BAT or .CMD file to re-set the
"Important Updates" setting or some other setting so I don't get
blind-sided?

Why not just turn updates off?
That function is off on all my w7 machines.
When I feel like messing with updates I manually connect
to MS updates. Usually once per month.


Even if you turn updates off, every time you launch Windows Update it
will automatically download and install any updates to Windows Update
itself.

That has occurred once this year(Aug 2014)...For Win7 the prior was
almost 2 yrs ago. A connection to the Internet is necessary as well as
Windows Update not completely turned off. It needs to be turned on to
validate the Windows Update engine's version.

Earlier Office 2003 through 2010 major program updates can reset WU to
on/automatic. That ceased with the release of Office 2013.

--
....winston
msft mvp consumer apps