[wiresuck]

Hey,

I'm trying to disable that horrible auto-restart feature, but I can only get so far because I'm computer illiterate.

Can someone translate the directions into lay(wo)man's terms? I know I first need to get into the registry, but I don't know how to get there. I know I need to edit HKEY_something_something, but I'm not sure which one or what it needs to be changed to. Etc, etc.

Thanks.

[The Hound]

Easy there...the first step in editing the registry is backing up the registry.

>>>Improper registry edits may render your machine unbootable , your data unrecoverable , and your life unbearable ...Registry editing advice is given as is, with the ultimate responsiblity for the outcome left squarely upon the shoulders of the person doing the editing>>that's you.<<<

Still interested?

[wiresuck]

Still interested.

[The Hound]

Quick question--are you running XP home or XP pro?

[The Hound]

Save yourself the manual registry editing...

If you're running XP Pro, go here...

If you're running XP Home, you may not have the policies key in your registry, so copy the text in the blue box below--make sure there's a blank line after the "NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers"=dword:00000001
--and paste it into a blank notepad document. Save it to your desktop as AUNag.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

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

Double click the AUNag.reg file, click OK if you get a security warning, and click Yes when prompted "Are you sure you want to add the information in C:\Documents and Settings\username\desktop\AUNag.reg to the registry?"

You'll get a prompt telling you that the information has been added.

Reboot.

[wiresuck]

XP Home.

Got the initial prompt, clicked OK, then an error from the Registry Editor says it can't be imported:

"The specified file is not a registry script. You can only import binary registry files from within the registry editor."

[JohnWill]

Did your file look EXACTLY like the one presented with no extra lines before or after the text?

[wiresuck]

My bad. Unintentionally excluded the first line.

Successfully added.

Thanks.

EDIT: Can I safely delete AUNag.reg from the desktop?

[The Hound]

Yes you can.

After next month's updates, you can come back and mark the thread solved.

[Soundy]

Of course, an easier option is to simply change your auto-updates options to "Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them." Windows will show a little yellow shield in the system tray when there are updates downloaded; you can click there and get the option to install them. It usually only takes a few minutes, and you can then reboot whenever you're ready.

[wiresuck]

Things are better. A lot better.

Instead of getting the message that tells me the system will shut down (at will) within five minutes if I don't take action, I'm getting messages that ask me if I'd LIKE to restart. So, win. ... I'm happy, now. How do I mark the thread as "solved?"

[devil_himself]

use the Thread Tools at the top to mark it solved

[tommy2k8]

How do I do this on Windows 2000? I can't find an etry for WindowsUpdateAU in the Policies!

[devil_himself]

Originally Posted by tommy2k8

How do I do this on Windows 2000? I can't find an etry for WindowsUpdateAU in the Policies!

then manually create these registry keys

also check out -> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328010