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TR Dojo Challenge: How do you prevent Windows from rebooting after an automatic update?

Whether your organization runs Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or you pull automatic updates directly from Microsoft, many updates require a computer to reboot before taking full effect. Unfortunately, these reboots often occur at the most inopportune moments. Users can often postpone the reboot, but Windows will keep nagging them until they acquiesce or just take matters into its own hands and restart after four hours. This can be really annoying if you're in the middle of downloading files when the reboot starts.

So, here's the question: How do you prevent Windows from rebooting after an automatic update?

Please Read Before Answering
Before you jump into this post's discussion thread and submit an answer that explains how to configure the Automatic Update client to download updates but let the user decided when to install them, or how to just disable automatic updates, stop. These are not the answers I'm looking for. To get full credit for this question, you must describe a solution that allows the update to download and install but not reboot until the user manually does so.

I?ll accept answer submissions for one week after I post the question. During that time, TechRepublic members can submit an answer to the question by posting it within this discussion thread. At the end of the week, I?ll consider the question closed and review the answers. The member who submitted the first, best answer will be featured in a follow-up TR Dojo Challenge article, posted on Thursday the week following the question?s publication. For being featured on the site, they will also earn themselves a bit of TechRepublic swag-a coffee mug and laptop sticker.

Two methods are available. One is a little more permanent (unless policies are configured back to default values) meaning it only works with versions that have local group policies. The other works temporarily for everyone else until you find the time to restart your computer at your leisure.

For Everyone...
Navigate to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services {or type Services.msc from Run box}
Scroll down to and find Automatic Updates select it (or Automatic Liveupdate scheduler in vista). Click stop the service.
Or you can stop the service with the command prompt: net stop wuauserv
This is not permanent and the service will restart after a reboot. This will stop the reminder window Nagging you every 10 minutes to restart, and thus will prevent you from accidently restarting.

Users with Local Computer Policies will navigate:
Start > Run > type gpedit.msc and enter
Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update
Here either you will enable 'No auto-restart for schedule Automatic Updates installations' or select and set 'Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations' to a longer interval in minutes.

Go to registry editor and navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Software\Policies \Microsoft\Windows \WindowsUpdate\AU

Change the "NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers" DWord value to the required number.

0 = False (Allow auto-reboot)
1 = True (Disallow auto-reboot)

Save and restart Windows Operating system.

Yep I did a search on Registry not finding it and gave up so I didn't post it. Thanks I'll screencap that.

Thank you very much

Luckily, there is a simple, easy way to do this without breaking out regedit and potentially typoing your way into an extra few hours of work.

In WindowsXP go to Start menu->Run (or WindowsKey+R) and type in gpedit.msc Windows Update

For Windows 7 and Vista, there are TWO settings that need to be changed.

The first one is "No auto-restart with logged on user for scheduled automatic updates installations" which should be set to "ENABLED"

The second one is "Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations" which should be set to disabled OR set to a different time.

We can disable automatic restart from registry or group policy

1-Disabling Windows Automatic Updates process by ending all instances of "wuauclt.exe" from Task Manager.

2-Click Start Menu -> Run -> type "regedit"
and navigte to
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ Policies\ Microsoft\ Windows\ WindowsUpdate\AU"

create the DWord "NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers" and set it to "1" to disable automatic restart.

3-Click Start Menu -> Run -> type "gpedit.msc"
and navigte to
"Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/ Windows Components/Windows Update "

select "No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Updates installations" and choose "Enabled".

add or change the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ Policies\ Microsoft\ Windows\ WindowsUpdate\AU key and If it doesn?t already exist, create the DWord value ?NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers?. Set it 1 to prevent automatic restart. Then exit and reboot your computer.

Start gpedit.msc. Navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Updates. Enable the setting "No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations."

Invoke gpedit.msc (the group policy editor). Now select Administrative Templates->Windows Components->Windows Update.
There, you have to Enable the policy and then enable the policy .
Restart
Note: the documentation states that the second policy will not work if the first is not enabled.

"Invoke gpedit.msc (the group policy editor)."

... and if we don't have this?
H

Google -> many answers, but all missing a key bit of information. The group policy editing solution will change the registry. The registry change solution will change the registry. But there is nothing to prevent the registry key from being changed back by outside forces, such as Windows updates or domain level group policy.
I suggest that you follow your favorite registry hack, for example:
http://www.emailbattles.com/2006/01/11/vuln_aacgjahfig_ib/
then change the permissions on the registry key to a single known user, namely yourself. Remove inherited permissions using the copy current permissions option. Give full permission to your account, and delete all those other accounts.

1. Start -> Run
2. Type: gpedit.msc
3. Expand Local Computer Policy / Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / Windows Components / Windows Update
4. Double-click "No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Updates installations"
5. Select "Enabled", then OK. Close the Group Policy configuration program.

There's a nice chart available on TechNet in Tim Rain's WebLog that provides examples of seven scenarios when you would want the registry value changed to be enabled or disabled along with who's logged in at the time and permission levels.

http://blogs.msdn.com/tim_rains/archive/2004/11/15/257877.aspx

Here's how to prevent Automatic Update from rebooting your machine:

1.Start -> Run
2.Type: gpedit.msc
3.Expand Local Computer Policy / Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / Windows
Components / Windows Update
4.Double-click "No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Updates installations"
5.Select "Enabled", then OK. Close the Group Policy configuration program.

Please Note:

1.You need Administrator priveleges to make this setting.

Here's how to prevent Automatic Update from rebooting your machine:

1.Click: Start -> Run
2.Type: gpedit.msc
3.Expand: Local Computer Policy / Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / Windows Components / Windows Update
4.Double-click "No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Updates installations"
5.Select "Enabled", then OK. Close the Group Policy configuration program.

Please Note the following:

1.You need Administrator priveleges to make this setting.

Link to finished TR Dojo blog post:
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/itdojo/?p=1090&tag=leftCol;post-1090