Thread: Avoiding auto-installation of updates while shutting down the machine

On a notebook it is better to decide yourself when Windows should install the available updates. The best time would be when it is back to the power supply from the electric socket. You should therefore change the standard option, so that you do not have to wait for the installation to be done when you shut down your computer.

This can be done by creating an additional registry entry. For that, open 'Start/Run', enter 'regedit' and click on 'OK'. In Vista or Windows 7, it is enough to just type the command in the search field of the Start Menu and press enter. In the Editor, navigate to the key 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\Policies\ Microsoft\Windows\ WindowsUpdate\AU'. If the last sub-keys are still not available, create these with 'Edit/New/Key'. Then click in the right side of the window and select 'Edit/
New/DWORD value'. Enter the name 'NoAU AsDefaultShutdownOption' and then press [Enter]. To edit, double-click on the new entry. Change the 'Value' in '1' and confirm it with 'OK'. This thus prevents Windows from automatically selecting the option 'Install updates and Shut down'. Set the value to '0', if you wish to activate this option again later.

NOTE

The displayed entry changes the setting only for the current user. If the configuration should be applicable to all users, enter the same new DWORD value as described also in the Registry key 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Policies\M ic rosoft\ Wi ndows\ WindowsUpdate\AU'. Then close the registry. The new setting is only effective after you restart the computer once.