Modify the auto-restart time interval after a Windows update installation

Author: Anando Chatterjee MVP

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SUMMARY

After the installation of a Windows update, the user might be prompted to restart the computer every so often. This behavior can be modified or disabled by using the group policy editor built into Windows XP Professional.

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SYMPTOMS

After a typical successful Windows update installation process, the user might be prompted to restart the computer for the updates to take effect. This prompt appears after every 10 minutes by default if the machine is not restarted by the user. In the absence of user intervention, the computer is automatically restarted by Automatic updates and this can cause loss of unsaved user data.

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CAUSE

This behavior in Windows XP with Service Pack 2 is by design and is not a bug.

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RESOLUTION

The prompt asking the user to restart the machine can be modified to show up after a longer time interval or can be completely disabled. This can be achieved through the following steps:

1. Click on Start and then click on Run.

2. Type in 'GPEDIT.MSC' without the quotes and click on OK.

3. Within the Group Policy Editor, navigate to 'Local Computer Policy / Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / Windows Components / Windows Update'

4. On the right hand pane, double click on the policy named 'Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations'.

5. If the automatic computer restart prompt needs to be completely disabled, select "Disabled" and click on OK.

6. If the default time interval needs to be changed from a value of 10 minutes to some other value, select "Enabled" and type in the desired time interval in minutes in the following box. Click on OK.

7. Restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

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MORE INFORMATION

For more information on how to use the Group Policy Editor in Windows XP, please refer to the following Knowledge Base article:

How To Use the Group Policy Editor to Manage Local Computer Policy in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307882

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APPLIES TO

Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2
Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

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