Windows 10 updates

Pretty much from beginning of using Windows 10 I don’t like how it installs updates. Microsoft have to solve two different problems:

• Promptly install important updates that includes critical security fixes
• Install updates in the way that is least interrupting user work

To be honest Microsoft only solved first problem. Second problem works kind of opposite. Let’s discuss it in detail.

In the beginning Windows 10 was just install updates at time when Windows 10 likes. I heard many times from my colleagues that they connected notebook to projector and Windows 10 started to install updates for like 2 hours. It still doing it in cases when notebook was switched off for few weeks. We don’t use notebooks normally and usually we use them only in meeting root when there is need to show something. So, you power it one after 2 month and while you are plugging HDMI cable Windows 10 will start to install updates. Just great. Only latest version you were able to postpone it and again you have to be quite careful what you press.

Later versions of Windows installs updates at “inactive times”. Usually something like 3am. Moreover, Windows 10 will wake up your PC just to install updates. My computer at that time was noisy at moment when it powered on and I had it in my bedroom, so I had few “nice” moments when I was rudely woken up by Windows powering on my PC. Takes some time to switch off that functionality because it is not like you see message “Windows wokes up your PC at 3am to install update. Do you want to configure that?”. And I’m quite technical and I wasn’t able to do it in first try.

And you had pretty much no indication that Windows going to install updates. And when Windows 10 decides to install updates it totally doesn’t care if you have opened and unsaved files. It just forcibly restarts to finish installing updates. If you have something opened and not saved it is your problem. Some application like Microsoft Word able to recover files, some are not.

For example, I have my computer at work that always on. And usually I powered on my home computer and it stay whole day on. So, in the morning I powered on my home computer and connected to work computer. And I sayg hello to empty desktop. Few seconds later Windows will try to start some applications that Windows 10 believes were running before installing update. By some reason (and I know why but I’m talking from point of view of typical user) only about half of them actually started. And pretty much no applications were restored to state they had before restart. And usually I have meeting in the morning, so I have to restore my work environment. As result, I usually go to my home PC about 10 minutes before meeting just to make sure if Windows 10 installed update I will have enough time to prepare my environment for meeting.

Then I usually go to work and sometime later I will connect to home computer. And hello again empty desktop. And all notes I did thru meeting or stuff I opened during conversation are gone. I know it is not critical and sometimes I not even bother to save, and I know it is my fault. But still it is huge annoyance to make sure I saved everything just in case Windows 10 decided to install updates. And later I have to delete all that stuff. And sometimes I’m going late and don’t have much time to think where should I save stuff and sometimes it is hard to find where I did save it. And sometimes I even forgot that I saved something because that opened document itself was reminder that I have to do something.

Later Microsoft added more control but still I feel that I’m not in control of restarts and I totally don’t like that feeling that I never know when I come to my PC and find empty desktop.

And the funniest thing that Microsoft did quite good system in Windows 7 (perhaps it was Windows 8). Windows 7 give you reminder in login screen that say in 3 days update will be installed without your consent. And you have time to prepare and find good time to install update. There was reminder that ask you to restart PC, but you can postpone it. That system was great, and it just require minor tweaking but instead they decided to redesign it completely and every major update they bring it closer and closer to what was before.

I consider installing updates specially updates that takes a lot of time to install as huge interruption in work and I believe update process should start only after user agreed to it. Exceptions are security updates. There should be fixed window to install them (2 - 3 days) or they will be installed without user consent. But I think Microsoft do security fixes and regular fixes in the same update and perhaps it is hard to separate them. But still there should be reminder to user that updates are going to be installed and remind user couple of days so at least user will know what’s going on.

In current system I pretty much always simply forget that update is pending and hello empty desktop next day. No sign that updates will be installed tonight, and I will lose of all my work and my environment. And I’m sure say some icon in tray area or some sigh on Start button will do trick and also will remind you that you better install updates or else.

Currently I have new big update pending for my approval but guess what? It didn’t stop small updates to be installed and reset my environment. And big update is still pending. At least that one I can control.

I hope one day Microsoft able to bring update experience closer to what was in previous version and give control for person who actually own that thing.