Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:

Recently one morning, at about 10.00, applications on my PC stopped
working so I restarted it. This took longer than usual and when I
checked the Windows Update History it showed that it had just
installed an update.

This is odd because this occurred during the active hours, rather
than during the non-active hours (at night).

Yesterday W10 told me that it would restart my device outside the
active hours (06.00 to 00.00) so I made sure not to allow the PC to
sleep during the night, expecting an automatic restart during the
night.

But no, the six inactive hours have passed by and W10 is still giving
the same message.

It's not just about not sleeping. It's when the computer is idle.
Maybe you left processes running that made the computer not look idle,
or you have scheduled events that run during your "inactive" hours which
makes your computer look active, like backups, file sync, cleanup tools,
etc.

Inactive (not active) is not when you are inactive (not on the
computer). It's when the computer is inactive.

To ensure Windows uses the active hours you defined, did you disable the ´Automatically adjust active hours based on activity¡ option?

Under advanced settings for updates, you could enable the option to not installed updates over a metered connection. You then have to undo the
metered connection, initiate and complete the updates, and reset the
connectoid as a metered connection. That lets you control when to do
the updates, like start them when you leave the computer, like to go to
bed, and then reset back to a metered connection, like when you get up.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/metered-connections-in-windows-7b33928f-a144-b265-97b6-f2e95a87c408

Alternatively, there are policies you can set that will disable updates
until you remove the policy. All policies are registry entries, so it
is possible to set policies if you don't have the policy editor, like on
Home editions of Windows. Easier is to use a tweaker tool, like WinAero Tweaker, that lets you disable/enable updates on demand. Reenable
updates when you want to start them yourself, and then disable updates
to stop Microsoft from changing the state of your computer until YOU are
ready (have the time to research the updates, saved image backups, and
have time to invest in monitoring and repairing the updates).

As I recall or have read, active hours are not honored after the
deferral period. That is, if you defer an update, you set a date and
time for the deferral, and upon reaching the deferral time (and the
computer is powered up and running Windows), the updates get downloaded
in the background, so once you reboot then the pending updates complete
their installation.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:

Recently one morning, at about 10.00, applications on my PC stopped
working so I restarted it. This took longer than usual and when I
checked the Windows Update History it showed that it had just
installed an update.

This is odd because this occurred during the active hours, rather than
during the non-active hours (at night).

Some updates, which do not require a restart, are installed during
active hours, because you can still use the system.

Examples of this are Driver Updates and (Microsoft Defender Antivirus) Definition Updates. I think that also some (most? all?) Windows
Malicious Software Removal Tool updates are installed during active
hours.

So the question (to you) is: *Which* specific update had been
installed during active hours?

Anyway, if there was an update which *did* require a restart and which
was already in the 'Pending restart' state - i.e. had already been
*partially* installed -, the fact that you did a restart, would allow
the system to complete the installation of *that* update.

Yesterday W10 told me that it would restart my device outside the
active hours (06.00 to 00.00) so I made sure not to allow the PC to
sleep during the night, expecting an automatic restart during the
night.

No need to not let it sleep, because the system will wake up by
itself. But if it's a laptop, it should be on AC power.

But no, the six inactive hours have passed by and W10 is still giving
the same message.

Sometimes - and in my experience even often - the system will not do
an automatic restart during the first night, but the during the second.
So just be patient! :-) Or do a manual restart when it suits you.

FWIW, this time/month, my wife's Windows 10 system did the automatic
restart during the first night. Just when I was about to go to bed! :-)

Hope this helps.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

A little earlier, I wrote:

Codger <codger524@gmail.com> wrote:

Recently one morning, at about 10.00, applications on my PC stopped
working so I restarted it. This took longer than usual and when I
checked the Windows Update History it showed that it had just
installed an update.

This is odd because this occurred during the active hours, rather than during the non-active hours (at night).

Some updates, which do not require a restart, are installed during
active hours, because you can still use the system.

Examples of this are Driver Updates and (Microsoft Defender Antivirus) Definition Updates. I think that also some (most? all?) Windows
Malicious Software Removal Tool updates are installed during active
hours.

So the question (to you) is: *Which* specific update had been
installed during active hours?

Anyway, if there was an update which *did* require a restart and which
was already in the 'Pending restart' state - i.e. had already been *partially* installed -, the fact that you did a restart, would allow
the system to complete the installation of *that* update.

Yesterday W10 told me that it would restart my device outside the
active hours (06.00 to 00.00) so I made sure not to allow the PC to
sleep during the night, expecting an automatic restart during the
night.

No need to not let it sleep, because the system will wake up by
itself. But if it's a laptop, it should be on AC power.

But no, the six inactive hours have passed by and W10 is still giving
the same message.

Sometimes - and in my experience even often - the system will not do
an automatic restart during the first night, but the during the second.
So just be patient! :-) Or do a manual restart when it suits you.

FWIW, this time/month, my wife's Windows 10 system did the automatic restart during the first night. Just when I was about to go to bed! :-)

Hope this helps.

My above description implies that Windows Update will not *restart*
during active hours, *not* that it will not check for, download and
(partially or fully) install during active hours.

And guess what? That's exactly what the 'Active hours' setting says
(Windows 11 wording):

"Active hours
We won't restart your device during these hours"

So your system did exactly what you told it to.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)