I had to switch back to Windows XP, after a very long time not running it, but I needed to test a script out in IE (for the Notice BBCode) since Fedora Core 5 and Wine have some minor issues with running it now. So being such a long time that I had ever gone into Windows, automatic updates decided to run, I didn't mind this.

So I fixed the script for the BBCode, had time to kill because the updates weren't finished yet so I decided I'll watch a DVD while waiting.

A quarter of the way through the movie, a dialog comes up saying that I must restart the computer for the updates to take place, I had the option of restarting now, or restart later. So since I was still watching the movie, I clicked on restart later, then I went back to the movie, about 10 minutes later it pops up again, so I said restart later... guess what, the next 10 minutes it popped up again, it was starting to piss me off and ruin my movie.

I would say a lot of foul words about it, which clearly would show how annoyed I was about it.

Why would I be annoyed, it's not the fact it interrupted me watching the movie, it's the fact that I told the computer what I wanted and it completely disregarded what I said, it's like a trouble child, who you tell to sit down, and it decides to go off and do it's own thing no matter how many times you tell it.

As for this annoyance, it clearly shows you what not to do and I hope no one here goes off to make something as persistent as this, as this is clearly the "are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet" behaviour you'd expect from young children.

Aknowledgements go out to Microsoft, thank you, thank you, thank you. If you have any more surprises please feel free to do what the hell you like on my computer because I am not impressed.


MC

Hehe ... yea, I know how you feel. Remember the 'Low disk space' nuisance in the system tray. Every 10 minutes or so, out pops a balloon telling you that you've got low disk space in blah blah drive. I mean, if it tells you once it's fine. But constantly reminding you even after you close the balloon is very annoying.

Damn those tiny balloons! I used to experience the same thing with several of my Generic MP3 players. It would tell me that the device was now ready to be used, hell I plugged it of course!

AHHH! The "You need to restart now" thing that recurs ever 10 minutes! It's like ... it's like this super-annoying mother figure who's trying to get me out of bed when I'm not in the mood to get up and go to school. It's all, "You have to do this. I'm going to bother you until you do it. I know what's best for you. By the way: I have an evil twin in the status tray that's going to pop up about eighteen thousand balloons at random."

Ahhh! *cries*

If I ever need therapy, I'm sending the bill to Microsoft *grins*

It's made by Microsoft. < - That should tell you alot.
Tese are just the very few you get. Theres also the "Bluescreen of Death". Good Luck with it.

By the way, if you're thinking why I didn't just ignore it and send it behind the movie, is because it has a timer too, which counts down from 5 minutes and will automatically restart unless you respond to either one of the options.

This is like the modernised version of "are we there yet, are we there yet" to "can I reboot now, can I reboot now". To be honest, I don't feel like babysitting Windows and am glad it was only a temporary thing, but I feel the next time I go in, Automatic Updates will happen again, and again I'll be bothered with this annoying popup.

I have also been thinking about why this was occuring. To me it's because Windows thinks when I watching a movie the computer isn't doing anything, so there's no events/actions happening. Maybe if I continously moved the mouse around while watching the movie I wouldn't have this problem, but that's not a solution is it.


MC

That's the case. Even if your mouse moves around or keys tap, even then it's going to bug you every 10 minutes and do that countdown unless you intervene. It's one hell of a nasty, nagging bitch.

It happened to me just 3-4 days back. I usually never have that auto-update thing on. Who the hell needs autoupdate?? But I'd freshly reinstalled XP on my new 160Gig.. and I forgot to turn it off. Man - it drove me insane... I granted it a reboot but completely turned off auto-complete since then. I ain't going to give it that sadistic pleasure again .. I stiched the bitch's mouth up for good.

Windows does this to try to keep your computer safe. It wants your computer to be as updated as possible, and in order to make changes to your computer, it must restart. That's why it keeps bugging you every ten minutes. It's dementing to competent computer users, but it's necessary for the beginners who actually thinks AOL's anti-fraud/virus software is the best program ever.

The restart dialog is like a child asking "Are we there yet?". If the parents say "No", they'll wait a few minutes and then ask again. If the parents say "Yes", they'll open the door and exit the car. If the parents don't respond, they'll assume that they are there, and open the door and jump out, even if the car is going 80 mph right next to a 9000 ton truck on a busy freeway. The car you're driving is very antiquated and does not have a child safety lock installed on the rear doors to prevent the child from opening the door him/herself. (This is an analogy to the missing option to prevent Windows from restarting itself.)

It's not the auto-updates that I mind, it is the fact that, while I have to have MS Office for compatibility issues between OPenOffice.org and Office(some old version they have in school). Powerpoint is the culprit. (I've tried using Flash - but in my school they refuse to actually get the latest flash player) It is the fact that it will harrass you until you install updates for crap you never even installed in the first place.

See, I use Thunderbird as Email client - and I have not have virusses through email since - let that be said.. Of course I don't open ppt files either But with MS Office partially installed (I have NOT installed Outlook or Excell. I use OpenOffice's Math for that) it will keep telling me I need to install a security fix for both Excell and Outlook????? I DON'T EVEN HAVE THOSE INSTALLED!!!!

Agreed. This is in the same category as the "Abort; Retry; Cancel" dialogs which do the same thing no matter which button you choose--- the process is tried again and the dialog comes right back up until you reboot or do something as drastic. It is also very seldom clear what the difference between the buttons, such as "Abort" and "Cancel". Another variant on these are the ones that give you an opportunity to try to save your work and just keep coming back to the dialog.