auto-update settings (a couple questions)

I just got the latest update.
it auto-downloaded, auto-installed, then triggered a 10-minute countdown to auto-restart (and offered me a 'postpone' option)

my chief concern is this:

- is there any way I can set the default for future auto-downloads and auto-installs to always postpone the restart so that it has to be done manually? (I often leave the computer active when I'm not around, and thus it could be quite the nuisance if Windows chooses to close things I'm running so that it can restart unnecessarily promptly).

I'm also curious about these related concerns:

- is there any way I can be alerted to when background programs are hogging my bandwidth? (on 56k this is a significant issue)

- only one of the last 50 odd updates in the download failed to install
Application Compatibility Update
Should I seek to resolve this manually, or will a future update detect the ones that are available and not installed, download, and try again to install this one properly?


apologies if this belongs in some other 'help' forum, I figured here would be suitable because most of this is to do with customizing away from default behaviors.

Hello!

About your failing update, let us have a shallow look. We don't want to create an issue out of very little, but it wouldn't hurt to scrape at it, just to see what lies beneath.

Try it again. If it works this times round, happy days!

Can you please tell me what error code it failed with? Error code meanings are inexact, but it should put us in the right "ball park".

Try the update manually. A short description why: When an update fails, it could be caused by a small corruption of the servicing store. When an update is installed via Windows Update, it is staged and this can mean that this small corruption causes it to fail. However, when it is updated from a standalone, it is flashed, and this can wipe out the corruption. This is still only a theory, but it is our best theory to date. For a fuller explanation, see the top half of my old post here: Solved .NET framework 4 Client profile - Page 4 - Vista Forums

Try the standalone: Application Compatibility Update for Windows XP Professional x64 edition, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Embedded Standard 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2: October 2010

Report the error from BOTH Windows Update and the standalone.

Thanks, and good luck!

Richard

niemiro said:

can you please tell me what error code it failed with? Error code meanings are inexact, but it should put us in the right "ball park".

80080005

Excellent work with the error code! How did the standalone go?

niemiro said:

Excellent work with the error code! How did the standalone go?

do you know which I should pick?
"All supported x86-based versions of Windows 7"
"All supported x64-based versions of Windows 7"

Lykho said:

niemiro said:

Excellent work with the error code! How did the standalone go?

do you know which I should pick?
"All supported x86-based versions of Windows 7"
"All supported x64-based versions of Windows 7"

"All supported x86-based versions of Windows 7"

If that gives an error about "Does not apply to your system", try the other one. However, that is the one that should work. :)

niemiro said:

All supported x86-based versions of Windows 7

thanks. downloading that now.

to obtain that stand-alone download, though, I had first to download the GenuineCheck exe.--is that something only necessary for the stand-alone, or is it possible the auto-update failed because I hadn't previously verified my copy which would allow this particular update to proceed?

ok, so I just finished the download, and received the message 'this update is already installed'.

...I went back to the 'updates history' list and had a closer look.

it turns out that about two hours after the failed install, the same update had successfully installed.

sorry about that (all this update stuff is new to me--I'll look more closely next time).

Hello!

It is absolutely no problem! I am really glad that it is now installed! Do you require any more help, or have all issues now been resolved? Thanks!

Richard

niemiro said:

Hello!

It is absolutely no problem! I am really glad that it is now installed! Do you require any more help, or have all issues now been resolved? Thanks!

Richard

nope. that's everything. everything's sorted. thanks again.