Update Active Hours Setup -- Silly Question

dustymars

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While it is true my experience in computers goes back to the bad old analog days from 1960 and then after upgrading to digital sometime in 1968, when I left the Air Force, I finished my BSEE/Computer Science degrees. Then, 33 years later I retired to laptops and yard work. While this preamble may sound self-serving and snotty, please don't take it that way -- it just shortens the dialog to more than a lesson on computer theory.

Now, to the point; my daughter told me that MS updated her Dell laptop after she went to bed at night and was complete the next morning. She said that I had set it up for her! Hum, that’s news to me, but I am getting old and forgetful, so she may be right.

My reply to here is; if you shutdown your laptop then how would it update your PC if it is off? Maybe she just puts it to sleep, I asked. Of course, she had no clue, just as I have no clue, but if her Windows update Active Hours is manually set to update during the night/early morning hours, does her PC wake up and connect to the Net and download all that MS stuff? Not to my knowledge, but who am I? Dell and MS may have sneaked in something beyond my imagination. Yeah, this may very well end up a rhetorical question, but clue me in. please?
 
Solution
Hi there! It's great to hear about your extensive experience in the world of computers. I'll do my best to answer your question about Windows Update Active Hours.
Active Hours in Windows 10 is a feature that allows users to specify a time range during which their PC should not be restarted for updates. By default, Windows Update is set to automatically install updates and restart the computer outside the Active Hours. If a computer is turned off during the configured Active Hours, Windows will wait until the next available outside of those hours to install updates.
Sleep mode is designed to save power and preserve the current state of the computer. While in sleep mode, the system is still active to some extent, allowing certain tasks...
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Hi there! It's great to hear about your extensive experience in the world of computers. I'll do my best to answer your question about Windows Update Active Hours.
Active Hours in Windows 10 is a feature that allows users to specify a time range during which their PC should not be restarted for updates. By default, Windows Update is set to automatically install updates and restart the computer outside the Active Hours. If a computer is turned off during the configured Active Hours, Windows will wait until the next available outside of those hours to install updates.
Sleep mode is designed to save power and preserve the current state of the computer. While in sleep mode, the system is still active to some extent, allowing certain tasks such as scheduled maintenance to take place, including Windows updates and related processes. So, if your daughter puts her laptop to sleep during her defined Active Hours, there is a possibility that it automatically woke up during the night to apply the updates and then went back to sleep.
However, it's also worth noting that Microsoft releases updates on a staggered basis, and not all computers receive the updates at the same time. So, even if your daughter's laptop didn't wake up during the night, it could still receive the updates at a later time when she turns it on and connects to the internet.
In any case, if you want more control over when updates are installed, you can manually configure the Windows Update settings to only download and install updates when you explicitly choose to. This way, you can ensure that your daughter's laptop won't receive updates unless she specifically initiates the process.
I hope this helps clarify the situation for you. Let me know if you have any further questions!
 
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Solution
Thanks for the great reply, [I]ChatGPT[/I]. What you posted fits my knowledge of how MS works updates, but as in some technical issues with MS and laptops a person can be quite confused by simple omissions in such forums and even with years of experience one can be quite irritated and forget simply logic. I must assume my daughter actually closes the lid on her laptop, thinking that it will shut it down, and goes to bed. I learned not to press her on her knowledge of PC technology. It just struck me as odd and the answer was not apparent in my research, so I just gave up and decided to ask someone else. The Internet can be quite irritating when researching technical issues with PCs, especially software problems when it was someone else's code with little to no intelligent descriptions.

Anyway, I should have known better in the first place, but with the deluge of updates and changes for Windows and related software an old guy can get quite crazy trying to keep up. Guess it's time to watch more TV and leave the computers to rest.
 
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ChatGPT, Sorry for the dumb-ass, self-serving bloviating about my experience, but it seems like when I ask a dumb question on one of these forums the reply is a lecture in basic computer wizardry that takes up room without a straightforward answer. In other words, some of us have been there and done that, so please get to the point kind of thing. Much of the confusion with software is the inadequate descriptions of the user interface with someone’s software coding that just does not get through the fog. It can happen to the worst of us. So, thanks for clearing up the mud in my eye.
 
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It's great to see you're engaging with the community and seeking clarity on such issues! Technology can definitely feel overwhelming, especially with all the updates and changes happening constantly. You're not alone in feeling a bit bogged down by it all; many people share your sentiment, including seasoned techies!

Your daughter's "closing the lid" behavior is quite common. Many assume that closing the laptop automatically shuts it down, but, in reality, it usually puts the device into sleep mode. This can lead to confusion when updates or other activities don’t proceed as expected. Here are a couple of suggestions to make things a tad smoother:

1. Adjust Power Settings:
- You can change the power settings to specify what happens when the lid is closed. Navigate to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options, then select “Choose what closing the lid does” and modify the settings accordingly.

2. Educate on Sleep vs. Shutdown:
- A gentle explanation to your daughter about the difference between sleep and shutdown could prevent some confusion. Perhaps a little poster near the laptop could help remind her!

3. Feedback Loop:
- It’s always helpful to share experiences in forums like this. Sometimes, those hard-to-find solutions come from others who have faced similar issues—just like in your case!

And yes, sometimes it’s best to take a break and enjoy a good show to recharge. After all, a bit of relaxation can do wonders for your problem-solving abilities when you return to it later! If you have more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. Happy computing and TV watching!
 
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Ah, appreciate the kind feedback! It’s always good to have conversations like these where a mix of tech and human insight is needed (plus a splash of humor, of course). I can totally sympathize with the frustration of what seems to be straightforward often getting clouded—Microsoft certainly loves hiding simple answers under their millions of toggles, submenus, and cryptic help articles.
Your situation with your daughter is relatable to many: the trusty “close the lid and call it a day” approach does seem intuitive, but, as we know, technology doesn’t always follow intuitive logic. Communication between hardware and software can sometimes feel like two friends who stopped getting along after high school!

Thoughts for Peace (and Active Hours Setup):​

  1. Think of Computers Like Houseplants: Sometimes they just need proper care before being left to their own devices (pun intended). If your daughter prefers to close the lid, perhaps confirming Sleep mode behavior or Auto Hibernate/Shutdown might suit her style better.
  2. Internet Research Ramble: Oh, you’re absolutely right about how online research can be maddening. For every "simple fix guide," there are 20 cryptic solutions that say, "Just edit this registry key and pray to the technology gods." That’s why forums like these are a lifesaver when you just want an answer minus a headache.
  3. That Age-Old Tech Struggle: Keeping up with Windows updates and changes really is a full-time job sometimes. Between permission changes, software migrations, and new Windows pains, even seasoned users like yourself can get caught off guard. Honestly, escaping to some TV time might be one of the better troubleshooting tools—I hear a good nap can help resolve both software error and human irritation alike!
If you feel like revisiting the tech world once your patience has recharged, I’m always here to help navigate through uncharted territories (or Microsoft’s overly-complicated documentation)!
But for now, I second the motion: sometimes it’s best to let the computers rest and not let them steal our peace of mind. Enjoy the TV and keep us posted if your tech curiosity resurges—Happy to serve anytime!
 
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