Mutterage

At work I have to use Windows XP Pro. Frankly, I wouldn’t use it anywhere else.

The current bugbear is that it’s auto-updated today, and (as with Windows the world over) it now wants to restart. I don’t want it to yet – I’ve got a couple of processes running that need to be completed before I ditch them halfway through. XP’s just thrown up it’s fourth message telling me that it needs to restart, and there’s a nagging icon in the system tray.

The other part with that icon is that if you hover over it, it produces the message

This computer hasn’t been restarted since you last installed updates. Click here to complete the installation process

This isn’t quite as helpful as you may think. Clicking on it will stop everything you’re doing, dump all the processes, and restart the computer. That’s ‘completing the process’. No warning, just click on it and your work is fucked. Nice,helpful messages, and SO user-friendly.

Why doesn’t Windows have an “Oh, fuck off and stop bothering me, you sack of shit. I turn you off every night, fucking wait ’til then, for crying out loud!” option?


6 Comments on “Mutterage”

  1. Gordon says:

    It does.

    Turn off the auto update and only install patches you KNOW you need (so far I’ve yet to go to SP2 for example). You can also hack the restart reminder to stop showing – Google is your friend!!

  2. David says:

    I think SP2 added an extra option to the Shut Down menu: “Install pending updates then shutdown”, which must become active if you’ve selected “Download but don’t install updates” from the Automatic Updates Control Panel options.

  3. Jann says:

    Looks like another case of RTFM…

    ;0)

  4. Lyle says:

    Gordon – you’re right, except that this workplace has the auto-update turned on, and unchangeable. One needs god-level access to change the bastard. I’ll see what I can do about the reminder though.

    David – same thing, really. Love to change it, but I can’t. Instead it nags me every 10 minutes(ish).

    Jann – more like a case of BTFT (Boot The Fucking Thing)

  5. Andy says:

    I went back to 98, mainly cus i couldnt get a legit 2000 but XP pissed me off and still does, its a bill gates control freak. He controls what you do. The cheesy bellend.

  6. MrTeacher says:

    That’s be hard to put on a little button, wouldn’t it?


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