OS: Win7 Ultimate x64 (but the quesiton should apply to all Win7 OS's). Problem: In XP the auto-update restarts the system even while multiple applications are running. This closes all open applications and causes work to be lost. The applications don't restart or resume previous state upon system restart. Whatever function(s) was/were being served by the system are no longer served until user intervention to rebuild the system to the prior to shut down state. This is a bigger problem on unattended machines. Question: Does Win7 Auto-update use the hiberfile or similar to restore a system to the state which existed prior to an auto-restart? It would be reasonable to use the hiberfile for this just as it is used by XP when a user closes the lid on a laptop and opens the lid and presses the power button the next day; everything's just as it was when the lid was closed the day before. Based on my experience with XP I won't consider auto-updates on Win7 unless or until this issue is resolved. And if it is still not resolved, would you please consider passing this along to whatever department could integrate it? It should be a simple (and very reasonable) tweek, and your ears would burn less! Thanks!

Hi, in my opinion this isn't possible. If you plan a restart you are forced to close all applications because you must reboot. Regards martinwy

More of a "forced" then a "planned" restart. Can anyone else interject on this? Does it mean if we can't have a machine offline then we can't have auto-updates turned on?

Some Windows components are locked when running and the only way to update them is to reboot. I agree reboots are a problem but are only mainly needed on the second Tuesday of each month when updates come out. Vote if answered or helpful, I am running for Office (joke)! IT/Developer, Windows/Linux/Mainframe

Looks like "download but let me choose when to install them..." is the answer. Thanks to all who contributed.

Some Windows components are locked when running and the only way to update them is to reboot. I agree reboots are a problem but are only mainly needed on the second Tuesday of each month when updates come out. Vote if answered or helpful, I am running for Office (joke)! IT/Developer, Windows/Linux/Mainframe VF - Actually.. ALL files loaded to make Windows work are locked - hence the need to reboot. Hmmm - Hibernation is not an option. Hibernation merely copies the contents of what's in RAM into a file. Think of it as being locked in ice. When you hit the power button to wake the computer, you're hitting the thaw button. When you do an update or patch, Windows needs to unlock the given files in the patch distribution. That action is done during the shutdown and startup sequences - which is why you see the "Configuring Windows updates - xx% done Please do not shut down your computer" messages. Therefore Hibernation merely puts off the inevitable. The big question I have - can't you have whatever those machines are doing load during start-up? I.e. If it's a web server - make it so it loads IIS (or whatever you're using) in the start up. That way it should automatically get back to whatever it was doing. The download but let me choose when to install - or even the notify but don't install options generally are safest regardless of what the machine is doing.