I cannot shut down, Windows wants to update first
The update is downloaded and waiting to install at shutdown. It usually hits mid-workday when you just want to close the lid.
Try this first
- 1Click 'Update and restart' at the end of the day, not the start. The update slots in neatly.
- 2No time? Settings > Windows Update > 'Pause updates' for 1 week. Use sparingly, not as a permanent strategy.
- 3Under 'Advanced options' you can set 'Active hours'. Within those hours Windows will not auto-install.
- 4Never yank the power during 'Installing updates'. A half-finished update is worse than no update.
When to bring us in
On managed laptops we set update policies so they run at fixed weekend slots and never interrupt your workday.
See also
- My laptop is suddenly slowThree main suspects: a runaway background process, near-full disk, or a Windows update in progress.
- One specific application is slow for everyoneIf an app is slow for one person: local. For everyone at once: server side or vendor side.
- Opening files from the file server takes minutesOften the server itself is fine and the issue is network routing or stalling DNS resolution.
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