Windows 11 API call to prevent Windows Update during critical test

[Station8]

Hi fellow wirers - On my company's manufacturing floor, we run a 20-hour critical test overnight controlled by a Labview program. The controlling computer is Windows 11. Occasionally Windows does an update automatically and reboots the computer, interrupting the test. With Windows 10 and earlier, I was able to configure Windows Update to only perform an update when manually directed, but I can't configure that in Windows 11. Do you know, is there any Windows API call or other call that I can execute within my Labview program for me to programmatically pause Windows updating until the test is complete?

Thanks very much,

Joe Czapski

Wilmington, Mass.

[LLindenbauer]

The Windows Update policies can be set by using Group Policies. This has not changed between 10 and 11. However, it depends on your edition of Windows (Home, Pro, Enterprise, ...) if these policies are available. I also found that the specific combination of settings that need to be set and services that need to be disabled to produce an update-proof system may change suddenly and unexpectedly between updates.

The general rule is that the Home and Pro editions are designed to be consumer products. If you have enterprise grade tasks and requirements, the Enterprise edition is probably required to solve them.

Also, it your uptime requirements cross a certain threshold, you might want to consider moving to a dedicated high-reliability system.

[RTSLVU]

My answer to this is quite simple. No internet access means no updates.

There's no good reason a computer running a test needs internet access. Especially a computer that is part of production test.

[Andrey_Dmitriev]

I using this simple trick - Disable Download Updates over Metered Connections in Windows 11.

More info - Metered Internet connections: FAQ and How to stop Windows from updating on metered connection.

[JÞB]

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@RTSLVU wrote:

My answer to this is quite simple. No internet access means no updates.

There's no good reason a computer running a test needs internet access. Especially a computer that is part of production test.

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Tests really need to be treated like Experiments.  You MUST MAINTAIN INTEGRITY of the test system.   That means.  NO OS UPDATES without a written and approved "Deviation. "  just require that your IT department provides the Deviation and Justification documentation.   They will be happy to disable any forced updates or reboots.

[RTSLVU]

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@JÞB wrote:

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@RTSLVU wrote:

My answer to this is quite simple. No internet access means no updates.

There's no good reason a computer running a test needs internet access. Especially a computer that is part of production test.

---

Tests really need to be treated like Experiments.  You MUST MAINTAIN INTEGRITY of the test system.   That means.  NO OS UPDATES without a written and approved "Deviation. "  just require that your IT department provides the Deviation and Justification documentation.   They will be happy to disable any forced updates or reboots.

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Right? All our test computers are frozen on Windows 10 because one piece of equipment in all of our test systems' software and LabVIEW drivers are not compatible with Windows 11 and the manufacturer has obsoleted the equipment so they are not going to update the drivers.

Our IT department tried to force Windows 11 on us because "newer is always better". When I told them that the $200,000 of new equipment will have to come out of their budget if Windows 11 is mandatory, they backed off on the Windows 11 push.

[JÞB]

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@RTSLVU wrote:

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@JÞB wrote:

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@RTSLVU wrote:

My answer to this is quite simple. No internet access means no updates.

There's no good reason a computer running a test needs internet access. Especially a computer that is part of production test.

---

Tests really need to be treated like Experiments.  You MUST MAINTAIN INTEGRITY of the test system.   That means.  NO OS UPDATES without a written and approved "Deviation. "  just require that your IT department provides the Deviation and Justification documentation.   They will be happy to disable any forced updates or reboots.

---

Right? All our test computers are frozen on Windows 10 because one piece of equipment in all of our test systems' software and LabVIEW drivers are not compatible with Windows 11 and the manufacturer has obsoleted the equipment so they are not going to update the drivers.

Our IT department tried to force Windows 11 on us because "newer is always better". When I told them that the $200,000 of new equipment will have to come out of their budget if Windows 11 is mandatory, they backed off on the Windows 11 push.

---

Ummm.  I did not mean to imply that YOU, the Test Engineer, should fail to provide a plan for the needed periodical "System Obsolescence Reviews" as an integral part of any Test System release.   Even your car needs normal maintenance!

I once had a supervisor who spent more hours every week searching Ebay for replacement parts than a properly designed Obsolescence Review would have cost.

[RTSLVU]

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@JÞB wrote:

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@RTSLVU wrote:

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@JÞB wrote:

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@RTSLVU wrote:

My answer to this is quite simple. No internet access means no updates.

There's no good reason a computer running a test needs internet access. Especially a computer that is part of production test.

---

Tests really need to be treated like Experiments.  You MUST MAINTAIN INTEGRITY of the test system.   That means.  NO OS UPDATES without a written and approved "Deviation. "  just require that your IT department provides the Deviation and Justification documentation.   They will be happy to disable any forced updates or reboots.

---

Right? All our test computers are frozen on Windows 10 because one piece of equipment in all of our test systems' software and LabVIEW drivers are not compatible with Windows 11 and the manufacturer has obsoleted the equipment so they are not going to update the drivers.

Our IT department tried to force Windows 11 on us because "newer is always better". When I told them that the $200,000 of new equipment will have to come out of their budget if Windows 11 is mandatory, they backed off on the Windows 11 push.

---

Ummm.  I did not mean to imply that YOU, the Test Engineer, should fail to provide a plan for the needed periodical "System Obsolescence Reviews" as an integral part of any Test System release.   Even your car needs normal maintenance!

I once had a supervisor who spent more hours every week searching Ebay for replacement parts than a properly designed Obsolescence Review would have cost.

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Well I wanted to go with different equipment because the company who makes these has been notoriously horrible with their customer service and LabVIEW support. But I was overruled by a manager who only cares about prices. 

Honestly the worst thing about this is the company in question was purchased by NI a few years ago. I had hopes of better LabVIEW support but NI decided to just obsolete the entire line. 

[avogadro5]

Large companies' IT organizations are not easily moved by your petty concerns for "not invalidating a 36 hour partially destructive test on a $100k device owed to the customer." The solution I've seen is for operators to unplug the ethernet cable before starting the test and plug it back in after to upload results.

[Station8]

Thanks for replying, all. Those are some good ideas to try. I like the idea of turning off the network connection while the 20-hour test is running. I can probably figure out a way to do that programatically, I'm guessing. For this test, we upload the test results in the form of files copied to an in-house server, and we only need to upload once per day.

I wonder, with Windows 11, if disconnecting from the internet will actually prevent the automatic reboot. I'll have to experiment. I believe that Windows Update downloads the update packages in the background in the hours prior, and then the actual installation action that includes the reboot may not need an internet connection.

- Joe Czapski