4 ms·

My biggest issue with the restarts is that programs with unsaved state aren't allowed to block it. Even if I'm asleep and not using the computer, I often leave

by kd5bjo 8y ago

My biggest issue with the restarts is that programs with unsaved state aren't allowed to block it. Even if I'm asleep and not using the computer, I often leave half-finished work up to continue in the morning. This works ok most of the time, but if I don't notice an update coming through it can wipe out hours of work. In many ways, it'd be better for Windows to force a restart on a more frequent, fixed schedule to prevent bad habits from setting in.

dspillett 8y ago
I try never leave anything unsaved that I might care about. Past problems have hammered that lesson home. I don't trust anything with unsaved information. Any OS. But Windows in particular - in the past because of instability, more recently due to it being designed to reboot without permission or adequate warning sometimes three times in a month. It isn't just unsaved content though: you lose other context too. Browser windows spread over different desktops, open windows with things selected or scrolled into view, open apps that don't restart, ... Also, any long-running processes are fair game to be killed, as of course are connections to external resources which might respond in an unhelpful manner.
- PascLeRasc 8y ago
  Sometimes even saved data isn't safe from Windows updates: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-update/windows-10-1809-update-deleted-all-files-from/ff608374-2686-4a08-a4c2-caa4caa6d4e1?auth=1 https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10...
- HenryBemis 8y ago
  Not a problem for me, because I am using Win8.1, but... I run simulation/optimizations for bots that trade forex. Basically trying different combinations/permutations in their parameters, and getting anything between 25 and 1500 results so I can select the optimum result/configuration. This saves time, because I don't have to run one-set-at-a-time-for-30-mins. Those optimizations can be running for days. I have literally gone away for a weekend and on Monday it was still running the simulation(s). There is nothing 'active' at that time, 'just a software running'. If the PC restarts, all the work is gone, and optimization needs to begin all over. I can fear that it wouldn't be the only case that a Win10 user would be impacted by a forced restart. I do understand Microsoft's standpoint, but as the mighty Steve Gibson says (paraphrasing), I want the operating system to NOT take initiatives :)
  - dspillett 8y ago
    Aye, I've had long-running performance analysis experiments running against SQL Server killed because the dev machine orchestrating the tests was rebooted without warning. That was some time after the normal "patch Tuesday" window. IIRC it was due to an update in Flash for Edge. A feature I don't use in any browser in a browser that I don't use (but can't uninstall or otherwise disable) caused a delay to my work. I was not best pleased. "Windows Subsystem for Linux" amuses me. A tool for when you want Linux, but would feel lost without random reboots!
close04 8y ago
Windows updates aside I think it's a good idea to save periodically. Especially before leaving your computer unattended for longer periods. A power outage or random process crash could also kill all your work.

by kd5bjo 8y ago

dspillett 8y ago

I try never leave anything unsaved that I might care about. Past problems have hammered that lesson home. I don't trust anything with unsaved information. Any OS. But Windows in particular - in the past because of instability, more recently due to it being designed to reboot without permission or adequate warning sometimes three times in a month. It isn't just unsaved content though: you lose other context too. Browser windows spread over different desktops, open windows with things selected or scrolled into view, open apps that don't restart, ... Also, any long-running processes are fair game to be killed, as of course are connections to external resources which might respond in an unhelpful manner.

PascLeRasc 8y ago
Sometimes even saved data isn't safe from Windows updates: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-update/windows-10-1809-update-deleted-all-files-from/ff608374-2686-4a08-a4c2-caa4caa6d4e1?auth=1 https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10...
HenryBemis 8y ago
Not a problem for me, because I am using Win8.1, but... I run simulation/optimizations for bots that trade forex. Basically trying different combinations/permutations in their parameters, and getting anything between 25 and 1500 results so I can select the optimum result/configuration. This saves time, because I don't have to run one-set-at-a-time-for-30-mins. Those optimizations can be running for days. I have literally gone away for a weekend and on Monday it was still running the simulation(s). There is nothing 'active' at that time, 'just a software running'. If the PC restarts, all the work is gone, and optimization needs to begin all over. I can fear that it wouldn't be the only case that a Win10 user would be impacted by a forced restart. I do understand Microsoft's standpoint, but as the mighty Steve Gibson says (paraphrasing), I want the operating system to NOT take initiatives :)
- dspillett 8y ago
  Aye, I've had long-running performance analysis experiments running against SQL Server killed because the dev machine orchestrating the tests was rebooted without warning. That was some time after the normal "patch Tuesday" window. IIRC it was due to an update in Flash for Edge. A feature I don't use in any browser in a browser that I don't use (but can't uninstall or otherwise disable) caused a delay to my work. I was not best pleased. "Windows Subsystem for Linux" amuses me. A tool for when you want Linux, but would feel lost without random reboots!

close04 8y ago

Windows updates aside I think it's a good idea to save periodically. Especially before leaving your computer unattended for longer periods. A power outage or random process crash could also kill all your work.