Suspected victim of Windows Update

[tomato]

I left an unattended imaging session running last night but this morning found both laptops on the start up screen. Both laptops captured their last sub at 00:40, with 90 minutes still to run. It looks like a Windows update occurred although I thought I had disabled these previously. However, if you execute an update manually (which is how I usually allow them to happen) does Windows then sneakily remove any overrides that may have been put in place? 
 

Not best pleased as it was a decent sky last night, first one in quite a while.

[gorann]

Keep them in airplane mode! I forgot that for one of my laptops recently and guess what happened.....

[tooth_dr]

19 minutes ago, tomato said:

I left an unattended imaging session running last night but this morning found both laptops on the start up screen. Both laptops captured their last sub at 00:40, with 90 minutes still to run. It looks like a Windows update occurred although I thought I had disabled these previously. However, if you execute an update manually (which is how I usually allow them to happen) does Windows then sneakily remove any overrides that may have been put in place? 
 

Not best pleased as it was a decent sky last night, first one in quite a while.

I disable mine for max time period but eventually you have to update. Did that happen? 
 

@gorann if in aeroplane mode can you still use the internet for remotely connecting to the pc?

[david_taurus83]

You can set the updates to happen during your PC inactive period which you can choose. For example, I have set me imaging PC's active period as 18.00 to 07.00 so any updates occur during the day when it's not in use (it is left running 24/7)

[gorann]

54 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

I disable mine for max time period but eventually you have to update. Did that happen? 
 

@gorann if in aeroplane mode can you still use the internet for remotely connecting to the pc?

No I run my three backyard obsies without wifi by taking nocturnal walks to check on them. That is the thrill of it for me and I never had the desire to do it from the sofa.

[tooth_dr]

10 minutes ago, gorann said:

No I run my three backyard obsies without wifi by taking nocturnal walks to check on them. That is the thrill of it for me and I never had the desire to do it from the sofa.

Good man.

[gorann]

1 hour ago, tooth_dr said:

Good man.

Yes, in my experience as long as you keep the obsy laptops off the internet they do their jobs quite well. Never saw the reason why I should spend a lot of time and effort on setting up a system that would make me stay inside on clear nights when there is a great sky out there to now and then keep a look at.

Edited October 14, 2023 by gorann

[david_taurus83]

36 minutes ago, gorann said:

Yes, in my experience as long as you keep the obsy laptops off the internet they do their jobs quite well. Never saw the reason why I should spend a lot of time and effort on setting up a system that would make me stay inside on clear nights when there is a great sky out there to now and then keep a look at.

It keeps the wife happy?! That's how it works for me anyway! When she leaves the room for something I take sneaky peaks through VNC to see how my subs are doing! 

[ONIKKINEN]

My solution for the Windows update issue is that i have never connected my Mini-PC to the internet and dont plan to do so because really i dont need to update anything on it, other than software that i can just transfer with a USB stick. A travel router creates a dummy wifi network that i connect to via remote desktop, so no actual internet connection is needed at any point.

[tooth_dr]

I run my windows updates during the day once a month, then pause for a few weeks and repeat. 

[Budgie1]

5 hours ago, david_taurus83 said:

You can set the updates to happen during your PC inactive period which you can choose. For example, I have set me imaging PC's active period as 18.00 to 07.00 so any updates occur during the day when it's not in use (it is left running 24/7)

+1 for David's suggestion on my imaging laptop. Then, even if it decides to do an update by itself, it won't be during an imaging session.

Edited October 15, 2023 by Budgie1

[Mr Spock]

Windows updates can be fickle. One last week broke the 365 version of excel; an update this week fixed it.

Some updates are 'deeper' than others. For example I have an equaliser for the sound system; some updates wipe out the settings for this so I have to reinstall.

Same goes for the registry hack I have to include 'copy to' and 'move to' in the context menu. I've no clue why they decided to leave out such important processes in the first place. 

[dweller25]

My last Windows update turned it into Win-doze, the computer ran really slowly.

Have now done a full OS install and it runs really fast 🙂

Edited October 15, 2023 by dweller25

[wulfrun]

I got very fed up with updates, my fast laptop is now a slow laptop, in boot-up times anyway. I tried registry hacks & various other tricks. They all seemed to work until the next update (at my choosing) overwrote whatever hack I'd used.

The only one I found to work long-term was suggested by someone on here, I can't recall who though. Change your internet settings, lie to it that you are on a metered connection (i.e. it's gonna cost you!). After that it'll just mither you that it can't download the latest updates. Allow it to do them when it suits, pretending you'll accept the data costs.

[tomato]

Thanks for all of the feedback and suggestions. So last night I set both laptops to Flight Mode, no external access, sat with them until 23:00 then left them on their own to hopefully finish around 02:00.

This morning the Slave scope laptop (connected to the scope that does not see the mount or the guider) was still running NINA, but the Master laptop had restarted. My dome is automated but is not ASCOM compliant so doesn't talk to NINA. The rain sensor had activated and closed the shutter at around 00:20, but some cloud had clearly killed the guiding before then as although I had some further nice subs up to 00:20, the object was no longer in the centre of the FOV. TBH, it is about time I made proper use of NINA's advanced sequencer, but why did the master scope laptop restart? That is the question. I think a late, late night is on the cards...

[wongataa]

On 14/10/2023 at 18:58, tomato said:

I left an unattended imaging session running last night but this morning found both laptops on the start up screen. Both laptops captured their last sub at 00:40, with 90 minutes still to run. It looks like a Windows update occurred although I thought I had disabled these previously. However, if you execute an update manually (which is how I usually allow them to happen) does Windows then sneakily remove any overrides that may have been put in place? 
 

Not best pleased as it was a decent sky last night, first one in quite a while.

Set the active hours to ones the cover the night time.  Then the computer will not restart to apply updates when you are using it for astro purposes.