How to schedule a shutdown after finishing Windows updates without having to use command-line?

This is pretty much a repeat of the question from social.technet.microsoft.com:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/31679156-ca8c-4cda-8965-b860267b7496/auto-shutdown-pc-after-windows-updates-completes?forum=itprovistasetup

After a quick Google search, the above link is the only link I could find which was directly related to what I am looking for. But on that page the discussion seems to have decayed into some inconclusive babble, and I thought Superuser might be a good place to get a conclusive result (even if it is in the negative).

So is there a way I can tell Windows to shutdown the machine after it is done installing the updates? Please note that I want it to shutdown and not restart, so that my PC doesn't stay on the whole night. I thought of scheduled tasks, but am not able to come up with a good argument that I can pass to make it do what I need it to.

Shashank Sawant

Posted 2015-04-16T00:13:26.837

Reputation: 672

1Doesn't it show an Install updates and shutdown option already? You want to automate this so it happens every time? – Karan – 2015-04-16T00:19:01.823

If you have your configuration established to only download updates (without install), once downloaded, if you shutdown your pc the updates will be installed. From windows, as I know, there is no more ways to do it. Other choice is to make your own calculation of how many time it could delay the installation. You can create a batch file (or just WinKey+R) with this command: shutdown -s -t n where n is the time in seconds that system will be delay to shutdown. As note, you can use shutdown -r -t n where -r indicates a restart. – kosmos – 2015-04-16T06:04:15.613

@kmsdev The "install updates and shutdown" option is also available when you have configured MS update to automatically download and install. – Werner Henze – 2015-04-16T09:57:04.527

@WernerHenze Yes, true, I didn't remember that, but If I am not wrong, it shows up a message box where you have to choose if wait (to 4 hours) or directly reboot. That's the reason why I changed it. Anyway, I don't know another way to get a better solution to OP's question. – kosmos – 2015-04-16T10:03:33.377

@kmsdev If you put that as an answer I will accept it in a day or so. To WernerHenze and kmsdev: This question has been flagged as a duplicated of http://superuser.com/q/351703/124004; but command line is not really what I was looking for. I suppose if something can't be done then there's no use of a question lying around on this forum. If you recommend I will delete this question.

– Shashank Sawant – 2015-04-16T12:09:14.523

@Karan : Typically that's what I do. However, for the last set of updates the shutdown button didn't change in appearance (as it usually does when it is about to install updates before a shutdown).

I wonder how updates work for Mac users. – Shashank Sawant – 2015-04-16T12:14:33.350

How to schedule a shutdown after finishing Windows updates without having to use command-line?

Answers