Every now and again I get a message on my computer saying “Windows needs to restart to update your computer” and a timer for 5 mins goes off. I have the options of clicking the “restart now” button, the “restart later” button or doing nothing, where my computer will restart itself. Is this normal, or do I have a bug?
You may have automatic updates turned on; personally, I prefer to manage Windows updates by hand. Open the security center in the control panel and check the settings for automatic updates. if you turn them off, you’ll probably want change the notification settings so that it doesn’t keep nagging you that they are turned off, and if you do this, you should discipline yourself to check the Windows Update site manually at least every couple of weeks.
Automatic updates sounds right to me. It may be worth pointing out that there’s a middle setting between “download and install everything automatically,” which it sounds like you’ve got turned on, and “don’t do anything until told.” I’ve got mine set to “provide alert for possible updates automatically, but wait for confirmation before downloading and installing.” I get a pop-up that there are patches and fixes available, and I can check them out and unflag those I don’t want. Saves the trouble of having to go visit the Microsoft site over and over.