Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) says it is streamlining the updating process for the upcoming Windows 8 operating system to result in less hassle. This will be done by reducing the number of restarts, modifying the circumstances in which Windows 8 will automatically restart and also giving ample warning should a restart be necessary.

In a blog post, Farzana Rahman, the group program manager of the Windows Update group, wrote: "The challenge we faced was to find the balance between updating with speed and giving notice to the user for upcoming restarts." Rahman showed great insight into current unhappiness over the current system, outlining various scenarios in the lengthy post before moving on to detail the new system.

At one level, the new Windows 8 updating experience will consolidate all the restarts in a month, synchronizing with the monthly security release. The only exception though, noted Rahman, would be in the case of a critical security update to fix a worm-like vulnerability (think Blaster Worm). In such a scenario, Windows Update (WU) will proceed to download, install and restart the PC automatically.

The above circumstances aside, Windows 8 will no longer restart a computer without the explicit permission of the user. Should a restart be necessary after the automatic download and installation of security patches, WU will post a prominent warning of an impending restart for 3 days. Users can restart by selecting "Update and shutdown" or "Update and restart" either on the login screen or from Windows Update in the Control Panel.

More importantly perhaps would be how Windows 8 will not automatically restart a PC even after three days if it detects that critical applications are open. To prevent the loss of data, an automatic restart will be delayed until the user logs in. At that point, the user will be presented with a warning message of an impending restart and given 15 minutes to save work. And to ensure a minimum amount of disruptions, certain activities such as playing a game, watching a full-screen movie or performing a presentation will automatically suppress a system restart.

Finally, IT administrators within the enterprise will have the option to do away with the three-day countdown and automatic restart altogether by setting an appropriate policy.

For more:
- check out this article at Building Windows 8
- check out this article at eWeek

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