Choosing to disable Windows automatic updates on a SQL Server box isn’t about skipping patches — it’s about controlling exactly when they install, so a surprise reboot never coincides with your busiest hours.
Disable Windows Automatic Updates
Category: Reliability
Why should you care?
If Windows updates aren’t managed by your organization’s policies, they’re likely set to a less-than-optimal configuration.
Updates can start downloading at unpredictable times and cause performance problems that are difficult to track down.
How do I check?
- Go to Start and search for “Windows Update settings”:
- Go to “Choose how updates are installed”:
- Check whether “Never check for updates (not recommended)” is selected.
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How do we fix it?
- Change it to “Never check for updates (not recommended).”
- Then run Windows Update on a regular schedule during a maintenance window and reboot afterward. The best-run environments do this on a planned monthly basis.
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