Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2018 February 15

= February 15 =

having hard time with Windows
1. I suppose it's Windows to blame. I'm working with a computer with Windows 10 installed. One (main) problem encountered with is that from time to time the computer restarts itself, without me choosing it, or getting any alert message or warning, prior to occurance. Thus, I've no control over these events. I know from the past that a window opens, prior to, asking me when I choose the restart to take place, or maybe it belongs to a previous version of the OS.

2. Where do I find detailed 'history' for Chrome ? Is there a way to find out when restart events took place in order to retrieve previous sessions ? Edge, in contrary to Chrome (& others), is capable of retrieving its last session. What's the reason for this differece ? Can I change this condition for Chrome ?

3. Where do I control 'screen-saving' & its timing ? + where can I see the built-in pics reservoire used as screen-savers ?

These, more or less, summarize my current problems, and maybe they're due to lack of knowledge on my side. בנצי (talk) 13:01, 15 February 2018 (UTC)


 * 1. This is a Win 10 OS update issue Microsoft has shown no intent of fixing.
 * 2. I don't know about Chrome, but you can set up Firefox to load the last session when it starts. There are also add-ons that let you save/load sessions or pick which tabs/windows to load etc. 93.138.0.218 (talk) 19:05, 15 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Addressing the 1st issue first: This is a very very bad drawback on their side - this ruins work frequently, files & webpages at work, running experiments - what's going on ? that's scandalous ! It'll be kind if you elaborate more on this issue. Thanks, בנצי (talk) 19:52, 15 February 2018 (UTC)
 * I don't believe 93's comment is accurate. Windows 10 does normally notify you when it intends to restart for updates [//winaero.com/blog/update-restart-notifications-windows-10/] [//www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/4favpy/what_idiot_at_microsoft_thought_restarting/]. You can also enable additional notifications since the Creator's Update [//www.digitalcitizen.life/how-set-when-windows-10-allowed-install-updates-and-restart-your-pc] (or maybe it was earlier, can't remember). What it does not do is wait for you to agree to the restart, and it's also difficult to delay the restart indefinitely. So if you happen to miss the notifications, and especially if you're aware when the restart is about to happen, you're SOL if you left stuff open which can't handle forced restarts. Active hours helps, but this also depends on your usage patterns. I'm sure there are bugs which mean the notifications do not show in certain cases, however I'm also sure in most cases it's not that Microsoft refuses to fix these bugs but simply they are unwilling to spend enough time to work out why these occur. BTW, your comment is a little unclear. Have you confirmed that these restarts are due to updates and not for other reasons (like defective hardware)? Nil Einne (talk) 01:34, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
 * I think a false assumption might have been made here that the restart is caused by Windows Update. When your computer shuts down, does it suddenly go black, without any sort of shutdown sequence, do you receive a blue screen error, or does it behave as if a normal restart just occurred? With respect to your Chrome issue, you should be able to restore your last session by pressing Ctrl as soon as you launch Chrome. To change your screensaver, go to Settings>Personalization>Theme Settings, then click "Screen Saver" in the lower right corner of the window that appears. TheMrP (talk) 01:52, 16 February 2018 (UTC)


 * Even if your employer or some other factor prevents you from replacing Windows with a less annoying alternative, get the computer to boot off Knoppix or whatever installed on a thumb drive. (Don't worry, this won't affect Windows.) Use the OS to do something -- anything, really, so you're no longer looking at the startup screen. Go to bed, sleep well. If the screen is unchanged when you wake up, the computer hasn't rebooted, and you had a Windows or other software problem. If it has changed, the computer has rebooted; neither Windows nor your regular software is to blame, and you have a hardware problem. -- Hoary (talk) 02:01, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
 * This seems completely unnecessary in the first instance. As my response hinted at and TheMrP's response explained in more detail, you should normally be able to tell whether the restart was due to updates, something other scheduled restart or an unexpected restart due to a fault by what the computer does as well as a check of the Event Viewer. If it does appear to be a hardware issue it may be worth trying a different OS to see if it's possibly a driver or other software issue or appears more likely a hardware issue. But it's pointless doing that if it is solely a software update or other scheduled restart. Nil Einne (talk) 11:37, 17 February 2018 (UTC)