Update at shutdown

• US 7,895,590 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Switzer, David, Swaney, Richard J, Ilac, Cristian Marius, Chow, Chung Yiu, Bertels, Cathelijne, Henderson, Gary S
• Primary Examiner(s): Yigdall; Michael J
• Assistant Examiner(s): BODDEN, EVRAL E
• Application Number:
  US10/934,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20060053417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,363 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/442 Shutdown

Abstract

An update at shutdown process is disclosed that installs software updates on a computer during the computer'"'"'s shutdown procedures. On a computing device with an automated shutdown procedure, during the shutdown procedure an update at shutdown process is executed. The update at shutdown process evaluates whether any software updates are currently stored, or are locally available, on the computing device. If there are software updates to be installed, a further evaluation determines whether any of the software updates may be installed without any user interaction. Accordingly, each downloaded/locally available software update that is identified as being installable without user interaction, is installed during the shutdown procedure, thus minimizing the impact that the software updates have on the computer user'"'"'s use time.

Claims

1. On a computing system that includes an operating system a method for installing software updates during a shutdown procedure of the operating system and in a manner that does not require user intervention and that allows a user to walk away knowing that the computing system will shut down, the method comprising:

receiving a user command requesting shut down of the operating system of the computing system; and

after receiving the user command requesting shut down of the operating system of the computing system, and in response thereto;

determining whether a software update is available for installation on the computing system;

evaluating each software update that is determined to be available for installation, and distinguishing between software updates that require the user of the computing system to interact with the computing system during installation of such updates for successful installation thereof, and software updates that do not require the user of the computing system to interact with the computing system during installation for successful installation thereof;

when a software update that is determined to be available for installation is also determined not to require user interaction during installation, automatically installing the software update during the requested shut down of the operating system; and

when a software update that is determined to be available for installation and is determined to also require user interaction during installation, automatically abstaining from installing the software update so that it is not installed during the requested shut down of the operating system, notwithstanding the availability of the software update, and due to the software updating requiring user interaction during installation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a software update is available for installation on the computing system comprises determining whether the software update is locally available to the computing system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether a software update is available for installation on the computing system further comprises determining whether the software update is stored on the computing system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the software update requires any user interaction during installation comprises evaluating a value associated with the software update that indicates whether the software update requires any user interaction during installation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the value associated with the software update that indicates whether the software update requires any user interaction during installation is stored in metadata associated with the software update.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the value associated with the software update that indicates whether the software update requires any user interaction during installation is stored within the software update.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising, prior to installing the software update on the computer system, displaying user interface information to a user that indicates that the software update will be installed onto the computer system during the shut down of the operating system.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising displaying additional user interface information to the user through which the user can selectively configure the computer system to not install the software update during the shut down of the operating system.

9. A computer system for installing software updates during a shutdown procedure, the computer system comprising:

a computing device;

an operating system; and

computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions that cause the computing device to perform the method of claim 1.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein determining whether a software update is available for installation on the computing system comprises determining whether the software update is locally available to the computing system.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein determining whether a software update is available for installation on the computing system further comprises determining whether the software update is stored on the computing system.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein determining whether the software update requires any user interaction during installation comprises evaluating a value associated with the software update that indicates whether the software update requires any user interaction during installation.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the value associated with the software update that indicates whether the software update requires any user interaction during installation is stored in metadata associated with the software update.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the value associated with the software update that indicates whether the software update requires any user interaction during installation is stored within the software update.

15. The computer system of claim 12 further comprising, prior to installing the software update on the computer system, displaying user interface information to a user that indicates that the software update will be installed onto the computer system during the shut down of the operating system.

16. The computer system of claim 15 further comprising displaying additional user interface information to the user through which the user can selectively configure the computer system to not install the software update during the shut down of the operating system.

17. A computer-readable medium bearing computer-executable instructions which, when executed on a computing device having a shutdown procedure, carries out a method for installing software updates during the shutdown procedure, the method comprising:

receiving a user command requesting shut down of an operating system of the computing system; and

after receiving the user command requesting shut down of the operating system of the computing system, and in response thereto;

determining whether a software update is available for installation on the computing device;

evaluating each software update that is determined to be available for installation, and distinguishing between software updates that require the user of the computing device to interact with the computing device during installation for successful installation thereof, and software updates that do not require the user to interact with the computing device during installation for successful installation thereof;

when a software update that is determined to be available for installation is also determined not to require any user interaction during installation, automatically installing the software update during the requested shut down of the operating system on the computing device;

when a software update that is determined to be available for installation and is determined to also require user interaction during installation, automatically abstaining from installing the software update so that it is not installed during the requested shut down of the operating system, notwithstanding the availability of the software update, and due to the software updating requiring user interaction during installation; and

when multiple software updates are determined to be available and to also not require user interaction during installation, collectively and automatically installing each of the multiple software updates not requiring user interaction during installation, and without user interaction, during the shut down of the operating system.