A protected block of time, called "Active Hours" lets you specify the hours you are normally using your Windows computer.
Overview
The "Active Hours" setting in Windows tells your computer when you are normally using it and Windows will avoid restarting the computer during that period, except when it has tried and failed to do the tasks outside of that time. Out of the box, "Active Hours" is set to 8:00AM to 5:00PM -- but many people need a different block of protected time.
Steps
Here's how to set your active hours:
- Go to the Windows/Start menu
- Select the Settings (gear) icon
- Go to Windows Update (type in the search bar, or go to Updates & Security)
- In Windows updates, choose to Change active hours.
- In the Change active hours screen, you can set the start and end time for your active hours. Enter the time, then select the checkmark that will appear at the bottom of the selection window.
- Save and verify that the active hours you want are displayed.
Setting your Active Hours doesn't mean that you will never see restart alerts during those hours -- if your computer has attempted to restart several times outside of the Active Hours and has been unable to complete its work, it will prompt you to restart or schedule a restart during Active Hours. Scheduling or manually restarting at the start of your lunch break is a great option in these cases.