Will Windows 7 wake up to check for and install Windows updates?

No.

Automatic Updating in Win7
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Updating-your-computer
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Updates-frequently-asked-questions
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Understanding-Windows-automatic-updating
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Change-how-Windows-installs-or-notifies-you-about-updates

Hi there and thanks!

None of those links answer my question however you did. How do you know this for certian? Just looking for some proof is all.

Hi,

Windows 7 will not automatically wake up from Sleep mode to check for and install Windows updates.

If your computer is in hibernation or in sleep at a scheduled time, installation will begin immediately the next time you start your computer. You will receive a message that asks you if you want to postpone the installation. Click the message and follow the instructions to set how long you want Windows to wait.

Diana

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

Page 745 of "Windows 7 Inside Out" by Ed Bott, Carl Siechert, and Craig Stinson reads:

"If you use the Install Updates Automatically (Recommended) option and your computer is in a low-power 'sleep' state at the specified update time and if your computer is connected to AC power, Windows Update wakes the computer to perform the installation. If your computer is off or asleep but not plugged in, Windows Update waits until the next scheduled installation time."

I have a computer that is usually in a sleep state at the scheduled update time and it does not appear to wake up to check for and install updates, even when on AC power (it does not have a battery as it is a desktop machine). I have a laptop that is usually in a sleep state at the scheduled update time and I have observed that it does wake up and check for and install updated when it is plugged into AC power.

Therefore, it seems that Windows exhibits unpredictable behavior in this area. Is this due to a defect in Microsoft Windows 7?

Hi User 01,

The differance in behavior is entirely based upon the settings that Windows is recieving from the BIOS settings for the "sleep" state. There are different states that the Motherboard will report to Windows and can exhibit the behavior that you are seeing. It's not a condridiction but more of an issue with the Chipset driver and settings that are imposed by it on Windows.

The September 14, 2010 post by "Diana D" is currently marked as the Answer to this Question. The post incorrectly reports that: "Windows 7 will not automatically wake up from Sleep mode to check for and install Windows updates." That post should be unmarked as the Answer since it is wrong.

The description described in "Windows 7 Inside Out" is more accurate. Based on the November 11, 2011 post by John_P it appears that variation may occur due to differences in states reported by the BIOS.

I have found a desktop computer test case that fails to exhibit the behavior described in "Windows 7 Inside Out." To debug this futher some documentation is needed on what BIOS state is being read by Windows 7 and what values trigger the different behaviors. Presumably, the BIOS state reported by the failing test case is incorrect and Windows 7 therefore does not recognize a state of being in sleep and connected to AC power.

The system that fails to wake from sleep is using a Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P motherboard. Is documentation on which BIOS values Windows 7 depends on available for reference in a bug report to Gigabyte?