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Stupid Windows Trick: Kill an Installer’s Unwanted Reboot

One of my biggest annoyances with installing a new app is getting all the way to the end and seeing this: “Your system must be restarted to complete installation.”

Oh hell no. This is my computer, and I reboot it when I want to reboot it. I don’t care if your fancy installer doesn’t have a restart later button. I don’t care that you’ve booby trapped it so that if I click ok, finish, or the corner X that I’m screwed. I’ve got you figured out.

My trick is simple. While the notice is up, hit win+r and bring up the run box. Type notepad and hit enter to launch it. Pound on a bunch of keys and type some nonsense.

Now tab back to your installer and click ok. When notepad prompts you to save changes, hoose cancel. Ba-da-bing, you’ve thwarted the evil reboot monkey. Most installers aren’t smart enough to kill off running apps, so when you cancel the sequence in notepad, it’s toast.

Posted in Unsightful Tips, Windows