If you have a Windows PC, you’re likely familiar with this annoying bug. Sometimes, when selecting Update and Shutdown, the PC unexpectedly restarts. Fortunately, the update KB5067036 permanently fixes this decade-old issue.
This bug first appeared with Windows 10, and you’ve likely experienced it. When it’s time to leave home, you shut down your desktop PC or pack away your laptop. Windows Update informs you of available updates, and understandably, you select Update and Shutdown.
However, even after choosing this option, the PC does not shut down and instead restarts. Later on, or even the next day, you may realize that the PC is still running with the screen on. In some cases, especially for laptops, the battery may be completely drained. Windows has not been truthful for a decade, and this bug is finally resolved.
Despite frequent user complaints on support forums, good news has arrived for Windows 11 users who will also benefit from fixes to other bugs.
Why Does Windows Restart When I Ask It to Shut Down?
So, why does Windows seemingly betray us and not heed our request to shut down the PC, only to restart without any warning? It’s essential to understand that the operating system must restart, regardless of the chosen option. The restart phase allows the OS to install and modify files when Windows is not yet loaded into memory. Some critical component operations require this phase to avoid conflicts with active processes.
The issue arises specifically after this restart and installation step. Windows is supposed to carry out the user’s command to shut down, but the operating system simply forgets this directive. It finishes its sequence as if it were performing a standard boot, leaving the PC still on.
Microsoft engineers have implemented a mechanism that allows Windows 11 to remember the user’s shutdown request. It’s about time: as soon as you select Update and Shutdown, the unexpected restarts will be a thing of the past!
