Jeff wrote:
Quote:
> Hi,
>
> I have always been under the impression that once a software program is
> installed on a Windows machine, Windows should be restarted. I believe it had
> something to do with the writing of information to the registry.
>
> I recently purchased a new system. I am preparing to reload all of the
> software that I used on a regular basis. Depending on how many programs I
> feel I need for my current workload, this will be anywhere between 50 and 125
> programs.
>
> Is it "ideal" to restart Windows after the installation of each program? (Or
> in some cases between the installation of a suite of software (such as MS
> Office).)
>
> I'm not looking to do any more than necessary; but, I'm not looking to cut
> corners either.
>
> Thanks for any input.
>
> Jeff
Installs often alter the registry and it is not impossible for a
subsequent install to rely on some value that has not been updated from
an unfinished install - some value that maybe cannot be changed while
the system is running. This is very unlikely though.
However this is more important with things like "Drivers" because the
chances that registry entries cannot be updated while it is running
increase... and also you don't want to have files locked when they need
to be replaced, which again is unlikely but not impossible. You have to
judge this based upon how close the software gets to the heart of the
system and how dependent it may be on something else.
Generally I try to shut down all Antivirus and Security software and
prevent it starting at boot time. Then reboot and install drivers etc
from an archive I already saved somewhere easy like the desktop. Install
each part separately (if more than one) and then reboot again. Once all
is done, set security stuff to start with windows again and reboot.
MS updates will tell you when, other things I do not rely on, especially
drivers.
Most times this is over the top, but hey I almost never have "Mystery"
problems either. This applies to all operating systems, Windows, Linux,
anything, no installer can take account of every possible combination.