One complaint about Windows is near the top of everyone's list: updates. There are too many updates. They take too long to install. They sometimes fail in ways that cause additional problems. And theyalwayspop up at the most inopportune time.

It doesn't have to be that way, though. You can override Microsoft's schedule for pushing updates to your device by doing three things.

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I'll explain those three things shortly. First, though, a little background on the problem.

In all currently supported versions of Windows, Microsoft releases security fixes as part of its monthly quality updates, on the second Tuesday of each month (popularly known as Patch Tuesday). In recent years, the company has expanded the scope of those updates to include new features as well.

Monthly updates are cumulative; even on a machine that's been out of service for months, you usually need to install only one update to make the Windows installation. Using the default Windows settings, these updates are typically downloaded and installed within 24 hours of their release on Patch Tuesday.

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In most cases, these updates require the computer to be restarted -- and that happens automatically, unless the user intervenes.

And there's the problem. As Murphy's Law dictates, the automatic restart always comes at an inopportune time. You might lose unsaved work, or you might find yourself doing a slow burn as you wait for the update to finish and give you back your PC, so you can join an early-morning Zoom meeting that you're already late for.

Even after the installation, there's a small but non-zero risk that the update will trigger problems that cause your PC to crash or interfere with the normal operation of a critical app.

So, what to do?

For starters, you can adjust a few settings to ensure that you get fair warning before an update is scheduled to restart, as shown in the illustration below. You can also define your Active Hours, a daily window of up to 18 hours during which Windows will not restart to install updates.

But those are, at best, tiny speed bumps that don't resolve the underlying issue of a potentially unreliable update being installed automatically. To lessen the risk, I recommend that you set your own update schedule and tell Microsoft to back off until your preferred day. To get started, first make sure you've installed all available updates (and restarted, if necessary). Then, do the following steps.

How to set up a fast fix for your Windows Update

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