When you install a new OS, always let it get all of the current updates out of the way first. By the way, it is the only time that it takes control like that. From then on it gives you a few day's notice first.
So then it's an old update. Windows give you like 2 days or something grace period when it needs to restart... It says when you login in orangy text. so I guess the 2 days were up.
I had the same thing happen to me, I was in the middle of work and was expecting Windows 8 to give me the 'install updates and restart or postpone option', but instead it just restarted without any more warning and I was lucky that AutoCAD's backup and restore features are top notch of I could have lost a decent amount of work. Imo it's a little forceful, regardless of the warning's it gives you. The problem is that we've been used to previous Windows where it either waits until you switch off your computer to install the updates or asks to do so.
My Vista experience is that it kept nagging you, and if you didn't click 'Postpone' after a certain time window it would go ahead and reboot.
The problem is that people don't shutdown/restart their computer, and always postpone updates like crazy. And those doing this are usually the ones with worms or others type of virus/malware which spreads on the internet without them knowing, taking complete advantages of the security holes exploited in Windows. While it is rare that a security hole is taken advantage of a new Windows, when it gets old, its the problem. I think it would be nice to have a postpone option, of 10min (default and selected if you don't answer it after a moment), 1h, 2h, etc... but you can only execute it once, and stays on top with the counter. Of course, telling you need to save your work.
Sometimes I think MS just used Vista as nagging software to teach people to respect their computers more, and actually do things like shut them down.
AFAIK, the W8 shutdown doesn't install the updates. You need to either restart or force the old shutdown. I noticed this after it was telling me it needed to restart to check for updates, so I turned off the PC came back the next day and it still needed to restart to install updates. At that point I used the shutdown command and then it did the install.
It will offer you 'install updates and shut down' or 'install updates and restart' where applicable. Checking for updates is not the same as having downloaded them and being ready to install them.
I've been using W8 bit over month now on my laptop and must say I like it more and more every day when using it. Much of this is to thank positive attitude I gave to W8 since I knew it wont be the same as moving between XP -> Vista -> 7. I still don't like new start screen, feels it just creates too much unnecessary bouncing between start and desktop. Have to take a look into those windows shortcuts, I use win + e command quite a lot with Win 7 so it shouldn't be that bad.
It needed to restart to be able to check for updates as the previous updates hadn't finished installing. Upon shutting down using the Win+I menu it didn't install the updates. Upon hitting the power shortcut i've made on the start screen it proceeded to configure updates => restart => configure updates => load into windows. Then it let me check for updates. Right click bottom left corner of the taskbar, not sure if that would help you or not.
