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The 20 Worst Windows Features of All Time

From Windows 95's Active Desktop to Vista's UAC, a loving tribute to the tools, technologies, and applets that drive us absolutely bonkers.

6. Windows Update

There are lots of things you can criticize about Windows XP's approach to software patches. But when we asked around, the biggest complaint by far was how the OS's Windows Update feature (also known as Microsoft Update) pops up a dialog box nagging you to reboot your PC) and continues to do so every ten minutes until you obey. (Ignore it, and the machine may reboot if you walk away for a moment, sometimes destroying unsaved data in the process.) That dialog box is in desperate need of a button marked "I'll Reboot When I'm Damn Well Ready." Windows Vista's version doesn't offer that, but it does allow you to wait up to four hours before being pestered again.
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