Windows update restarted the PC at 8:29
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 11:37 pm
A short story that circulates in different versions. A trader had a position open, set up a stop and target, and went to make coffee before the data release. The operating system decided to install updates and reboot at that exact moment. The platform closed. The connection dropped. The news hit. No trailing logic, no manual intervention, and the stop was too far to help.
It sounds like a joke until it happens. Automatic restarts, sleep mode on laptops, display drivers crashing, and background updaters all threaten an active session.
Reasonable precautions cost nothing. Set active hours so updates don't restart during trading. Disable sleep and hibernation. Keep the system on a UPS if the power grid is unreliable. Use stops that live on the server, not in the platform, so an offline terminal doesn't leave a position naked.
For anyone using a VPS, the provider's maintenance schedule matters too. Some reboot servers without much notice, usually on weekends.
A quick weekly routine of checking pending updates before the session begins prevents the worst of it.
What was the strangest technical failure that ever hit a live position?
It sounds like a joke until it happens. Automatic restarts, sleep mode on laptops, display drivers crashing, and background updaters all threaten an active session.
Reasonable precautions cost nothing. Set active hours so updates don't restart during trading. Disable sleep and hibernation. Keep the system on a UPS if the power grid is unreliable. Use stops that live on the server, not in the platform, so an offline terminal doesn't leave a position naked.
For anyone using a VPS, the provider's maintenance schedule matters too. Some reboot servers without much notice, usually on weekends.
A quick weekly routine of checking pending updates before the session begins prevents the worst of it.
What was the strangest technical failure that ever hit a live position?