3 Ways to Find Computers with Pending Reboot in SCCM

In this article, I’ll demonstrate different methods to find computers with pending reboot in SCCM. Using Configuration Manager, you can use multiple ways to find computers that need restarts. We’ll go over each approach in more detail.

In any organization that uses Configuration Manager, you’ll find several client machines that aren’t restarted. Typically, users put their laptops in hibernate mode instead of shutting them down. I recently checked the devices’ compliance in SCCM for Windows patching, and I could see that the software update compliance isn’t that great for a number of reasons.

It could be your Windows Servers with pending reboot or laptops that haven’t been restarted for some reason. Identifying the computers that need to be restarted could be difficult, but Configuration Manager makes this task simpler for administrators.

When you deploy Software Updates using SCCM, it is important that the update is installed and the machines are restarted. In most cases, the updates require a reboot to complete the installation. Rebooting the computers is necessary because failing to do so will result in incomplete updates and inaccurate reporting.

Once you identify devices that require reboots in SCCM, you can then use the SCCM client restart feature to restart computers from the Configuration Manager console. Learn how to configure the user experience for pending device restart notifications.

Ways to Identify Computers with Pending Restart in ConfigMgr

There are many ways to find the computers that require a restart in SCCM, and they are as follows:

• Use the Configuration Manager console to identify clients that require a restart. Add the “Pending Restart” column in the SCCM console to show the Windows devices that need a restart. Take a look at how to restart devices from SCCM console.
• Use a WQL query to create a device collection and find computers with pending reboots in SCCM.
• Use a custom SCCM Report to get a list of devices with pending reboot.

Method 1: Use the SCCM console to find computers with pending restart

In the Configuration Manager console, you can easily identify devices that require a restart. The pending restart column in the SCCM console shows all the computers that require reboot. And then you can use a client notification action to restart those client devices.

From the Configuration Manager console, you can identify the devices that require restart with the following steps:

• Launch the Configuration Manager console.
• Navigate to Assets and Compliance\Overview\Devices.
• Right-click on the Menu bar and add a new column for Pending Restart.
• If you see the Pending Restart column value as Yes, it means Windows device requires a reboot.

If a device needs a reboot, the Configuration Manager console clearly shows the device details and the reboot values. Configuration Manager identifies devices with pending reboots using certain values. These values are listed in the Configuration Manager console after you add the pending restart column.

Method 2: Find Computers with Pending Reboot in SCCM using WQL Query

With a WQL query, you can create a device collection in SCCM and find all the computers that require restarts. The collection can be set to update frequently (based on your requirements) and get a list of computers with pending restart status.

To create a new device collection, navigate to Assets and Compliance\Overview\Device Collections. Right-click Device Collections and select Create Device Collection. On the General window, enter the name of the collection as “Devices with Pending Reboot“. Click Browse and select a Limiting collection.

Add a new query rule and specify the name for the query. Next, on the Query Rule window, click Edit Query Statement and paste the below WQL query in the Query Language box. The below query will find all the computers with pending restarts.

select SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceID,SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceType,SMS_R_SYSTEM.Name,SMS_R_SYSTEM.SMSUniqueIdentifier,SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceDomainORWorkgroup, SMS_R_SYSTEM.Client from SMS_R_System join sms_combineddeviceresources on sms_combineddeviceresources.resourceid = sms_r_system.resourceid where sms_combineddeviceresources.clientstate != 0

Save the query and complete the remaining steps of create device collection wizard. The device collection updates in the background and the WQL query runs and finds all the computers that need a restart. You may also right-click the device collection and select Update Membership to speed up the collection update process.

Method 3: SCCM Report to Get a list of devices with Pending Reboot

With a custom SCCM report, you can get a list of devices with pending reboot. The SCCM report can be exported to a file and can be reviewed later.

The below screenshot is an example of a custom report that shows the count of clients restarts pending by OS. Once you import this custom report into SCCM, you can run this report from browser or from Configuration Manager console.

Restart Computers from Console

Once you find the computers with pending restart status, you can quickly restart them using the Client Notification > Restart option from the Configuration Manager console.

If you are keen on understanding how the client restart feature works in SCCM, please read how to restart computers from SCCM console.

The client computer receives a restart notification. A notification window opens to inform the user about the restart. By default, the restart occurs after 90 minutes. This can be changed under Client settings > Computer Restart setting. Take a look at all the client settings in Configuration Manager.