Tech Trick Tuesday: Windows Updates - Why They're Important

Tech Problem:  Does the above look familiar to you? Many staff members in our district see this message regularly and "Postpone" over and over again.

Tech Trick: - Log-off, don't shut down at the end of a lesson/school day.

Questions You May Have:

1.) Why does this message keep popping up on my computer?
Because your computer has missed an automatic update install.

There's an easy, free way to help keep your PC safer and running smoothly and it's called Windows Updates. These updates will allow you to get the latest security and other important updates from Microsoft automatically. To attempt to make these updates as unobtrusive as possible our district has scheduled these updates to occur after school hours certain days of the week. The only way computers in our district can receive these updates is if staff logs off their computers at the end of the day. The computers will then automatically "wake up" after school to receive the updates and then go back to sleep.

**Please restart a computer/laptop anytime you see the "updates are pending, restart" message (above), even if you postpone that message for the time being. Once an update has missed, and you start receiving the "updates are pending, restart" message, the machine requires a reboot/restart. To avoid missing these updates and having to restart simply log-off of your machine at the end of each day.

TL;DR - Too long; didn't read
- Staff and students should log off and NOT shut down their desktop computers/laptops when they are finished with them at the end of a lesson or day.

2. ) Should I be 'Restarting now' or 'Postponing'?
If you are in the middle of a lesson postpone until there is a more convenient time to restart as the machine will be taken over until all updates have been made. It is important to restart your computer to allow those updates to be made, and the more often you postpone the more at risk your machine is to threats. It will also take your machine much longer to update (if there are many updates waiting to be loaded onto the machine) because of multiple postpones. We recommend restarting at the end of the day as your are walking out the door. You don't need to stay until the restart is complete, just press the button, walk away, and your computer will be ready for you the next day.

TL;DR- A restart a day keeps the technicians away.