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Windows Updates keep your university-supported Windows device running efficiently and securely. Information Technology pushes quality updates monthly and major feature updates several times throughout the year. Monthly quality updates are released by Microsoft on the second Tuesday of each month.
When these updates are available, you'll receive a notification of the update, which also gives you the option to pick a time that fits your schedule.
Overview
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When first prompted, you must manage and schedule your updates within the 5-day (calendar days) grace period to ensure that restarts occur during a preferred time. Otherwise, the device will be forced to reboot after the grace period.
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The forced restart will restore any applications that were open but may log off any web-applications.
- If the device is further out of date with Windows Updates, it may stack multiple updates, installs, and reboot cycles to get the device up to date.
See the Example Notifications in the section below, demonstrating options to manage and schedule your Windows Update restart time.
Example Notifications
Early Notifications
These early notifications will appear once the update is available, but before the end of the 5-day grace period. You will have the option to:
- Pick a time: Clicking this option will take you to a scheduling tool, so you can pick a restart time (and reminder) within the next 5 days that works with your schedule.
- Restart tonight: Like the "Pick a time" option, but your computer will schedule a restart after 5PM the same day. Make sure to leave your computer plugged in to power and running.
- Restart Now: The computer will restart and begin the update process immediately.
Later Notifications
You've schedule a restart within the grace period
If you've chosen to "Pick a time" at the previous notification, you'll get a reminder message fifteen minutes of your scheduled restart time.
Here you'll have the following options:
- OK: The device will reboot at the schedule time. Make sure to leave your computer plugged in to power and running.
- Reschedule: If this is no longer a good time for the update and restart, you can pick a new time within the original 5-day window.
- Restart Now: The device will reboot and continue with the update process immediately.
You've not scheduled a restart, and it's within two days before the update deadline
Within two days of the deadline, if you've not scheduled a restart at the earlier notification, you'll receive a more prominent message prompting you to take one of the following actions:
- Pick a time: Clicking this option will take you to a scheduling tool, so you can pick a restart time (and reminder) within the next 5 days that works with your schedule.
- Remind me later: Defer this notice and be prompted again later.
- Restart Now: The computer will restart and begin the update process immediately.
You've not scheduled a restart within 12 hours of the deadline
If you've not scheduled a time for the update and reboot within 12 hours of the deadline, you will be informed of the forced update time with the following options:
- OK: You've acknowledged the incoming update, and the computer will reboot at that time.
- Restart now: Restart now, which will finalize the update.
After the deadline has passed
Once the deadline has passed, you will get a message saying the computer will now reboot.
- Confirm: You've acknowledged the incoming update, and the computer will reboot at that time.
- Restart now: Restart now, which will finalize the update.
When choosing the Reschedule or Pick a time options shown in the Example Notifications, you'll have the option to pick the time within the 5-day grace period that works for you:
