Required Microsoft Updates
Overview
Microsoft updates occur monthly and can interfere with tasks when a forced update occurs. Below is a timeline of how these updates occur to help prevent the interruption of a forced update.
Updates are necessary due to frequent security patches to fix vulnerabilities that may make a machine more susceptible to a malicious attack. They are also necessary for functionality improvements.
Timeline
- Updates are deployed on the first work day of each month.
- Update installations will be forced on the last Thursday of each month at 7:00 am.
- Users will see balloon pop-ups every 48 hours if the forced installation time is greater than 24 hours away.
- Users will see balloon pop-ups every 4 hours if the forced installation time is less than 24 hours away.
- Users will see balloon pop-ups every 15 minutes if the forced installation time is less than 1 hour away.
- Once the updates have been installed the user will have 3 hours to restart the computer before it restarts automatically.
- The user will see a window that cannot be closed during the last 90 minutes before the computer is forced to restart.
Helpful Tips
- Set a reminder on your computer to update your computer at a time that is convenient to you (i.e. beginning of the work day, end of the work day, lunch break)
- Do not wait until an update is forced. This can cause interruption in your daily tasks, important meetings, etc.
- When updates occur, it takes approximately 10-60 minutes. Please plan accordingly.