Self-Service Software and Updates FAQs

FAQs

• What is the easiest way for me to install updates?

  You will receive notification in the bottom right task tray that Software changes are required. The Microsoft notification typically appears on the second Wednesday of each month as updates become available from the vendor.

  

  Open the notification to access the Software Center. Under the Updates menu select the Install All button. You can now continue to use your computer. Updates will install and be applied at the next reboot. (Note: if your computer is not rebooted before the following Sunday maintenance window, it will do a self-restart to apply the updates)

  

• What if I select the Install All button, but do not shut my computer down at the end of the day?

  Your computer will do a self-restart on during the Sunday morning maintenance window and apply the updates.

• What if I ignore the Software changes notification and shut my computer down?

  If your computer is turned off without installing the updates, when you reboot the updates will begin installing on their own.

  After they are installed a restart will be required. If you do not restart at this time, the computer will do a self-restart in 240 minutes

• What if I am working and I get prompted to reboot?

  You will receive notifications starting at 4 hours before any pending reboot. An on screen timer will begin at 30 minutes with a countdown of when the computer will reboot. A 10 minute reminder will also be sent. Be sure to save any work before then. Many of our enterprise applications like Microsoft Office (Word/Excel) have auto saving features built in that could recover work where you left off if you ignore the warnings, but are not guaranteed.

  

• What if I ignore the Software changes notification and leave my computer on?

  If software update notifications are ignored and your computer is powered on, it will restart automatically during the maintenance window.

   

• What if I my UNF device does not have the Software Center (Windows) or Self Service (Mac)?

  Contact the UNF ITS Help Desk for assistance in getting Software Center or Self Service for your device.

• I have a UNF device that runs Linux or another Operating System. Is self-service available to me?

  Not at this time. UNF client systems are predominantly Windows and Mac. We recognize that there are some Linux devices on campus – but these are not directly supported by self-service tools.

• What if I restart/shutdown my computer at the end of the day?

  Before you shut down, be sure to access the Software Center. Under the Updates menu select the Install All button. The notification typically appears on the second Wednesday of each month as updates become available from the vendor. When you restart/shutdown at the end of the day the updates are completely installed.

• I was not in the office for an extended amount of time. Do I still get 4 days to install?

  No, updates work on a deadline schedule per update. This means that each update has a 4 day deadline set. If you come into the office a week after an update is released, the update will be beyond that day. Updates that are required and not installed before their deadline are installed right away and you have 4 hours to reboot your computer (typically during lunch/end of day).

• Is it better to turn my computer off on the weekends?

  Leaving your computer running and locked for the weekend will install all updates and reboot automatically. If you turn off your computer, you will need to get into the habit of clicking install updates in software center before shutting down for the weekend. Failing to do so will mean the updates will be automatically installed and you will be forced to reboot within 4 hours of turning on your computer when you return.