The PALCS computer in your home is one of thousands that is managed by our IT Department. This “management” includes setting permissions on the computer and sending updates. Some of these updates are small and light and will go unnoticed while others are more intensive and will require a restart of the computer.
We feel it is vital that all students and families embrace that restarting your laptop is a necessary task at PALCS.
Computer updates come in two forms.
- Updates to the software and settings managed by PALCS.
Examples are updates to web browsers and the Zoom program. You will know an update is occurring when you see a window like this appear:
Updates will first download and then install. During this process, you are free to continue to work on your computer in other programs.
There will be times when a restart is required to finalize the update. - Updates to the operating system - these are known as Windows Updates.
Window 10 will notify you when an update is required. You should get a message like the one shown below:
Many Windows updates require a restart. You can schedule a time for the restart to occur or do it immediately.
Manually Checking for Updates
You can manually check to see if there are any pending Windows updates by clicking the Start menu at the bottom left and selecting the gear icon/"Settings."
Then click on the "Updates & Security" option.
This screen will let you know if there are any pending updates. Clicking "Check for Updates" will check and see if there are any pending updates.
If there are any pending updates, it will automatically start downloading and installing them.
If it will require a restart, a button will show up once it is ready.
Usually Windows is very good about keeping itself updated, especially when the device is restarted regularly. Which is why it is a good habit to regularly restart/shut down your computer instead of leaving it running. If there is an update that fails to apply or install, it may take a couple of restarts for it to go through.