Students using a personal computer on campus are required to update their systems regularly. By default, updates are set to run automatically on computers running Microsoft Windows (any version) and Mac OS X. Faculty and staff computers on campus are set to automatically run operating system updates, and patches for third party software are managed by CIS.
Update a Windows 7 Computer
- Open the start menu and type the word update in the search bar.
- When the search completes, choose the Windows Update option under the Control Panel category.
- Click Check for Updates on the left side of the Windows Update window. Updates that are found are shown in the main area of the window. Click Install Updates to begin the update process, or continue to step 4 for more update options.
- Click the link saying X important updates are available or X optional updates are available (where X is the number of available updates) to view information on individual updates. Optionally, select/deselect items that should/should not be installed using the check boxes next to the items.
- When updates are complete, restart the computer if prompted to do so.
Service Packs
Microsoft provides large, comprehensive update packages known as Service Packs for Windows operating systems. Because of the level of system changes involved when installing a Service Pack, CIS does not support installing Service Pack updates on student computers. Ensure you have adequate data backups and use caution when installing a Service Pack on a system.
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