Connect your PC for 8 hours to get updates, says Microsoft

Microsoft has said that computers need to be connected to the internet for eight uninterrupted hours in order to receive Windows updates.

In a blog post (www.snipca. com/40770), David Guyer, Program Manager for Windows Updates, said that computers need “a minimum of two continuous connected hours” to get the update, and then six connected hours after to “reliably update”.

Guyer said this “allows for a successful download and background installations that are able to restart or resume once a device is active and connected”.

His comments follow Microsoft research into why some computers fail to update regularly. It concluded that half of computers running an out-of-date version of Windows 10 don’t spend enough time connected to the internet to download and install updates.

He added that Microsoft uses the term ‘Update Connectivity’ to describe how long a computer is switched on and connected to Microsoft services such as Windows Update.

It uses this information to “better understand which devices simply don’t have enough connected time to successfully update”, and to evaluate the security risk these rarely connected devices actually pose.

While Guyer’s blog is aimed at IT managers running departments, it’s also relevant to home users who may be using unsafe versions of Windows 10 because they don’t spend long enough online to receive updates. His advice is to leave machines plugged in overnight and connected to the internet.

Windows should install updates automatically, but you can trigger them yourself in Settings. Press Windows key+i to open Settings, then ‘Update & Security’ and Windows should search for updates ready to be installed.

Do you regularly spend eight hours online uninterrupted? Let us know: letters@computeractive. co.uk