Rebooting and Updating Your Computer Regularly - Why it's Important

Contributed by Karen Compton

ITS would like to remind everyone about a few things you should be doing to keep your computer well-maintained:

Install operating system updates when prompted

Both Windows and Mac computers have an automatic update feature that downloads and installs updates for the operating system. When new updates are available, you should see a notification to install them. Please don’t ignore these prompts! The updates are often security related and should be installed as soon as possible.
Another example of an important update is one related to your computer’s time. New Daylight Saving Time dates go into effect this year, and both Microsoft and Apple have released system patches that will ensure that your computer’s time is coordinated with the new DST rules.

Shutdown and reboot on a daily basis

While it may take a few extra minutes a day to wait for your computer to go through the start-up process, it’s an important “best practice”. For college-owned Windows computers, ITS uses the Novell login process to deliver certain kinds of updates to your computer. It’s important to shutdown regularly so that your computer can get necessary updates when you reboot and login to Novell.
Also, leaving your computer off at night helps to save energy and protect your computer from unauthorized access.

If you have any questions please contact the Helpdesk at helpdesk@ithaca.edu or 4-3282.