Windows updates are about to get much longer, with Microsoft saying the OS needs at least eight hours to properly update.
Windows updates are already one of the most frustrating part of many users’ daily lives. The process is long and involved, and happens far more often than many users would like. To make matters worse, updates fail at times, leading to a whole slew of additional issues.
According to David Guyer, on the company’s Windows IT Pro Blog, users should be allocating at least eight hours for updates.
“Microsoft has invested significant effort into understanding why Windows devices are not always fully up to date,” writes Guyer. “One of the most impactful things we explored was how much time a device needs to be powered on and connected to Windows Update to be able to successfully install quality and feature updates. What we found is that devices that don’t meet a certain amount of connected time are very unlikely to successfully update. Specifically, data shows that devices need a minimum of two continuous connected hours, and six total connected hours after an update is released to reliably update. This allows for a successful download and background installations that are able to restart or resume once a device is active and connected.”
It’s a safe bet no one is going to be happy with this recommendation, from home users to IT managers.
