And the next thing it says is to not turn off your computer. So here you are putting your life on hold while your computer appears to be doing nothing for quite some time. Maybe you really need to get to work and have deadlines to meet. There isn’t an easy out when the computer is updating the operating system and some of the Windows 10 updates are pretty hefty. It is true that we could install Windows 10 on a new hard drive more quickly than some of these cumulative updates take to install and we have had many calls about this in the last few months. The quickest way to see your friendly Eagle Technician at your desk is to shut it off or unplug it. It will usually damage the operating system and require a reinstall. Yes, we know how it happened. Here at Eagle headquarters, we refer to it as “smothering it with a pillow.” Letting the update run the course might take some time, but it almost always completes eventually. We have seen some updates take up to 2 hours depending on the age and speed of the computer, which is a good reason to refresh your hardware on a regular basis. Time is money, and slow computers cost more and more in the long run.
Another scenario is that it’s the end of the day and you want to leave as soon as possible. You click Start and the only option is to “Update and shut down.” How frustrating! If you have a desktop you don’t plan on taking home, that’s fine. Just get it over with, let it update and walk away so it gets the current patches and is more secure the next time you log on. But if you have a laptop, you probably need it outside of work and you don’t want to wait. If you close the screen lid, it hibernates and could potentially cause corruption. If you unplug the power cable to your laptop before you shut it down, the update option should disappear and just allow you to power it down gracefully and go about your merry way. This is a built-in feature so that your battery can’t run out while it is updating and, well, smother it.
Kaleb Jacob