Windows 10 Upgrade 2022

The continued use of older or 'end of life’ versions of operating systems exposes computers to potential security threats, most of which could also compromise your personal and private data stored in these devices.

Operating system updates provide fixes to possible bugs and security holes, cleaning up outdated software that may slow down your device. By ensuring that your computer is using the latest version of its operating system, you can protect your devices and data from cybersecurity issues.

It is important for all staff to have access to the most efficient and robust operating systems. Microsoft regularly releases new upgrades to Windows 10 with enhanced security and safety features. Staff will benefit from these enhanced features as well as improved usability and capacity. Most of the benefits are in the back-end of your computer, so you will not see a lot of difference. The only impact to you will be the time your computer takes to upgrade, which will be between 1–3 hours.

An ‘end of life’ or unsupported operating system means that the operating system is at the end of its life cycle. A new version has been created and the old becomes redundant. This means Microsoft no longer releases updates or resolves reported issues on the old operating system.

The upgrades are taking place weekly, from 19th May to 30th June 2022 in batches of six cohorts. Staff will be notified via messages on their computers leading up to the upgrade. If you wish, you can opt-in early to the Windows 10 Upgrade at a time that is convenient for you. Please see Knowledge Base Article KB0016636: Windows 10 Major Updates Quick Reference Guide (opens in a new window) for more information.

If you use a computer with an ‘end of life’ version of Windows 10 that is no longer supported, you will be impacted by this upgrade. If you wish to manually update your computer, please see the Knowledge Base Article above.

To check which operating system you have, type ‘winver’ into the Windows search bar. Unsupported versions are everything below and including 1909. See below.

Yes, you can take your device home and upgrade it at a time and place outside of work hours. If your computer is switched on, connected to the internet, and plugged into power, the upgrade can occur. Please do not attempt to use  your computer while it is updating.

Once the upgrade has begun, the process should not be interrupted. You will not be able to access your computer while it is updating. Please leave your computer on and plugged into power. The upgrade process should take 1–3 hours. Please note that upgrades commonly require a restart.

If your computer is turned off when the automatic upgrade occurs for your cohort, the computer will upgrade the next time you turn it on, provided it is connected to the internet and plugged into power.

Yes! As always, we recommend saving your work and backing up your files, and especially before activating the upgrade. Please see the Knowledge Base Article KB0018542: One Drive Setup and Backup (opens in a new window) for details on how to do this.