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Keep Your Computer Secure: Updates and Restarting

Keep Your Computer Secure: Updates and Restarting

One of the simplest—and most effective—ways to improve your computer’s performance and security is to restart it regularly.

Computer Updates Matter

Keeping your computer’s operating system and applications up to date is a key security practice and a requirement under the University’s Information Resources Use and Security Policy (IRUSP).

Unpatched systems are among the most common targets for cyberattacks. Regular updates help protect both your device and University data by closing known security gaps.

You can think of updates like re-keying an office after a key is lost, they help prevent unauthorized access and safeguard what matters.

 

Restarting Your Computer is Essential

Installing updates is only part of the process - a restart is often required to complete installation. Without restarting, important security fixes may not be fully applied.

Making a habit of restarting your computer at least once a week helps:

  • Ensure updates are properly installed

  • Improve system performance

  • Reduce application crashes

  • Prevent issues with hardware and peripherals

Restarting is different from putting your computer to sleep or closing the lid. To fully restart:

  • Use the Start Menu (Windows)

  • The Apple Menu (macOS)

 

Don’t updates happen automatically?

LAITS supports UT-owned commputers by pushing operating system updates and many standard applications. However:

  • Not all applications are centrally managed (especially those you install yourself)

  • Updates may not be completed without a restart

  • Occasionally, updates can stall and need a manual restart to finish

While systems are configured to receive updates outside business hours, laptops and actively used machines may not always do so.

 

Regular restarts improve performance

Your computer has a limited amount of working memory (RAM) to run applications. Over time, this memory can become strained as tasks build up. Restarting clears this memory and gives your system a fresh start. Without regular restarts, you may notice:

  • Slower performance

  • Application instability

  • Peripheral or connectivity issues

 

What about Research Computers?

Some research computers, particularly those used to control instruments or for data collection, are configured differently from standard systems. In many cases, automatic updates are limited or disabled, and updates must be installed manually.

This approach helps minimize disruptions to ongoing research, such as unexpected restarts or potential compatibility issues between specialized scientific software and operating system updates.

If you are responsible for a research system, it’s important to confirm the appropriate update process for that device before making changes.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please submit a ticket with LAITS for guidance.

 

LAITS recommendation

To keep your computer secure and running at its best:

✅ Restart your computer at least once a week
✅ Restart when prompted after updates
✅ Ensure applications you self-install are also kept up to date