Some of you might have received a mail with the subject “Windows 7 Service Pack 1 – Weekend rollout” from “IT – Algemene Navrae – General Enquiries”.

This is not a scam or a hoax! 

This mail was sent out by ITUS to a specific targeted group – all people with Windows 7 on their PCs that do not have Service Pack 1 installed. 

• If you did NOT receive the mail then your PC is already up to the correct patch level and no further action is required from you. 

• If you DID receive the mail then it is important that you follow the instructions in the mail mentioned above carefully, in other words, do NOT switch off your computer when you leave for home on Friday afternoon. You do not have to be logged in to the machine, it just has to be switched on and displaying the “Ctrl + Alt + Delete to log on” message. 

[ARTICLE BY DAVID WILES]

EXAMPLE OF THE NOTIFICATION E-MAIL

ITUS – Stellenbosch University – critical update

August – October 2013

The When:

• Weekend of …….  2013.
  If your workstation is a desktop PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU DO NOT SWITCH IT OFF TOMORROW. 
  You may lock it or log off, but please do not switch the PC off this weekend (tomorrow) – once you leave the office at the end of the day.
  Please make sure to save and close your work (e.g. open word documents, etc.) before you leave.

The Who:

• ITUS has found that your version of Windows 7 requires a critical update: “Service Pack 1”.
  Please read this email thoroughly!

The What:

• As your computer forms part of our SUN network and is an asset of the University of Stellenbosch, it is crucial to keep your computer updated and secure.  ITUS will be engaging in a campus wide rollout of this “Windows 7 Service Pack 1” to all computers that require it.

The How:

• ITUS will be utilising an automated process to update your Windows 7. The automated process will target a few computers at a time starting tomorrow evening at 19h00 and will be completed before Sunday at 19h00.
• If you find yourself working on the office computer this weekend, this is what you could expect :
  This process will download and execute the installation of the update, automatically. These actions will execute in the background as not to interfere with your working experience.  However, at completion of the said installation, a computer “Restart” is necessary. This will also be an automatic action.

1. 1.       You will be notified via a pop-up, after which the computer will restart. This is pop-up will act as a countdown, to allow you to save any work if needed. This allows you 2 minutes to save your work or to send that last email! J
2. Please note the restart is mandatory and cannot be undone.
3. After the restart, the final stage of the installation will commence. This might include, but is not limited to, flickering of the screen, rebooting once, displaying the progress of the installation. This part of the process might take upwards of 10 minutes to complete.
4. PLEASE NOTE: You will not be able to work on the computer at this stage; ideal time for a coffee/tea break! Please do not at any time manually switch off or restart your computer. 
5. Once the computer displays the Welcome screen, the installation is done and you may continue to log in etc.

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The automated process is one that ITUS will be using more frequently as there is much less interruption to workflow. In the unlikely event that the Welcome screen does not display within 30 minutes of the restart, please contact ITUS as soon as possible by dialling the IT Service Desk on 0218084367.

We thank you for your support and understanding!