Show/Hide navigation
University of Reading

Windows 10 to become main University operating system

Thursday, 02 August 2018

Windows 10 rollout

Microsoft will be stopping support for Windows 7 in January 2020, which means they will no longer provide vital security updates or patches for bugs and technical problems. 

As Windows 7 is still the main operating system used at the University, we need to upgrade all if our Windows 7 computers to Windows 10 before 2020. We will be doing this with a phased rollout up until that point.

Continuing to use an older operating system at the end of its life would pose a security risk to the University, as systems without up-to-date support are generally easier to hack.  As well as reducing risk to the University, upgrading to Windows 10 will provide an opportunity to improve the user experience and to reduce some of the costs of running multiple operating systems.

What’s happening?

New Staff PCs: New PCs purchased for staff members will start coming with Windows 10 installed as its operating system (unless specifically requested otherwise).

Computer Labs: A phased rollout has already started will continue over the coming months. A rollout schedule for labs is available on the IT website.

Labs: As above, a phased rollout for labs has already started and will continue over the coming months. A rollout schedule for labs is available on the IT website.

Please note that labs undergoing upgrades may be out of use for approximately 2-3 days. Posters will be placed on the doors of any affected labs to alert users that they are temporarily unavailable.  

Further updates on the project and general phased rollout will be shared over the coming months.  

Benefits of Windows 10

  • Improved switch on and login times.
  • New features available in Windows 10 and Office 2016 such as improved functionality to collaborate with other people and make use of Office 365 features like OneDrive for Business.
  • Reduced support testing and support costs.

Help and Support

Guides for using Windows 10 are available on IT’s Windows 10 page, including a Quick guide and a Detailed guide. The guides are intended to bridge the gap between Windows 7 and Windows 10 and get you set up as quickly as possible. 

The Windows 10 page also includes project-related information, and will include updates on the general rollout, lab upgrades and project developments. 

If you have any queries, please contact IT.