Abstract

Home computer users are regularly advised to install software updates to stay secure. Windows 10 Home Edition automatically downloads and installs updates, restarting the computer if needed. Automatic restarts can be managed through a number of features, such as ‘active hours’ (within which a computer will not restart to complete an update) or by setting a time for restart. Applications active prior to a restart can register with the operating system, to automatically restart once updates have been installed. This research investigates if the features Microsoft provides for managing updates on Windows 10 Home Edition are appropriate for computer owners. We build a model of Windows 10 update behaviour, identifying interaction points between update features and users. We contrast theory with reality in a survey with 93 Windows 10 Home users, capturing experiences and perceptions. While overall perceptions of updates were positive, the pattern of use of most participants was incompatible with the default ‘active hours’ settings (28% of participants knew of its existence). Participants were mostly unaware of quality (bug fix) updates, mostly perceiving that updates add features. Half of our participants reported unexpected restarts, while half also reported growing concern about the state of their device if an update took a long time. Those with previous negative update experiences had weaker beliefs about their ability to control updates than those who had not. To make the updates less disruptive, applications can request to be restarted by Windows after a reboot. Of the 47 commonly used applications which were tested, only two supported seamless continuation after a restart. Unsaved data were lost in 21 applications, and 14 appeared to rely on internal autosave features to capture unsaved data, but did not completely restore User Interface arrangements. We recommend that operating systems obtain explicit permission for restarts, consistently; there are opportunities for features such as active hours and update progress displays to learn from usage activity. At the same time, applications should be more resilient to restarts to reduce the burden on users to recover their activities.

中文翻译：

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对Windows 10 Home Edition更新功能的感知和支持的分析

摘要

定期建议家用计算机用户安装软件更新以确保安全。Windows 10家庭版自动下载并安装更新，并在需要时重新启动计算机。可以通过许多功能来管理自动重启，例如“活动时间”（在此时间内计算机将不会重新启动以完成更新）或设置重新启动时间。重新启动之前处于活动状态的应用程序可以向操作系统注册，以在安装更新后自动重新启动。这项研究调查了Microsoft提供的用于在Windows 10 Home Edition上管理更新的功能是否适合计算机所有者。我们构建Windows 10更新行为模型，确定更新功能和用户之间的交互点。我们在93位Windows 10家庭用户的调查中将理论与现实进行了对比，捕捉经验和看法。虽然总体上对更新的看法是积极的，但大多数参与者的使用模式与默认的“活动时间”设置不兼容（28％的参与者知道其存在）。参与者大多不了解质量（错误修复）更新，而大多数人认为更新会增加功能。我们一半的参与者报告了意外的重启，而另一半的参与者则表示，如果更新花费了很长时间，他们对其设备状态的担忧会越来越大。与以前没有更新经验的人相比，他们对更新控制能力的信念较弱。为了使更新的破坏性降低，可以在重新启动后请求Windows重新启动应用程序。在经过测试的47个常用应用程序中，只有两个支持重新启动后的无缝继续。未保存的数据在21个应用程序中丢失，其中14个似乎依赖于内部自动保存功能来捕获未保存的数据，但并未完全恢复用户界面的安排。我们建议操作系统始终获得明确的重启许可。有机会提供诸如活动时间和更新进度显示之类的功能，以向使用活动学习。同时，应用程序应对重启具有更大的弹性，以减轻用户恢复活动的负担。有机会提供诸如活动时间和更新进度显示之类的功能，以向使用活动学习。同时，应用程序应对重启具有更大的弹性，以减轻用户恢复活动的负担。有机会提供诸如活动时间和更新进度显示之类的功能，以向使用活动学习。同时，应用程序应对重启具有更大的弹性，以减轻用户恢复活动的负担。