Technofriends

As part of ensuring that you are secure, its important that you keep your operating system, installed softwares and hardware firmwares up-to-date.

Once you have bought or installed the operating system, its important to also keep it up-to-date. Having an updated operating system ensures you some more degree of security. In this article, i will explain you how you can keep your windows operating system up-to-date.

Microsoft releases updates to its operating systems and other software’s on a timely basis. The computer on which your Windows operating system is installed, controls how these updates are downloaded and installed on the system. For most of the users, the updates are automatically downloaded and installed on the computer.

How does Automatic Updates work?

When you turn on Automatic Updates, Windows routinely checks the Windows Update Web site for high-priority updates that can help protect your computer from the latest viruses and other security threats. These updates can include security updates, critical updates, and service packs. Depending on the setting you choose ( various settings are discussed below), Windows automatically downloads and installs any high-priority updates that your computer needs, or notifies you as these updates become available.

While the labels vary slightly across the various versions of Windows, the concept and the features are almost the same.

In Windows XP, navigate to the Control Panel and double click on Automatic Updates. In Windows 7, you will need to click on Windows Update once inside Control Panel.

To choose when and how updates will be delivered to your computer, you have four options:

1.) Automatic

Options for setting up Automatic Updates on your computer

When you are connected to the Internet, Windows finds and downloads updates in the background—you are not notified or interrupted during this process and the updates do not interfere with other downloads. If you do not change the default schedule, updates that have been downloaded to your computer will be installed at 3 A.M.

If your computer is turned off during a scheduled update, Windows will install the updates the next time you start your computer. If you need to help complete the installation process, Windows will notify you. For example, you might need to accept an End User License Agreement (EULA) before some updates can be installed. If you need to restart your computer for an update to take effect, Windows will notify you and will restart your computer at the scheduled time.

2.) Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them

To receive alerts, you must be a member of the Administrators group for your computer. When you are connected to the Internet, Windows finds and downloads updates in the background—you are not notified or interrupted during this process and the updates do not interfere with other downloads. After downloading is complete, the Windows Update icon appears in the notification area and an alert pops up, letting you know that the updates are ready to be installed. To review and install available updates, click the icon or the alert. You can install all or some of the available updates.

3.) Notify me but don’t automatically download or install updates

To manually download and install updates, you must be a member of the Administrators group for your computer. Windows checks for important updates and notifies you if any are available; updates are not delivered or installed on your computer until you choose to do so. When Windows finds updates for your computer, the Windows Update icon appears in the notification area and an alert pops up, letting you know that updates are ready to be downloaded. After you click the icon or the alert, you can select some or all of the updates to download.

Windows downloads the updates in the background—you are not notified or interrupted during this process and the updates do not interfere with other downloads. When downloading is complete, the Windows Update icon appears in the notification area again, this time to let you know that the updates are ready to be installed. You can choose to install all or some of the available updates.

4.) Turn off Automatic Updates

You will never be notified when important updates are available for your computer, and you will never be asked to download or install them. This means that your computer can be vulnerable to security threats and harmful viruses that can damage your computer or your files. Viruses can also spread over the Internet to other people with whom you exchange e-mail, share files, or work with on a network.

New viruses and security threats are continually developed by attackers, so helping protect your computer is an ongoing process.

If you are someone who doesn’t want windows to automatically download and update itself, you must keep downloading updates from Windows Update Website regularly.

The above mentioned options are also available with Windows 7. However, as Windows 7 is the latest operating system, it does offer a few more features, like; Windows 7 also allows you to control whether or not the process should include both important and recommended updates, or just the import updates. Windows 7 also allows users to specify if all users can install system updates via Windows Update, and whether or not Windows Update should also update other Microsoft software installed on the computer.

I usually keep my Windows Update option set to Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them ( as shown in the image above).

Also Read: Control Automatic Updates in Windows

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