What is Windows Updates

What is Windows Updates and Is it Essential or Not...???

If you are a Microsoft (MS) Windows user, you might have noticed that Windows every few weeks provides updates for you to download. Now that broadband is more popular, these occasionally large, updates are now quicker to install. Microsoft produces an update each time a vulnerability is found in it’s Windows operating system. The update fixes a security hole which helps prevent people attacking your PC and causing damage.



How to use Windows Update

Windows updates can be installed either manually or automatically. If you want to receive critical updates automatically then you can click Start > Control Panel > Automatic Updates. Once here you have a number of options available to help you configure the way updates are downloaded and installed. If you want to leave the computer to decide what is installed and when then select the option “Automatic (Recommended)” and select a time you want the updates to be installed. I have mine set to the default of 3am. If my computer is off at this time (which it always is) then it grabs them when it goes back online. Once installed you then have an option pop up asking you to reboot your PC if the updates require it.

Other options in the automatic updates program are “Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them”, “Notify me but don’t automatically download or install them” and “Turn off automatic updates”. If selecting the last option then it is safer to navigate to update.microsoft.com often to manually check to see what updates are available. To do this, open up your web browser, type in update.microsoft.com in to the address bar (or find the windows update icon in the start menu). Once loaded you will be asked to click various options. I generally use the express option and then just follow the prompts to install the updates. Microsoft make updating your PC a fairly simple process as keeping your OS secure is critical.

What Updates are Available?

The updates available come in 3 categories which are High Priority, Software and Hardware. As the name suggests, the High Priority windows updates are needed to fix various security holes in the operating system. Service packs and roll ups are also included in these critical updates. It is always recommended you install these updates. Software and hardware updates are often optional and are just simple updates that increase performance and functionality of software and hardware on your PC.

Who can Update?

If you are running Microsoft Windows 2000 and above with service pack 4 then you can continue to get Windows updates. Support for Millennium edition was stopped June 2006. If you run Windows XP then you need to install Service pack 2 to continue to get windows updates. For Windows server 2003 you need to make sure you are running at least service pack 1 to carry on receiving updates. All of the service packs are available on the Windows update website. Lets not forget Windows 7… with it being new, any updates can be installed.

How Microsoft Knows what software you need Updating

When running the windows update software your PC is scanned, first to see if you have a genuine copy of Windows and also to see what hardware and software as well as operating system version you run. Once these are detected it produces a list of software which you need to download to make your PC secure and current. If you need details on what an update is for then there is a link on the windows update which allows you to navigate away and see what the update actually does. Unless you enjoy technical type stuff then generally they are not worth reading.

Should you update?

As hackers are always attacking any software they see, Microsoft and other operating system creators need to keep up with this. When exploits are found a patch is created and put in to a Windows update. If you want to keep secure then I always recommend you keep up with your windows updates so that your PC can run at optimal performance and also be secure from many exploits.