4/16/2017 HowtoconfigureanduseAutomaticUpdatesinWindows

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How to configure and use Automatic Updates in

Windows

For a Microsoft Windows 2000 version of this article, see

327850 .

For a Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition version of this article, see

268331 .

INTRODUCTION

This article describes how to configure the Automatic Updates features in Windows to notify
you when important updates are available for your computer. You can also specify the
schedule that Windows follows to install updates on your computer.

Note Advanced users and IT Professionals can configure Automatic Updates by using Group
Policy in an Active Directory environment, or by using registry settings in a nonActive
Directory environment. For more information about how to configure Automatic Updates by
using these methods, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:

328010 How to configure automatic updates by using Group Policy or registry settings

Prerequisites

Use the latest version of Automatic Updates feature

This article assumes that you are using the latest Automatic Updates feature. The latest
Automatic Updates feature is included with Windows XP Service Pack 2 and later, with
Windows Vista, with Windows 7, with Windows 8, and with Windows 8.1. For more
information about the Automatic Update feature of Windows 8 and 8.1, see the following
Microsoft webpage:
Windows Update: Frequently asked questions
If you are using Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition,
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If you are using Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, and Windows XP 64Bit
Edition, install Windows XP SP2 or Windows XP Service Pack 3 SP3 to obtain the latest
Automatic Updates feature. If you are using Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home
Edition, and Windows XP 64Bit Edition, install Windows XP SP2 or Windows XP Service Pack
3 SP3 to obtain the latest Automatic Updates feature. For more information about how to
obtain SP2, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:

322389 How to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack

Note You must have either Windows XP SP1a or Windows XP SP2 installed in order to install
Windows XP SP3.

Log on as computer administrator

In Windows XP Home Edition, you must be logged on as a computer administrator to install

components or modify Automatic Updates settings. In Windows XP Professional, you must be
logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group.
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/admin
In Windows Vista or in Windows 7, you will be prompted for an administrator password or
confirmation.

Note If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may prevent you
from completing the procedures in this article. Contact the network administrator if you do
not have permission to complete these procedures.

Resolution

Turn on and use Automatic Updates

Turn on Automatic Updates.

Windows 8 and Windows 8.1

To turn on Automatic Updates yourself, follow these steps:

1. Open Windows Update by swiping in from the right edge of the screen or, if you're
using a mouse, by pointing to the lowerright corner of the screen and moving the
mouse pointer up, then tapping or clicking Settings, tapping or clicking Change PC
settings, and then tapping or clicking Update and recovery.

2. Tap or click Choose how updates get installed.

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2. Tap or click Choose how updates get installed.

3. Under Important updates, select the option that you want.

4. Under Recommended updates, select the Give me recommended updates the same
way I receive important updates check box, and then click Apply.

Windows Vista and Windows 7

To turn on Automatic Updates yourself, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, type Windows update in the search box, and then click Windows Update in
the Programs list.

2. In the left pane, click Change settings.

3. Select the option that you want.

4. Under Recommended updates, select the Give me recommended updates the same
way I receive important updates or Include recommended updates when
downloading, installing, or notifying me about updates check box, and then click
OK.

Windows XP

To turn on Automatic Updates yourself, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then press ENTER.

2. Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click to select one of the following options.
We recommend that you select the Automatic recommended Automatically
download recommended updates for my computer and install them option.
Automatic recommended Automatically download recommended updates for
my computer and install them

If you select this option, Windows recognizes when you are online and uses your
Internet connection to find updates on the Windows Update Web site or on the
Microsoft Update Web site that apply to your computer. Updates are
downloaded automatically in the background, and you are not notified or
interrupted during this process. An icon appears in the notification area of your
taskbar when the updates are being downloaded. You can point to the icon to
view the download status. When the download is complete, you receive another
message in the notification area so that you can review the updates that are
scheduled for installation.
Click to select the day and time for scheduled updates to download and
install. You can schedule Automatic Updates for any time of day. However,
your computer must be on at the scheduled time for updates to be
installed.
You can choose to install the updates as soon as they
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You can choose to install the updates as soon as they are finished
downloading. To do this, click the download message or update icon, and
then click Install. If you choose not to install the updates when they finish
downloading, Windows starts the installation on your set schedule.

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

If you select this option, Windows recognizes when you are online and uses your
Internet connection to automatically download updates from the Windows
Update Web site or from the Microsoft Update Web site. An icon appears in the
notification area of your taskbar when the updates are being downloaded. You
can point to the icon to view the download status. When the download is
complete, you receive another message in the notification area so that you can
review the updates that are scheduled for installation.
When you want to install the downloaded update, click the message or
update icon, and then click Install to install the update.

If you do not want to install a downloaded update, click Details, and then
click to clear the check box next to that update to decline it.

Notify me but don't automatically download or install them

If you select this option, Windows recognizes when you are online and uses your
Internet connection to search for downloads from the Windows Update Web site
or from the Microsoft Update Web site. An Automatic Updates icon and
message appear in the notification area of your taskbar when new updates are
available to download or to install.
Click the icon or message to view the updates. If you do not want to
download a selected update, click to clear the check box next to that
update to decline it. Click Start Download to download the selected
updates. The Automatic Updates icon remains in the notification area of
your taskbar while the updates are being downloaded. You can point to the
icon to view the download status.

When the download is complete, you receive another message in the

notification area stating that the updates are ready to install. Click the
Automatic Updates icon or the message, and then click Install to install
the updates.

3. Click OK.

For more information about how to schedule Automatic Updates, click the following article
number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

327838 How to schedule automatic updates in Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows
Server 2003

Have Windows remind you about pending updates

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Have Windows remind you about pending updates

When you configure Automatic Updates to notify you before you download or install
updates, Windows notifies you by displaying an icon and message in the notification area of
your taskbar.

If you do not want to download or install the update immediately, click the Automatic
Updates icon or message in the notification area of your taskbar, and then click Remind Me
Later in the Automatic Updates dialog box. In the Reminder dialog box, you can specify the
time that Windows should wait before reminding you.

If the reminder is for downloading, Windows reminds you only when you are connected to
the Internet. If the reminder is for installing, Windows reminds you according to the schedule
that you specify.

Pause or resume downloading

After the download process has started, you can pause or resume downloading at any time. If
you close your Internet connection or restart your computer after pausing a download
process, Windows automatically resumes the download process the next time that you are
connected to the Internet.

To pause or resume downloading:

1. During the download process, click the icon that is displayed in the notification area,
and then click Pause.

2. When you are ready for Windows to start to download again, click the Automatic
updating icon, and then click Resume.

Restore declined updates

If you decide not to download a specific update, you can prompt Automatic Updates to offer
that update again. To restore declined updates:
1. Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then press Enter.

2. Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click Offer updates again that I've
previously hidden.

3. Click Yes to restore declined updates.

Turn off Automatic Updates

If you want to turn off the automatic updates, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then press Enter.

2. Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click to select

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2. Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click to select Turn off Automatic
Updates.

3. Click OK.

Next steps

If these steps did not work for you, you can use the Microsoft Customer Support Services
Web site to find other solutions to your problem. Some services that the Microsoft Customer
Support Services Web sites provide include the following:
Searchable Knowledge Base: Search technical support information and selfhelp tools
for Microsoft products.

Solution Centers: View productspecific frequently asked questions and support

highlights.

Other Support Options: Use the Web to ask a question, contact Microsoft Customer
Support Services, or provide feedback.

More Information

Update your files by using Windows Update or by using Microsoft Update

If you decide not to use Automatic Updates, you can still install specific updates from the
Windows Update Web site or from the Microsoft Update Web site. Windows Update and
Microsoft Update are catalogs of items such as drivers, security fixes, important updates,
current Help files, and Internet products that you can download to keep your computer up to
date.

To update the system files with the latest important updates by using the Windows Update
Web site or by using the Microsoft Update Web site, follow these steps:
1. Start Microsoft Internet Explorer.

2. On the Tools menu, click Windows Update.

3. Click Yes if you are prompted to install any required software.

The Windows Update home page or the Microsoft Update home page appears.

4. Click Express Install Recommended: High Priority Updates for Your Computer.
Windows Update or Microsoft Update looks for any important updates that are

available for your computer.

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available for your computer.

5. Click Install to install all available important updates.

You can also search the Windows Update Catalog or the Microsoft Update Catalog to find
updates that you can download and install later on one or more computers that run Windows
98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003
across your home or corporate network.

Note We recommend that only advanced users and administrators download updates from
the Windows Update Catalog or from the Microsoft Update Catalog. For more information
about how to use the Windows Update Catalog, click the following article number to view the
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

323166 How to download updates that include drivers and hotfixes from the Windows
Update Catalog

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Article ID: 306525 Last Review: 05Aug2016 Revision: 1

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