Getting to Know Windows Update



I have written here countless times how important it is to keep your computer up to date, both for security and performance issues. Microsoft is well aware of this and works to keep our computers up to date with "patches". Every second Tuesday of the month, Microsoft releases "patches" or "updates" for all of their operating systems. With Windows Update running on your PC these updates can, and should be scheduled to automatically download and install.

The one exception to this practice are servers which should have the "patches" and "updates" downloaded automatically however the installation of these changes should be manually completed by an IT professional on staff. However other then this situation it is almost always the best practice to have Windows Update running on your PC and scheduled to automatically download and install these updates.

You can check to make sure your PC is setup for this by:

1. Opening the Control Panel
2. Opening Windows Update
3. Open Change Settings
4. Make Sure "Install updates automatically (recommended) is selected.
5. Pick a time to install the new updates. I usually check 3am because in this manner I can be assured that while I am cozy and sleeping my computer is being updated by Microsoft.

By doing this you can be assured that your computer is up to date with Microsoft.

However, once in a great while this update can go horribly wrong as it did for me today, but that is a story for another day, or more likely my next post.