In Windows Vista, you can allow the Windows Update to automatically download and install the Important updates as well as the Recommended updates. The Windows Update service is an easy and reliable way to make sure that the Windows on your computer stays updated. Depending upon your settings, Windows Vista can automatically check for Windows updates regularly and download the same from the Microsoft servers. However, if you so wish, you can change these settings and select the appropriate option for your computer for the automatic updates for Windows. This may be necessary when you don’t have a fast Internet connection. It also depends upon whether you have the tendency to forget to manually check for the Windows updates yourself. Windows Update provides security and reliability updates, drivers, service packs, and various feature updates to your computer. Many of these updates may be essential for your computer as they may also be providing you with the latest patches for security on the basis of any recent security defects noticed in the Windows. Due to these reasons, it is advisable to turn on the automatic updates for Windows so that it can regularly check for updates and download and install most of these updates automatically for your computer.
This article is meant for Windows Vista. If you want to learn about the similar procedure for Windows XP, then read How to enable or disable Automatic Windows Updates in XP.
(A) Selecting option for automatic updates when you set up your new computer:
You can set the appropriate options for automatic updates in Windows Vista at the time of setting up your new computer itself. During the set up process, when you are asked if you want to “Help protect Windows automatically”, select either of the following two options if you want to allow the Windows Update to check, download, and install new updates for your computer automatically:
(1) The first option is “Use recommended settings” which will enable you to automatically receive (i.e., checking, downloading and installing) all Important and Recommended updates.
(2) The second option “Install important updates only” will check, download, and automatically install only the Important updates.
If you are not sure which option to select at the time of setting up your new PC, you can choose the third option “Ask me later”, which will allow you to select your option with regard to automatic updates at a later stage.
(B) Selecting option for automatic updates at a later stage from the Control Panel:
If you want to change the settings for the automatic updates at a later stage, i.e., at a subsequent stage when your new computer has already been set up, you can still do so anytime quite easily with the Windows Update control panel. To do so, proceed as under:
From this screen, you can select any of the following four options for enabling or disabling the Automatic Updates for Windows Vista:
(1) Install updates automatically (recommended):
This will enable the automatic updates. This option means that your computer will automatically check, download and install the updates for your computer. This option also allows you to select the day and time for scheduled updates to download and install.
(2) Download updates but let me choose whether to install them:
This option also allows the Windows to automatically download the updates, when you are online; but, with this option, you can choose whether or not you want to install the downloaded updates.
(3) Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them:
If this third option is selected, the Windows will automatically search for the updates; however, it will not download those updates automatically; instead, you’ll be notified when new updates are available and you can decide whether or not to download and install them.
(4) Never check for updates (not recommended):
This fourth option can be used to disable or turn off the automatic updates. With this option selected, the Windows Vista will not check for any updates. If you decide to disable the automatic updates by selecting this fourth option, it would be desirable that you should yourself check for the Windows updates manually at regular intervals to ensure that your Windows Vista remains updated.
Important updates and Recommended updates:
As we have already seen, in Windows Vista, there are two types of automatic updates, namely, Important updates and Recommended Updates. When you select any of the first three options shown in the figure above for automatic updates, Windows Vista will automatically check (and download and install them too, depending upon your selected option) for the Important updates. However, if you want to also include the Recommended updates while Windows is automatically checking / downloading / installing, then you can put the check mark (i.e., select) in the check-box at the bottom of the above figure which has the title of “Include recommended updates when downloading, installing, or notifying me about updates”.
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