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By Root 1395 0

its software and releases patches on the second Tuesday of every month. Sadly, because earlier versions of Windows let users decide when, if ever, to update their computers, the net result could be disastrous. The Blaster worm hammered computers all over the world in the summer of 2003, causing thousands of computers to start rebooting spontaneously—no small feat for a tiny piece of programming! Blaster exploited a flaw in Windows 2000/XP and spread like wildfire, but Microsoft had already corrected the flaw with a security update weeks earlier. If users had simply updated their computers, the virus would not have caused such widespread damage.

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EXAM TIP You might be asked about installing service packs and patches on the CompTIA A+ 220-701 and 220-702 exams. Pay attention to the steps listed here.

The Internet has enabled Microsoft to make updates available, and Windows Update can grab those updates and patch user systems easily and automatically. Even if you don’t want to allow Windows Update to patch your computer automatically, it’ll nag you about updates until you patch your system. Microsoft provides the Windows Update service for all versions of Windows.

Once Microsoft released Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, it began pushing for wholesale acceptance of automatic updates from Windows Update. You can also start Windows Update manually. When your computer is connected to the Internet, start the utility in Windows 2000 by selecting Start | Windows Update. In Windows XP/Vista/7 you will find it at Start | All Programs | Windows Update. When you run Windows Update manually, the software connects to the Microsoft Web site and scans your computer to determine what updates you may need. Within a few seconds or minutes, depending on your connection speed, you’ll get a straightforward screen like the one shown in Figure 17-1.

You have several choices here, although two are most obvious. If you click the Express button, Windows Update will grab any high-priority updates—these are security patches—and install them on your computer. If you click the Custom button, you can select from a list of optional updates.

Figure 17-1 Microsoft Windows Update page

Figure 17-2 shows the updater with a list of patches and security updates. You can scroll through the list and review the description of each update. You can deselect the checkbox next to a patch or update, and Windows Update will not download or install it. If you click the Clear All button, as you might suspect, all the updates will be removed from the list. When you click Install Updates, all the updates remaining in the list will be installed.

Automatic Updates

Updates are so important that Microsoft gives you the option to update Windows automatically through the Automatic Updates feature. Actually, it nags you about it! Soon after installing Windows (a day or two, in my experience), a message balloon will pop up from the taskbar suggesting that you automate updates. If you click this balloon, the Automatic Updates Setup Wizard runs, with which you can configure the update program. You say you’ve never seen this message balloon but would like to automate the update process? No problem. In Windows 2000 and XP, simply right-click My Computer (on the Start menu), select Properties, click the Automatic Updates tab, and select Automatic Update options. Or, open the Control Panel and double-click the Automatic Updates icon. In Windows Vista, go to Start | Windows Update to open the Windows Update dialog box. Click the Change settings menu item on the left for options. Whenever your computer connects to the Web, it checks the Windows Update page. What happens next depends on the setting you choose. You have four choices:

Figure 17-2 Choose updates to be installed

Automatic (recommended) or Install updates automatically (recommended) Windows Update will simply keep your computer patched up and ready to go. This is the best option for most users, although not necessarily good for users of portable computers. Nobody wants to log into a slow hotel dial-up