SUMMARY
If you are logged on as an administrator, the Automatic
Updates feature in Microsoft Windows XP notifies you when critical updates are available
for your computer. You can also specify the schedule that Windows follows to
install updates on your computer. This article describes how to configure the
Automatic Updates features in Windows XP.
Note This article assumes that you are using the latest Automatic Updates
feature. Automatic Updates is included with Windows XP Professional, Windows XP
Home Edition, and Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, but the latest Automatic Updates
feature is included with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Service Pack 2 (SP2), Windows XP Media Center
Edition SP2, and Windows XP Professional SP2, Windows XP Home
Edition SP2, and Windows XP 64-Bit Edition SP2.
If you use Automatic Updates with Windows XP Professional,
Windows XP Home Edition, and Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, the feature may have
been automatically updated on your computer. If the options that are described in step 2 of the
Turn On and Use Automatic
Updates section are not available, install Windows XP SP2 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
Change the Settings for Automatic Updating
To change the settings for Automatic Updates, use the
Automatic Updates tab in
System Properties as described
in the appropriate sections later in this article. 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. If your
computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may prevent you
from completing these procedures.
Windows may prompt you to restart
your computer after certain components are installed. Restart your computer
when prompted; otherwise, your computer might not work
correctly.
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 non-Active 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
Turn On and Use Automatic Updates
- Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then press ENTER.
- 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 click this setting, click
to select the day and time for scheduled updates to occur. You can schedule Automatic Updates for any time of day. Remember, your computer must be on at the scheduled time for updates to be installed. After you set 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. To pause or to resume the
download, right-click the icon, and then click Pause or
Resume. When the download is completed, another message
appears in the notification area so that you can review the updates that are scheduled for
installation. If you choose not to install at that time, Windows starts the
installation on your set schedule.
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
- Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them
After you set 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. To pause or to resume the download, right-click the icon, and then click
Pause or Resume. When the download is
complete, a message appears in the notification area. Click the Automatic
Updates icon or message. 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. Click Install to install the
selected updates. - Notify me but don't automatically download or install them
After you set
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. To
pause or to resume the download, right-click the icon, and then click
Pause or Resume. When the download is
complete, another message appears in the notification area to inform you that
the updates are ready to install. Click the Automatic Updates icon or the message,
and then click Install to install the updates.
- Click OK.
Turn Off Automatic Updates
- Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then press ENTER.
- Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click to select Turn off Automatic Updates.
- Click OK.
Have Windows Remind You About Pending Updates
When you configure Automatic Updates to notify you before
downloading or installing updates, Windows notifies you that updates are ready
to be downloaded or installed by displaying an icon and message in the
notification area of your taskbar. If you do not want to download or install
the update now, 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:
- During the download process, click the icon that is
displayed in the notification area, and then click Pause.
- When you are ready for Windows to start downloading 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:
- Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then press ENTER.
- Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click Offer updates again that I've previously hidden.
- Click Yes to restore declined
updates.
Update Your Files by Using Windows Update or by Using Microsoft Update
If you choose 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, critical updates, the latest Help
files, and Internet products that you can download to keep your computer
up-to-date.
To update your system files with the latest critical
updates by using the Windows Update Web site or by using the Microsoft Update Web site, follow these steps:
- Start Microsoft Internet Explorer.
- On the Tools menu, click Windows
Update.
- Click Yes if you are prompted to install
any required software.
The Windows Update home page or the Microsoft Update home page appears. - Click Express Install (Recommended): High Priority Updates for Your Computer. Windows Update or Microsoft Update looks for any critical updates that are
available for your computer.
- Click Install to install all available critical 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
Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Microsoft Windows
Server 2003 across your home or corporate network. 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 or the Microsoft Update Catalog, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
323166
How to download Windows updates or Microsoft updates and drivers from the Windows Update Catalog