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Windows XP: Working with Automatic Updates Ensure your operating system receives the very latest updates and patches. Dave Cook shows you how…
Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft tests each new operating system long and hard before making it available to the general public. But no matter how thorough the testing, even the best operating systems are bound to require the occasional update or hotfix. This might be to repair a bug that’s affecting your system’s performance, for instance, or to apply a security patch. Microsoft gets round these problems by releasing regular updates or patches. An update could consist of a security fix, a critical update, or a complete service pack which might contain any number of patches. Windows XP allows you to choose whether, how, and when Windows updates are installed on your computer. It does so by using a new feature called Automatic Updates, a sort of online extension of Windows. You can visit the Web site anytime, day or night, to download the very latest hotfixes and patches. Take Control To control or disable automatic updating, open the
System icon in Control Panel (or right-click My Computer and select
Properties), and choose the Automatic Updates tab. Then choose from
one of the three options. · The Download option does everything for you as it enables Update to scan for and download updates to Windows XP automatically. If you’re a tad forgetful by nature, you'll probably want this feature turned on. · Cautious users will most likely prefer the Notify Me option. This ensures Update notifies you first before it downloads or installs any updates to your computer. · The Turn Off option is best for users that like to call the shots. This option allows you to completely disable automatic updates and leaves the responsibility of updating the computer entirely up to you. Be aware, though, that even if you have enabled full automatic updating, Windows XP may only install critical updates. From time to time, therefore, it’s definitely a good idea to check with Windows Update manually to make sure the updates you need are in fact installed. To check for updates manually, open Internet Explorer and select Windows Update from the Tools menu. Which Updates It’s generally best to install all of the updates in the Critical Updates and Windows XP categories. Take care, though, when installing Driver Updates. Windows Update only recommends driver updates for devices that use Microsoft drivers. It’s possible therefore that the drivers recommended by Microsoft may be older than the ones you're already using. They may even be inappropriate for your hardware. So if Windows Update recommends a driver update, it usually makes sense to check with the manufacturer of the corresponding device and install their latest driver instead.
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In
a perfect world, Microsoft will one day release an operating system
so faultless that it requires absolutely no user intervention
whatsoever. Fine chance! The simple truth is that the world will
never be perfect. And neither will there be such a thing as the
perfect operating system – from Microsoft or indeed any other
company. 
