Windows Update is a service from Microsoft for the Windows 9x and Windows NT families of operating systems, which automates downloading and installing Microsoft Windows software updates over the Internet. The service delivers software updates for Windows, as well as for various Microsoft anti-malware products, including Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials.
Since its inception, Microsoft has introduced two extensions of the service: Microsoft Update and Windows Update for Business. The former expands the core service to include other Microsoft products, such as Microsoft Office and Microsoft Expression Studio. The latter is available to business editions of Windows 10 and permits postponing updates or receiving updates only after they have undergone rigorous testing.
Description
The Windows Update services checks Microsoft’s servers for updates to Windows and other products installed on the computer. To do this, it uses an internet connection, which can be via Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or mobile data.
The Windows Update window allows each detected update to be reviewed by the user and chosen for downloading and installation. Updates are sorted as either being Optional, Recommended, or Important. In earlier versions of Windows, any update can be hidden by the user, which will prevent it from being downloaded and installed. Hidden updates can be restored at any time.
A list of past updates that were installed can be seen in Windows Update. Some installed updates can be reverted via this menu. Updates that Windows Update attempted to install, but failed, are also visible.
Settings
Within the Windows Update window, various settings can be set for how the program checks for, downloads, and installs updates.
Windows Update can be set to automatically check for updates at different intervals, or to never automatically check for updates. Whether updates are automatically downloaded or installed can also be set. In later versions of Windows, if an update is downloaded, it will eventually be installed automatically regardless of the user’s input.
Types
The Windows Update service provides several kinds of updates to Windows and other products.
Security and cumulative updates
Security updates mitigate vulnerabilities against security exploits against Microsoft Windows. Most security updates are categorized as Important. Cumulative updates are updates that bundle previously released updates. Cumulative updates were introduced with Windows 10 and have been backported to Windows 7 and 8.1.
Microsoft routinely releases updates on the second Tuesday of each month (known as the Patch Tuesday), but can provide them whenever a new update is urgently required to prevent a newly discovered or prevalent exploit. System administrators can configure Windows Update to install critical updates for Microsoft Windows automatically, so long as the computer has an Internet connection.
Service packs and feature updates
- Main article: Service pack
In addition to minor updates, Windows Update allows the downloading and installation of larger updates. These are known as service packs in Windows versions prior to Windows 8. Service packs often make visible changes to the operating system, and sometimes include new features. Service packs go through a more complex installation process, and generally take longer to install than other updates. Unlike other updates, there are only a few service packs for each Windows version.
Starting with Windows 10, larger updates that have a dedicated installation process are known as feature updates. Unlike service packs of past versions, feature updates are not made available to install from Windows Update on all PCs when they are first released. Instead, feature updates are incrementally rolled out to more PCs over time. Even if a feature update is currently not available on a PC from Windows Update, the user can still install it by downloading the Update Assistant from Microsoft’s website.
In specific versions
In editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7 that support multiple languages, language packs are downloaded and installed via Windows Update.
In Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows Ultimate Extras are downloaded and installed via Windows Update.
Other programs can be offered from Windows Update in certain versions of Windows, such as Skype.
Antimalware
In Windows 2000 and later versions, an “update” is released via Windows Update every month that starts the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, a built-in program which performs a basic scan on the computer for the most well-known malware.
Definition updates for Microsoft Defender are provided regularly via Windows Update in Windows 8 and later versions.
Platform Update
After a newer version of Windows is released, an older version of Windows can receive a “Platform Update”, which adds runtime libraries from the newer version of Windows, which allows certain newer applications to run on the older Windows version. Platform Updates have been released via Windows Update for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2.
History
As the service has evolved over the years, so has its client software. For a decade, the primary client component of the service was the Windows Update web app that could only be run inside Internet Explorer. Starting with Windows Vista, the primary client component became Windows Update Agent, an integral component of the operating system.
Microsoft Update
At the February 2005 RSA Conference, Microsoft announced the first beta of Microsoft Update, an optional replacement for Windows Update that provides security patches, service packs and other updates for both Windows and other Microsoft software.[1] The initial release in June 2005 provided support for Microsoft Office 2003, Exchange 2003, and SQL Server 2000, running on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003. Over time, the list has expanded to include other Microsoft products, such as Windows Live, Windows Defender, Visual Studio, runtimes and redistributables, Zune Software, Virtual PC and Virtual Server, CAPICOM, Microsoft Lync, Microsoft Expression Studio, and other server products. It also offers Silverlight and Windows Media Player as optional downloads if applicable to the operating system.
Gallery
Logos
Screenshots
References
- ↑ "Microsoft Update Site Launched". HelpWithWindows.com. 2005-06-10. Archived from the original on 2006-03-13.
External links
- Microsoft Windows Update at Microsoft
- Update Windows at Microsoft Support
- Windows Update at Wikipedia