In: Categories » Computers and technology » Windows XP » Installing Microsoft Windows Updates
When to Update
When you’re trying to find and fix a computer problem, a patch or an update may not jump out at you as the most obvious solution. Unless a manufacturer’s support center, or some third-party website or newsgroup points you in that direction, you might never discover that an update is available. Therefore, you should consider checking for updates as a form of preventive maint- enance, just like defragmenting your hard drive and backing up your data. Finding and installing software updates should be part of your regular computer maintenance routine. It’s not always necessary to install every update immediately after it becomes available, but it’s good practice to install new updates whenever you discover them. Many manufacturers use updates and patches to distribute fixes to known problems (including ones that you may not have discovered yet). Look for updates (and release notes that might describe other fixes) when you encounter a problem with a newly installed device or piece of software. In fact, even if you don’t notice any problems, you should check the manu- facturer’s website for updates and patches every time you install a new program or peripheral device. In today’s computer world, new security holes are discovered, exploited, and patched all the time; you can’t be too careful.
Finding and Installing the Latest Updates
Some software, including Windows XP and many antivirus and Internet security programs, can automatically find and install updates through the Internet as soon as they become available, but many other software publishers simply make their updates available online and wait for you to find them.
Installing Microsoft Windows Updates
Microsoft issues major updates to Windows called ser vice packs every couple of years, and additional security patches almost every month. If you haven’t already installed the most recent Windows XP service pack, do so now. When this article was written, the current service pack was Service Pack 2, also known as SP2. The latest rumors about SP3 say that it’s scheduled for late 2007. SP2 includes improvements to Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player and improved support for wireless networks, but the really important additions are related to security. Microsoft is committed to protecting their users, and many of the new features in SP2 seem to reflect that commitment. However, there is a potential problem here: Some older programs and device drivers may not be completely compatible with SP2. If you find that one of your programs stops working after you install SP2, or if a device driver fails, check the software or device manufacturer’s website for a patch or update. If nothing is available, try using the Windows Compatibility Wizard (Start Programs Accessories Program Compatibility Wizard). If that fails, your only remaining option may be to use Add/Remove Programs to uninstall the service pack. If you have a high-speed Internet connection, it’s easy to update Windows XP. Just click the Windows Update item in the Start menu or in the Internet Explorer Tools menu. This connects you to a Microsoft web page that will examine your computer to learn which updates you need, and it will download them automatically. (You can do the same thing through a dial-up modem connection, but some of the update files are very large, so it might take several hours to download them.) Windows Update can also search for new device drivers that have been certified by Microsoft, though more recent versions are often available directly from the manufacturer. The manufacturer’s website might also offer some additional diagnostic programs and other software to enhance the perform- ance of its products.
NOTE: If you purchased your computer or upgraded to Windows XP after a service pack was released, that service pack is almost certainly installed already. If it’s not, the Windows Upgrade website will let you know about it and offer to download and install the miss- ing service pack along with all of the other recent updates necessary to bring your system up to date.
Automatic Updating
SP2 also includes an automatic tool that downloads additional updates from Microsoft and installs them on your computer as they become available. After you install SP2, you can turn on the Automatic Updates feature to allow Windows to take care of future updates.
NOTE: The alternative to downloading the service pack through a slow Internet connection is to request the latest Service Pack on a CD from www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/down-loads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/default.mspx.
Patches
In addition to the general-distribution Windows updates and service packs, Microsoft also offers software patches through the Knowledge Base to repair specific problems. Some of these special patches might appear in future service packs, but others are designed to deal with unusual problems that affect only a few users. If you find a link to one of these patches in a Knowledge Base article and it seems like that patch will solve a particular problem that you are having, follow the instructions in the article to install the patch.
Updates for Other Microsoft Products
Unfortunately, other Microsoft products don’t offer the same automatic update service as Windows XP, so you must go to the Microsoft website to search for updates. To find the latest improvements to all things Microsoft, go to www.microsoft.com, move to the appropriate product family, and then to either Downloads or Check for Updates.
Updating Security Software
Security updates are a bit of a different story. Because new viruses, spyware, and other threats to your computer appear all the time, the producers of security software release new updates very frequently. Most of these programs include automatic update services that can find and install updates as they become available; be sure to turn on these features. In general, software products that protect against viruses, spyware, and unauthorized intruders include automatic update features similar to the ones in Windows XP. These programs call home through the Internet on a regular schedule to check for newly available software revisions. When new software is available, the update program either installs it automatically or it displays an on-screen message that encourages you to install the update as soon as possible. Given the choice, it’s almost always better to choose the ASAP route unless you’re using a processor-intensive program like a video or audio editor or engaged in some kind of real-time activity that might suffer from an unwanted restart when a program update installs itself.
What If an Update Creates Problems? Unfortunately, some manufacturers don’t test their update packages as well as they should, so an update may solve some problems but create new ones at the same time. When that happens, especially with a product as widely used as Windows, the problem usually comes to light very quickly and the manu- facturer either announces yet another update, or publishes other instructions for fixing it. You will probably find third-party websites and newsgroups about most programs, run by users’ groups and enthusiastic individuals that offer the latest rumors, gossip, and news. Often, the first information about newly discovered bugs or other problems related to a particular product will appear on one of those unofficial sites rather than the official one. To find the web- sites devoted to a particular program, try a Google search on the name of the product. If you can’t get help with a problem you’re facing on the manufacturer’s support center website or through a search, try uninstalling the upgrade if you have the option to do so. (You won’t always be able to.) If that doesn’t work, you’ll have to completely uninstall the original program (including the update), and reinstall it from the original media. (Don’t forget to reinstall any earlier updates and patches after you install the main program.)
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