Reference number: CH000545

How to update a Microsoft Windows computer.

Question:

Answer:

Since the introduction of Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft has greatly improved the way users can update their computer. Below are steps on how to perform these updates as well as additional recommendations to help update your computer.

Microsoft Windows Update

If you are running Microsoft Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or a later version of Microsoft Windows, you are eligible to update Microsoft Windows, and in some cases, your computer hardware with the latest drivers through Microsoft's update site. To perform this update, follow the below steps.

Note: Users on a corporate network or running an illegal copy of Microsoft Windows may be unable to perform Microsoft Updates. If you are on a corporate network, contact your administrator if you are concerned about updating your computer. If you are running an illegal copy of Microsoft Windows, we recommend you purchase Microsoft Windows.

Visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com, clicking on this link will open a new window for you. For this page to work you must view it in Internet Explorer.
On the Microsoft Windows Update page, select the option Scan for updates. If prompted to install a plug-in, click Yes. Not installing this plug-in will prevent you from scanning for updates.
Because this feature must query your computer, Microsoft will gather information from your computer allowing the software to know what it needs to update. There are several urban legends about Microsoft recording all the programs installed on your computer and detecting illegal software, copying the programs on your computer, and copying all your private information. These are all not true. Unless otherwise stated in Microsoft's Privacy statement, Microsoft collects your operating system version, Product Key, Internet Explorer version, Version numbers of other programs Microsoft provides updates for, ID numbers of the hardware devices installed in the computer, and region and language settings.
After Windows Update has completed scanning you should be able to view the available updates for your computer. It is highly recommended that you first update all critical updates and service packs that are available. In some cases you may be only able to do a few critical updates or service pack updates each time.
Although Microsoft does provide some driver updates for hardware devices, it is important to realize that they will not have all the latest drivers. You may wish to consider updating the drivers directly from your computer manufacturer. See our drivers page for a listing of computer hardware manufacturers and a link to their drivers page.

Note: When ever you are prompted to reboot the computer, reboot the computer. This is a very important step and in some cases may be required several times before you have completed all the Windows updates. After the computer has rebooted, make sure to visit the Windows update page again to make sure all the files you need are downloaded.

Microsoft Windows XP and later users

Microsoft Windows XP Home and Professional users have the ability of having Microsoft Windows automatically update their computer. See document CH000538 for additional information about enabling and disabling this feature.

Other hardware drivers

To get the best performance from your computer, it is recommended that you make sure you have the latest drivers for the hardware devices in your computer. See document CH000546 for a listing of what should be updated on your computer.

Unable to view Windows Update page

Below are some reasons you may be unable to view the Microsoft Windows Update page.

Not viewing Microsoft Windows Update through Microsoft Internet Explorer.
If you are on a Corporate Network, your administrators may have disabled this feature. If this is the case, you should receive a message indicating that the Windows Update feature has been disabled.
Try deleting your Internet History. Additional information on how to do this can be found on document CH000510.
You are using an illegal copy of Microsoft Windows.

Every time I run the Windows Update my computer has problems

Although Microsoft tests the updates before they are released with the numerous computer configurations, it is possible you may have issues after your run an update. Usually these problems are caused by other software programs, unique configuration, and/or third-party drivers.

If you have already ran an update and are currently experiencing issues that are not documented on TNTC or Microsoft's support web page, try uninstalling the updates through Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel then continue with the below steps.

Below are recommendations for helping preventing problems.

Temporarily disable any virus protection programs.
Disable any disk software utilities or performance tools running on the computer.
Let the updates run without using the computer.
Clear your Internet's History and Cache. Information about how to do this can be found on document CH000510.
If you are encountering problems after installing driver updates, we recommend you try updating the drivers from your manufacturer instead of through Microsoft. A listing of driver manufacturers can be found on our drivers section.
If the update is not a critical update, do not run the update immediately after it has been released. In some rare cases Microsoft discovers issues with its updates after they are first released that may cause your computer issues.

Although it is possible issues may exist after running the Microsoft Windows Update, because of the potential security issues, patches, and any other software corrections, we highly recommend you still update your software using this valuable service.

How do I know if my computer has all the Windows updates?

If you're uncertain if your computer has all the Microsoft Windows updates installed on your computer visit: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and have your computer scanned for any available updates. If no updates are found your computer is up-to-date.

Alternatively you can download software utilities such as Belarc Advisor that will list the updates installed on your computer and any critical updates you may be missing. Links to download for this and similar programs can be found on document CH000017.