Automatically Updating Vista – Part 2 of 5 – Troubleshooting for Windows Vista
You should probably view Vista’s Automatic Updates the same way you view a yearly physical checkup. It’s just something that you should do to prevent as many issues as possible before they become issues in the first place. The Windows Update engine handles two kinds of updates:
Critical updates: Can help speed up your system, secure it, and keep it from crashing Recommended updates: Will address noncritical problems and help enhance your computing experience
A third kind of update, the optional update, is not downloaded automatically. You must get these updates manually by running the “Check for updates” task in the Windows Update Control Panel application.
By default, Windows Updates turns on the Automatic Updates feature, so it’s very likely that this is something you’ll never have to do in your administrative career. It’s still a good idea to know where to look, though. Here’s what to do:
Open the Windows Update Control Panel application by typing update at the Start menu. It’s under the System and Maintenance grouping if you’re going through the Control Panel. In the list of tasks on the left, click “Change settings.” From the dialog box, choose the desired update options. Click OK to commit your changes. You may be asked for administrative confirmation by User Account Control.
Additionally, if the Automatic Updates feature is ever turned off, the Vista Security Center will yell at you (assuming that the Security Center notifications about Automatic Updates defaults haven’t been changed). Once you’re in the Security Center, you’ll see a “Change settings” button, that will take you right back to the Automatic Updates settings dialog box.
The Windows Updates are applied to the computer, and therefore affect all users of a particular system.
Sometimes during troubleshooting, you will want to double-check to confirm that a particular update has been installed. If this is the case, you can choose the “View update history” link on the right side of the Windows Updates dialog box.
If you’d like to get my entire book “Windows Vista Administration: The Definitive Guide” by Brian Culp, Publisher: O’Reilly, ISBN-13: 978-0-59-652959-8 (or any of my 20+ other books and tutorials), you can pick it up at my website, www.TheAnswerHub.com or at most major book chains. In addition, I’m always happy to provide additional assistance for free (within reason, mind you…don’t go thinking this is some sort of a free ride). Visit me at my website and submit your questions to me. I’ll get back to you with an answer as soon as possible.
Up Next: in part 3 of this 5-part series, we’ll be discussing the process of automatically checking for solutions to problems encountered by Windows Vista with Problem Reports and Solutions.
Brian Culp, MCSE, MCT, is a recognized Microsoft expert who has been teaching and writing about Windows for many years. He is author/coauthor of: seven books including Windows XP Power Tools (Sybex) and Outlook 2003 Bible (Wiley); four MCSE study Guides (McGraw-Hill); and numerous tutorials for the Virtual Training Company. Mr. Culp provides instruction on various administration and networking topics throughout the United States, but can always be reached via his website, http://www.TheAnswerHub.com
