Windows 8 : Managing Windows Update (part 2) - Configuring update settings

Configuring update settings

To make changes to your existing Windows Update settings, open Windows Update and tap or click Change Settings on the left side of the screen (see Figure 3). This action opens the window you see in Figure 4, in which you can make changes to how Windows Update operates.

Figure 4. Changing Windows Update settings

Three classes of updates are available, each with configuration options:

• Important Updates Important updates are updates that require immediate attention. These often address critical security issues that need to be corrected.

• Recommended Updates Recommended updates are updates that address less critical issues such as minor bug fixes, cosmetic adjustments to a program, and functionality corrections. Select the Give Me Recommended Updates The Same Way I Receive Important Updates check box to configure Windows Update to handle recommended updates in the same manner as important updates.

• Microsoft Update Windows Update can assume responsibility for updating other Microsoft programs. Select the Give Me Updates For Other Microsoft Products When I Update Windows check box to enable this capability.

MICROSOFT UPDATE IN ACTION

This check box exists only if you have chosen to receive updates for Windows and other Microsoft products. By default, this is not enabled. To enable this option, complete the following steps:

1. Open Windows Update.

2. Select Change Settings at the left side of the page.

3. On the Change Settings page shown in Figure 4, select the Give Me Updates For Other Microsoft Products When I Update Windows check box.

4. Tap or click OK.

In the Important Updates section of the Change Settings window is a drop-down menu that lists a number of options for how to handle the installation of updates on your Windows computer:

• Install Updates Automatically (Recommended) As part of Windows background processing, it checks for new updates on a regular basis. If new updates are located, they will be downloaded automatically and installed without requiring further administrator intervention.

• Download Updates But Let Me Choose Whether To Install Them Windows checks for and downloads new updates on a set schedule but lets you to choose whether to install them. You can choose to install all, some, one, or none of the updates that are downloaded.

• Check For Updates But Let Me Choose Whether to Download And Install Them Windows looks for any new updates and offers the option to download and install each one.

• Never Check For Updates (Not Recommended) Windows never checks for new updates. Further, Windows will not automatically download or install new updates.

METERED VS. UNMETERED INTERNET CONNECTIONS AND WINDOWS UPDATE

Metered Internet connections—connections you pay for by the megabyte or gigabyte—can be very expensive, particularly if Windows is downloading updates on its own in the background. Some updates—particularly full service packs—can be extremely large and might exhaust monthly bandwidth allotments. Fortunately, Windows Update is configured so that it will not download updates over a connection that is marked as metered.

Some of the options at your disposal provide you with further configuration parameters. For example, if you choose Install Updates Automatically, a link entitled Updates Will Be Automatically Installed During The Maintenance Window appears on your screen (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Additional options available when automatic updates are enabled

Tap or click this link to open the Automatic Maintenance window shown in Figure 6. In this window, you can change the time at which your computer performs automatic maintenance, including Windows Update.

Figure 6. Change Automatic Maintenance options to adjust time at which Windows Update looks for new updates