Windows 8 Control Panel – System and Security – Windows Update

  • Open the traditional Control Panel through the Start Screen or using the Run Windows command “control”.
  • Select “Category” view for Control Panel.
  • Select “System and Security” category. This opens a new page containing the subcategories.
  • Select “Windows Update”. This will launch the applet on the same control panel page.
  • The opening page of the applet gives you information like your default settings for updates, the last recent update check, the last update installation and what type of updates you receive. The applet provides following functions.

    Check for Updates

    You can manually check for updates in this section. Click on “Check for Updates” link located on the left pane of the main page of the applet. Windows immediately checks for any updates, and if any found, prompts you to install them.

    Change Update Settings

    You can determine how Windows checks for updates. There are 4 choices for that.
    • By default, Windows checks for updates daily, and if any found, downloads and installs them automatically, without asking you.
    • The second option is to let Windows check for updates daily and download them for you. But, it won’t install them automatically. That decision remains in your hand.
    • If the second option doesn’t make too much sense, then you can configure Windows Update to check for updates daily, but prompt you to download and install them.
    • The fourth option (not really an option!) is not to check for updates at all. This is not recommended as you will miss all the critical security and stability patches.

    Update History

    This section lists all the updates that have been attempted by this applet till date. Each entry in the list contains the following details.
    • Update name
    • Status – it was successfully installed, if it failed to download, or if it failed to install, etc.
    • Importance – how critical the update is to the system. “Important” updates should always be installed as they are critical to the stability and security of the system.
    • Installation date
    To view further details of an update, right click on it and select “View details”. It will launch a window that provides all the details of the update.]]>

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