Where to find updates on windows xp

The Windows Update utility is used to keep your Windows computer up-to-date. We highly recommend that you run Windows Update and install any Critical Updates. These updates will close security holes in your computer and hopefully prevent you from being hacked or infected with viruses.

You must be logged on to Windows by using a computer administrator account to run Windows update. The most reliable way to get updates from Microsoft is to have the updates delivered automatically to your computer using Automatic Updates.

Automatic Updates connect to the Internet and scan your computer for updates, Automatic Updates automatically keeps your computer current. Instead of giving you a list of updates for your computer, Automatic Updates can download and install them at your convenience, like the picture bellows shows. Select one of the following options. We recommend that you select the option "Automatic recommended ". If you click this setting, click to select the day and time for scheduled updates to occur.

You can schedule Automatic Updates for any time of day. Remember, your computer must be on at the scheduled time for updates to be installed. After you set this option, Windows recognizes when you are online and uses your Internet connection to find updates on the Windows Update Web site or on the Microsoft Update Web site that apply to your computer.

Updates are downloaded automatically in the background, and you are not notified or interrupted during this process. An icon appears in the notification area of your taskbar when the updates are being downloaded.

You can point to the icon to view the download status. File Name:. Date Published:. File Size:. System Requirements Supported Operating System. Install Instructions To start the download, click the Download button and then do one of the following, or select another language from Change Language and then click Change.

Click Run to start the installation immediately. You can set your computer to tell you about existing updates, and also find them online yourself. Connect to the Internet. You have to have an open Internet connection, so that Windows Update can access the main Microsoft web site and transfer updates back to your computer.

Open the "Start "menu in the bottom left corner of your screen. Click "Control Panel" to open the "Control Panel" window. There will be a list of options for how Windows should process XP updates.