Windows Computers

All Microsoft updates that pertain to the particular operation and environment of a Windows computer should be installed by each Windows computer user.  Please consider backing up your system before applying updates.

For: Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000, Service Pack 3 and later - A Windows "Automatic Updates" component comes standard.  Click here to find out how to set it up and how it works.

For: Windows 2000, Service Pack 2
The Windows "Automatic Updates" feature can be downloaded and installed.  Start by clicking your START button and choosing the Windows Update option.  After you have installed Automatic Updates, click here to find out how to set it up and how it works.

To determine if a Service Pack (a particular operating system version) is being used on your computer, right click on My Computer and select Properties.  On the General tab, under “System” and the Windows version listing, a “Service Pack” and version number are listed.

For: Windows 2000, Service Pack 1
Windows 2000, Service Pack 1 does not support "Automatic Updates."   We recommend that you consider upgrading your older operating system to a more supported, more secure version or installing Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3.  Click here for Windows operating system details.

For: All other previous versions of Windows -
       Microsoft is no longer providing updates for older operating systems, such as Windows 95 and Windows 98.  Very old updates for these versions can be found on a Microsoft archive site. However, we recommend that you consider upgrading your older operating system to a more supported, more secure version. 

Setting Up Windows Automatic Updates Option:

1. To access Windows "Automatic Updates" settings:

         a. For Windows XP: Right click My Computer, select Properties and click the
             "Automatic Updates" tab.  (Some people might have to select "View System
             Information" from My Computer to find "Automatic Updates.")

         b. For Windows 2000: Launch the Automatic Update component located in
             Settings | Control Panel.

                           Here is what the window looks like on Windows XP:

2. The “Keep my computer up to date” option should always be checked.

3. There are three "Settings" options.  Most Windows users will want to use the following recommended option, but any of the three settings is okay as long as you do not ignore critical and security updates:

        Under Settings, select the option “Automatically download the updates, and
        install them on the schedule that I specify.” The settings should be “Every day”
        and a specified time when your computer is normally turned on and connected
        to the internet or to the Pepperdine network.

How Does Windows Automatic Updates Work?

1. Microsoft releases one or more updates.

2. Your computer automatically finds available updates and downloads them onto your computer (depending on the setting you choose).  Note that because of the vast number of Windows computers in the world, it may take a day or two after Microsoft makes a patch available before your computer notices the patch.

3. The updates are now ready for installation:

   1. You can manually install the update yourself through the Automatic Update system tray icon if the installation time you have chosen in "Settings" has not been reached, or ...

   2. The update will automatically be installed according to your scheduled installation time. If an update downloads later than the scheduled installation time, the update will install on the next available day while the computer is turned on and connected to the internet or to thePepperdine network during the scheduled installation time. You can continue using your computer during installation of updates, but it is better if you do not.

4. Certain updates may require that your computer be restarted to complete the installation and the updates should notify you about restarting your computer. Save and close any open documents, and then proceed with the option to restart your computer.

5. It is imperative that you use the instructions above to set up your computer to automatically look for Windows' critical updates. However, from time to time you may also manually check for Windows updates by going directly to the Microsoft Windows Update web site.