Windows Updates
Windows Updates
After installing Windows, check to see if Microsoft has any fixes, patches, service packs, and device drivers and apply them to the Windows system. By adding fixes and patches, you keep Windows stable and secure. If there are many fixes or patches, Microsoft releases them together as a service pack. To update Windows 7, Internet Explorer, and other programs that ship with Windows, go to Windows Update in the Control Panel or click the Start but- ton, select All Programs, and select Windows Update. Windows then scans your system to see what you have installed and gives you a list of suggested components. This system check assures that you get the most up-to-date and accurate versions of anything you choose to download from the site.
To help users with the Windows updates, Windows 7 also offers Dynamic Update and Auto Update. Dynamic Update is a feature built into Windows Setup that automatically checks for new drivers, compatibility updates, and security fixes while Windows is being installed. All that is required is that you have a working connection to the Internet. During installation, you can choose to have Dynamic Update check for updates. Dynamic Update auto- matically downloads any device or application updates and uses these replace- ment files instead of the installation files, thereby ensuring you have the latest updates available. By updating your installation files as needed, Windows can quickly integrate new, certified device drivers, critical security fixes, and com- patibility updates.
Microsoft routinely releases security updates on the second Tuesday of each month on what is known as “Patch Tuesday.” Most other updates are released as needed. After you install Windows, you can use Auto Update to ensure that critical security and compatibility updates are made available for installation automatically, without significantly affecting your regular use of the Internet. Auto Update works in the background when you are connected to the Internet to identify when new updates are available and to download them to your computer. The download is managed so that it does not affect the per- formance during web surfing, and it picks up where it left off if the download is interrupted.
When the download is completed, you are notified and prompted to install the update. You can install it then, get more details about what is included in the update, or let Windows remind you about it later. Some installations might require you to reboot, but some do not.
To manually install updates, it is recommended that you click the Start but- ton, click All Programs, and click Windows Update. Then in the left pane, click Check for updates, as shown in Figure 2.1.
Windows Updates
FIGURE 2.1 Windows Update.
To change the Windows Update settings, click the Change settings option in the left pane to display the window shown in Figure 2.2. The options enable you to specify whether to download and let you specify which ones to install, specify which updates to install and then download, or just disable Windows Updates all together. You can also specify if Windows Update should check for other Microsoft products other than the operating system and also install software that Microsoft recommends.
FIGURE 2.2 Choose how Windows can install Updates.
CHAPTER 2: Installing, Upgrading, and Migrating to Windows 7
If Windows Update fails to get updates, you should check your proxy settings in Internet Explorer to see if it can get through your proxy server (if any) or firewall. You should also check to see if you can access the Internet, such as accessing the www.microsoft.com website.
To see all updates that have been installed, click the View Update History link in the left pane (shown in Figure 2.1). If you suspect a problem with a specific update, you can then click Installed Updates at the bottom of the screen, which opens the Control Panel’s Programs. From there, you then see all installed programs and installed updates. If the option is available, you can then remove the update.
Activating Windows 7
While volume license might not require activation, retail versions of Windows
7 need to be activated after installation. In the Welcome Center, the Activation Status entry specifies whether you have activated the operating sys- tem. If Windows 7 has not been activated, you can activate the operating sys- tem by clicking More Details to access the System console and then selecting Click Here To Activate Windows Now under Windows Activation.
Unlike in Windows XP, you can easily change the product key used by the operating system except in Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) copies of Windows 7. In the System console, click Change Product Key under Windows Activation. In the Windows Activation window, type the product key and then click Next. As in Setup, you do not need to type the dashes in the product key.