When Windows 7 is first installed by your Computer's Manufacturer, or by you using a Restore CD for example, Windows 7 will only be up-to-date from the date of its creation. So if your computer manufacturer installed a copy of Windows 7 that was created on 1st November 2009 but you did not buy the computer from a retailer until 1st March 2010 it means that copy of Windows 7 will probably not of been checked for updated software/hardware files since 1st November 2009. This is normally due to the retailer not wanting to set up Windows 7 for you, for whatever reason(s).

Upon buying the computer from the retailer, getting it home and switching it on, the first thing Windows 7 asks you for is a User Name for the default Administrator User Account. After entering your preferred user name Windows 7 then attempts to Activate itself, within a 30-day period, by registering its Product Key (The Serial Number that came with your copy of Windows 7) with some of your computer details over the internet. Once this is done you should then use the Windows Update control panel (program) to check the Microsoft Windows Update website for any updated software/hardware files that can protect and/or improve your copy of Windows 7. This whole setup procedure is very simple but also a simple setup procedure many retailers do not want to do for you. The same setup procedure also applies when you use a Restore CD to install Windows 7.

Assuming you have Activated your version of Windows 7, and therefore are using the default Administrator User Account, I will now show you how to check for updated software/hardware files (updates) using Windows Update. Begin by clicking on the Start Menu and then on ALL PROGRAMS, to reveal the Programs List, and then click on the WINDOWS UPDATE menu-item (Fig 1.0). Alternatively, you can click on the CONTROL PANEL link, on the right-hand-side of the Start Menu, and then click on the WINDOWS UPDATE link (Fig 1.1). Either way will make the Windows Update, Control Panel, window appear (Fig 1.2).

Fig 1.0  Click on the WINDOWS UPDATE menu-item....

Fig 1.1  ....or click on the WINDOWS UPDATE control panel link....

Fig 1.2  ....to make the Windows Update, Control Panel, window appear.

When the Windows Update window (control panel) appears click on its INSTALL UPDATES button to continue. You will see this button when there are Windows Updates to be downloaded and installed, otherwise you will normally see the CHECK FOR UPDATES button instead (in place of the INSTALL UPDATES button). The above example emphasizes what I was just saying about a new computer and windows updates. In this example I have just installed Windows 7 on its release date (Thursday 22nd October 2009) and straight away there are windows updates for it. The check for new windows updates were done automatically, in the background, whilst installing Windows 7. Hence why they are available straight away. Anyway, as said, click on the INSTALL UPDATES button to continue. The windows updates will then be downloaded and installed automatically.

If you want to check for any new windows updates before clicking on the INSTALL UPDATES button you still have that option. Simply click on the CHECK FOR UPDATES link to continue. It is located on the top-left side of the control panel (window). In this example (below) I am checking for windows updates at 19:24 (7.24pm), a little while after Windows 7 had automatically installed some windows updates at 18:43 (6.43pm). At this time the 12 new updates (8 Important and 4 Optional) have still not been installed yet - They have only been downloaded, automatically by Windows Update, but not installed. I am just checking to see if any new updates have been released by Microsoft before finally clicking on the INSTALL UPDATES button (Fig 1.5).

You would of thought Windows Update should of installed the 8 Important updates at 18:43, right? Wrong! It will only automatically download and install new updates if your schedule permits it and/or if the updates are very important - It might only download them but not install them until you reboot your computer for example or it might download and/or install them automatically because your windows update Download And Install time is scheduled for now (for this session of your computing) and/or because the updates are too important to ignore.

Fig 1.3  19:24 (7.24pm) - Click on the CHECK FOR UPDATES link to begin checking for Windows Update

After clicking on the CHECK FOR UPDATES link Windows Update checks the Microsoft Windows Update website for any updated software/hardware files that could help protect and/or improve your copy of Windows 7 and/or your computer's hardware.

Fig 1.4  19:24 (7.24pm) - Windows Update is checking the Microsoft Windows Update website for updated software/hardware files

When Windows Update has finished checking the Microsoft Windows Update website for any updated software/hardware files (updates) it will inform you if any updates were found for your copy of Windows 7 and/or for your computer's hardware. In this example no new updates were found, so I will just go ahead and click on the INSTALL UPDATES button to install the original, already downloaded, 8 Important updates. The other four updates are Optional and so do not automatically get downloaded/installed.

Fig 1.5  19:25 (7.25pm) - Click on the INSTALL UPDATES button after doing a check for new windows updates

As each update is installed, occasionally one might ask you to agree to its Terms & Conditions (such as the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool from Microsoft). In this case the update needs your consent because it does a quick, special, scan of certain system folders/files for malicious (bad) software. A sort of prescan/preclean before installing any, more, updates. Simply select its I ACCEPT THE LICENSE TERMS option and then click on its FINISH button to continue.

Fig 1.6  Click on I ACCEPT THE LICENSE TERMS option and then click on the FINISH button to continue

After clicking on the FINISH button the rest of the updates can be installed, but first Windows Update must automatically create a Restore Point for those updates. This is so that if an update spoils your Windows 7, for whatever reason(s), you can restore Windows 7 back to a time prior to these updates being installed and therefore, hopefully, reverse the damage caused by an update. Sometimes even Microsoft get it wrong! and give you an incompatible update for example that can mess up your Windows 7 and/or other software/hardware settings/files. Putting this into perspective - Even though it can happen it is still quite rare.

Fig 1.7  Preparing to install the rest of the updates




Fig 1.8  Update 5, of 8, is currently being installed




Fig 1.9  All 8, important, updates have been installed - Click on the RESTART NOW button to continue

Once the updates have been installed Windows 7 might need restarting in order for certain system files to be updated. If you do not click on the RESTART NOW button straight away, perhaps because you are doing something important on The Internet and/or with Microsoft Office 2007 for example, those certain system files will not be updated until you reboot the computer. In other words. You can ignore the RESTART NOW button, and even close the Windows Update window (control panel), but even then you will be reminded to RESTART NOW via the Notification Area.

Fig 1.10  Click on the POSTPONE drop-down menu and select a time limit




Fig 1.11  Click on the POSTPONE button to delay the Windows Restart

Normally if any updates are found you just click on the INSTALL UPDATES button and that is the end of the matter, because the updates are downloaded and then installed automatically. However. As you gain more experience from using Windows Update and learn more about Computer Security you should begin to realize that manually selecting updates is the best policy and that just clicking on INSTALL UPDATES is not always the best policy.

Two good reasons for manually selecting, and ultimately downloading and installing, windows updates are 1) To save on download time and 2) To have a computer that is always up-to-date.....daily, if not four hourly. In the above example the Important Updates are at least 26 MegaBytes in length, not counting the Optional Updates, which would take at least 4 hours to download on a 56k Modem (Dial-Up) connection. By selecting updates in stages, or in categories of importance, you can download and install them gradually (which is beneficial to a Dial-Up user). On top of this, manually checking for updates once a day, every day, for example keeps your computer right up-to-date.

Fig 2.0  Click on the 4 IMPORTANT UPDATES ARE AVAILABLE link to continue

Another two reasons for manually selecting updates is for security purposes and damage control. On the security side of things it is better to let Windows Update download and install about ten updates at a time. Why? Take this scenario. You have a house with 10 windows, each needing a lock fitted. You only earn enough money to buy one lock a week, so it will take you ten weeks to make the windows of the house secure. In this scenario if you are wise you would buy and fit one lock a week so that the house is a little more (10% more) secure each week. Whereas if you are not-so-wise you might wait ten weeks until you can afford all the locks to be fitted, by which time you might of been burgled. And the same applies to Windows Update.

By downloading and installing only a few updates at a time you are slowly but surely securing Windows 7, whereas downloading and installing all of the available updates in one lengthy go could leave Windows 7 vulnerable to virus attacks and so on. On the damage control side of things. Just remember. Some updates can mess up your computer, so just clicking on the INSTALL UPDATES button is not always advisable - Read about a certain update if you have computer problems after performing a windows update. That way you might have evidence that you need to uninstall a certain update and/or a cure for the problem.

In the above example (Fig 2.0) I have just checked for new updates and have been returned 4 Important Updates and 2 Optional Updates. Clicking on the 4 IMPORTANT UPDATES ARE AVAILABLE link takes me to the SELECT UPDATES TO INSTALL control panel (or sub-control panel if you like) whereby I can then select which updates, if any, I want to have downloaded and installed.

Fig 2.1  Tick (select) any updates you want to download and install and untick (deselect) the rest

I have kept only the Security update selected and unticked all the other updates. As I untick each update it is naturally selected to give me a description about itself. In Fig 2.1 above the description for the last update tells me it "Resolves Some Compatibility Issues". When I am happy with the updates I have selected the next thing to do is click on the OK button, to return to the WINDOWS UPDATES control panel.

Fig 2.2  Click on the INSTALL UPDATES button to download/install the 1 selected update only

After manually selecting my updates and clicking on the OK button, above, it is then just a matter of clicking on the INSTALL UPDATES button (as normal) to download/install my selected update(s). In this example just the 1 selected update. When an update has been downloaded and installed you still have the option to uninstall it, if need be, for whatever reason(s).

To uninstall an update first go to the WINDOWS UPDATE control panel as normal and then click on the VIEW UPDATE HISTORY link to take you to the VIEW UPDATE HISTORY control panel (sub-control panel). From there (Fig 3.1) click on the INSTALLED UPDATES link to continue. Doing so will take you to the INSTALLED UPDATES sub-control panel, which is a part of the PROGRAMS & FEATURES control panel (Fig 3.2).

Fig 3.0  Click on the VIEW UPDATE HISTORY link to continue




Fig 3.1  Click on the INSTALLED UPDATES link to continue




Fig 3.2  Select an update to uninstall and then click on the UNINSTALL button to continue




Fig 3.3  Click on the YES button if you are sure you want to uninstall this update

When you arrive at the INSTALLED UPDATES sub-control panel simply select an update you want uninstalling and then click on the UNINSTALL button to continue (Fig 3.2 above). From there, click on the YES button (Fig 3.3 above) and then follow the automated messages. At the end of some uninstalls you might be asked to RESTART NOW or RESTART LATER, so if you have not finished uninstalling yet click on the RESTART LATER button. Keep uninstalling your unwanted updates until all of them have disappeared from the list of installed updates and then, after the last uninstall, click on the RESTART NOW button.....if any of the uninstalls require a restart of course.

You can also manually download and install an update file yourself. For example. With the update KB975364; Go to a search engine (i.e. Google) and type kb975364 download into it. A list of results (website links) should appear that tell you a little bit about the update (i.e. Download details: Update for Internet Explorer 8 Compatibility...). Once you have the description, preferably from a Microsoft linked website, go to that linked website and download the actual update file.

Fig 4.0  Click on the Microsoft (Download details: Update for Internet Explorer 8 Compatibility...) link to continue




Fig 4.1  Click on the DOWNLOAD button to download the actual Windows6.1-KB975364-x86.msu file

Regardless of which website you went through to get the update, that website should of brought you to a Microsoft website like the one above. There are many bad websites out there that supposedly link back to a microsoft download website but in fact link back to a virus download file instead. These bad websites look convincing, with the same filename as the real update filename, but contain a virus file instead of the real update file. And even though there are some good download websites out there, such as Technical websites/forums/blogs, that will genuinely link back to a microsoft download website as an absolute beginner you will have trouble distinguishing between the good and bad websites/forums/blogs. So be aware, and as said, always use a microsoft linked website where possible.

Once the KB (i.e. Windows6.1-KB975364-x86.msu) file has been downloaded, into your DOWNLOADS folder for example, simply double click on the KB file to install it. Downloading many KB files over time, and installing them manually, can be of great help and a great time saver. Especially in scenarios whereby you have an office full of computers but only one internet connection for example.

Regardless of which method you use to get your windows updates downloaded and installed, do a manual check at least once a week just to make sure you are absolutely as up-to-date with your windows updates as possible. Meaning. If you leave Windows 7 to automatically do your windows updates you will probably be receiving them at a certain time of the day (i.e. 3am) when your computer is not connected to the internet. Therefore, you may have a gap of 8 hours before you switch on your computer and Windows Update bursts into action.....too late, because the virus programmer was programming a virus at 2am ready to be unleashed when you switch on your computer and check your email for example.

Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.  As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.