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How to turn on Windows Automatic Updates

This article describes how to configure the Automatic Updates features in Windows to notify you when important updates are available for your computer. You can also specify the schedule that Windows follows to install updates on your computer. 

Prerequisites

Use the latest version of Automatic Updates feature

This article assumes that you are using the latest Automatic Updates feature. The latest Automatic Updates feature is included with Windows XP Service Pack 2 and later, with Windows Vista, and with Windows 7. 

If you are using Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, and Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, install Windows XP SP2 or Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) to obtain the latest Automatic Updates feature. For more information about how to obtain SP2, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322389  How to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack
Note You must have either Windows XP SP1a or Windows XP SP2 installed in order to install Windows XP SP3.

Log on as computer administrator

In Windows XP Home Edition, you must be logged on as a computer administrator to install components or modify Automatic Updates settings. In Windows XP Professional, you must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group.
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/admin
In Windows Vista or in Windows 7, you will be prompted for an administrator password or confirmation.

Note If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may prevent you from completing the procedures in this article. Contact the network administrator if you do not have permission to complete these procedures.
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Turn on and use Automatic Updates

Turn on Automatic Updates. To have us turn on Automatic Updates for you, go to the "Fix it for me" section. If you would rather turn on Automatic Updates yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.
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Fix it for me

To fix this problem automatically, click the Fix this problem link. Then click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in this wizard.
Turn Automatic Updates onTurn Automatic Updates off
Fix this problem 
Microsoft Fix it 50362
Fix this problem 
Microsoft Fix it 50363


Note This wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.

Note If you are not on the computer that has the problem, you can save the automatic fix to a flash drive or to a CD, and then you can run it on the computer that has the problem. 
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Let me fix it myself

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Windows Vista and Windows 7

To turn on Automatic Updates yourself, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, type Windows update in the search box, and then click Windows Update in thePrograms list.
  2. In the left pane, click Change settings.
  3. Select the option that you want.
  4. Under Recommended updates, select the Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates or Include recommended updates when downloading, installing, or notifying me about updates check box, and then click OK.

Windows XP

To turn on Automatic Updates yourself, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then press ENTER.
  2. Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click to select one of the following options. We recommend that you select the Automatic (recommended) Automatically download recommended updates for my computer and install them option.
    • Automatic (recommended) Automatically download recommended updates for my computer and install them

      If you select 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. When the download is complete, you receive another message in the notification area so that you can review the updates that are scheduled for installation.
      • Click to select the day and time for scheduled updates to download and install. You can schedule Automatic Updates for any time of day. However, your computer must be on at the scheduled time for updates to be installed.
      • You can choose to install the updates as soon as they are finished downloading. To do this, click the download message (or update icon), and then click Install. If you choose not to install the updates when they finish downloading, Windows starts the installation on your set schedule.
    • Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them

      If you select this option, Windows recognizes when you are online and uses your Internet connection to automatically download updates from the Windows Update Web site or from the Microsoft Update Web site. 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. When the download is complete, you receive another message in the notification area so that you can review the updates that are scheduled for installation.
      • When you want to install the downloaded update, click the message (or update icon), and then click Install to install the update.
      • If you do not want to install a downloaded update, click Details, and then click to clear the check box next to that update to decline it.
    • Notify me but don't automatically download or install them

      If you select this option, Windows recognizes when you are online and uses your Internet connection to search for downloads from the Windows Update Web site or from the Microsoft Update Web site. An Automatic Updates icon and message appear in the notification area of your taskbar when new updates are available to download or to install.
      • Click the icon or message to view the updates. If you do not want to download a selected update, click to clear the check box next to that update to decline it. ClickStart Download to download the selected updates. The Automatic Updates icon remains in the notification area of your taskbar while the updates are being downloaded. You can point to the icon to view the download status.
      • When the download is complete, you receive another message in the notification area stating that the updates are ready to install. Click the Automatic Updates icon or the message, and then click Install to install the updates.
  3. Click OK.