So, you want to turn on Automatic Updates in Windows XP? That’s a good decision. Because enabling automatic updates means all available security fixes and updates for Windows XP will be automatically downloaded and applied in your computer. That will ensure that your computer remains updated and safe. In this article you’ll find step-by-step instructions for turning Windows automatic updates on or off. Read on.
Before proceeding with instructions, I must add that Microsoft offers different options to customize the update delivery in Windows XP. Recommended option is automatic download and install of all available updates. Other options include auto download but manual install, selective download & install of updates and turning off updates. The last option is not recommended but might come handy to some users. If you don’t like automatic download process, I suggest you at least keep the option that says “Notify me but don’t automatically download or install them”. That will give you freedom to when to download and what to download.
Steps to tun on Automatic Updates in Windows XP:
- Press Start button.
- Go to Control Panel and open Automatic Updates.
- Check option Automatic (recommended). If you want to get updates but install them later, check second option. And check the third option to selectively download and install updates.
- Press OK.
Steps to tun off Automatic Updates in Windows XP:
- Press Start button.
- Go to Control Panel and open Automatic Updates window.
- Check the last option, which is “Turn off Automatic Updates” .
- Press OK.
Note: Unless you update manually, turning off Windows updates will make your computer more vulnerable to security holes and bugs. So, use that option wisely. Also, don’t forget updates require Internet connection. If you are updating for the first time, make sure you have enough bandwidth left. Total download size may be huge ( more than 1GB).