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How To Update Windows XP Automatically

7 Jul

This guide will show you how to update Windows XP quickly and efficiently with automatic settings.

Automatic updates are included in Windows XP as part of the standard system package. These updates come direct from Microsoft and each one is marked as Important, Recommended or Optional.

Types of Update Settings

Like later versions of Windows, there are a range of settings that can be selected to help update Windows XP. The different types of settings that people can enable on their machine include:

Automatic
Download Updates for me, but let me choose when to install them
Notify me but don’t automatically download or install them; and
Turn off Automatic Updates

Turning on Automatic Updates for Windows XP

The quickest way to turn on automatic updates if you are using Classic View is to follow these steps:

Click the Start Menu and choose settings
Select Control Panel
Double click on Automatic Updates; and
Make sure the Automatic (recommended) ratio button is selected. From here you can set when and what time you would like automatic updates to install on your machine.

If you are in Category View you will need to do the following to enable automatic updates:

Click the Start Menu and choose settings
Select Control Panel
Click Security Center
Under the section “Manage security settings for” click Automatic Updates; and
Make sure the Automatic (recommended) ratio button is selected. From here you can set when and what time you would like automatic updates to install on your machine.

There are times where your PC will need some help with its 'tuning' that Microsoft Updates may not be able to accomodate. This is when you may need to consider the assistance of a genuine third party tool such as The Ultimate Troubleshooter, which does exactly as the name expects.

It manages housekeeping, troubleshoots and refines the PC making it last longer, and alleviates the need for the user to take it to expensive computer support shops for fixes. That way you can keep your system in order and your PC updated without upgrading to a newer version of Windows.