Enabling Automatic Updates on Windows 2000/XP Professional

For Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 2

Go to Start, then choose the Control Panel icon.

Double click on the Security Center icon.

Double click on Automatic Updates.

We recommend choosing the setting called "Automatically download the updates and install them on the schedule that I specify."

If you leave your computer turned on at night, you can select the default schedule, which is "Every day at 3am". If you turn your computer off at night, please select a schedule during the hours that your computer will be turned on. Lunch time is a good choice. Your computer has to be turned on, but does not have to be logged in in order for the update wizard to work. If the update wizard installs an update that requires that the computer be restarted while you're logged in, a message will appear on screen asking for permission to do so.

For Windows 2000

Go to Start, then choose Settings and click on the Control Panel icon.

In the Control Panel, double click on the Automatic Updates icon. Check the box called "Keep my computer up to date". We recommend choosing the setting called "Automatically download the updates and install them on the schedule that I specify."

If you leave your computer turned on at night, you can select the default schedule, which is "Every day at 3am". If you turn your computer off at night, please select a schedule during the hours that your computer will be turned on. Lunch time is a good choice.

Your computer has to be turned on, but does not have to be logged in in order for the update wizard to work. If the update wizard installs an update that requires that the computer be restarted while you're logged in, a message will appear on screen asking for permission to do so.

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Last updated: Oct 18, 2005 (02:35:20 PM EDT)
URL: http://www.clasnet.ufl.edu/computers/self-maintained/update.shtml