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Microsoft Update - Usage Overview
Originally Published: July 14, 2005
Last Updated:
April 21, 2008 09:19:09 AM
Once Microsoft Update has completed installing, you can
see from the screen capture below there really isn't
anything vastly different from the old Windows Update
interface. The [ Express ] and [ Custom ] buttons are
present to get you started on updating the system. Options
are listed on the left hand side of the interface and the
right side contains a reminder of how Automatic Updates is
currently configured.
Clicking the [ Express ] button still yields
nothing different from the previous Windows Update. If there
were any new updates available they would be listed along
with an option to go ahead and begin the installation. Since
there aren't any updates, clicking the [ Microsoft Update
Home ] link returns you to the main Microsoft Update
interface. Remember that the [ Express ] button only deals
with high priority updates.
Clicking the [ Custom ] button takes you to
the area where the advantages of Microsoft Update over
Windows Update become apparent. Notice in the capture below
I've highlighted in red the section where the types of
updates are selected. The High Priority, Software, and
Hardware updates under Select by Type haven't changed, but
the Select by Product section is new to Microsoft Update.
You can see that the option is available to select updates
for the Windows XP Family of products or Office 2003
products. Obviously, if you don't have Office 2003 installed
then it won't be listed, but you get the idea. Unlike
Windows Update that dealt strictly with the Windows XP
Family, Microsoft Update expands the update options from
this single interface rather than having to visit the
individual update sites that are product specific.
The downside to the Select by Product area
is that not many products are supported. In the Microsoft
Update FAQ section Microsoft states, "In addition to Windows
updates, the Microsoft Update website offers updates for
some Microsoft products, including Microsoft Office 2003,
Office XP, Microsoft Exchange Server, and Microsoft SQL
Server. Typically, only updates for the latest version of
each product are offered." That's too bad because Microsoft
Update really is pretty convenient, but hopefully the list
of supported products will grow over time.
Using the [ Review Your Update History ]
link it's a simple matter to go back through and see what
updates have been installed. I'd like to see the ability to
remove updates incorporated right into Microsoft Update
rather than have to navigate to Add and Remove Programs in
Control Panel strictly as a matter of convenience. It would
make it more of a "one stop shop" for controlling the
updates.
In an effort to keep the user interface clean and prevent
updates you don't want from being displayed each time you
acess Microsoft Update, users have the ability to hide
updates that have been declined. Using the [ Restore Hidden
Updates ] link will display a list of the hidden updates and
allow them to be restored to the available update list.
Accessing the [ Change Settings ] link you are able to
change the language used to view Microsoft Update and also
force Microsoft Update to show Beta products and their
related updates.
Also included in the [ Change Settings ] link is the ability
to uninstall Microsoft Update and return to using the
standard Windows Update. I don't know why this was tucked
away in [ Change Settings ] rather than have a separate link
prominently displayed on the main user interface window, but
the ability to uninstall it was included. Uninstalling also
removes the [ Microsoft Update ] link that was installed in
the upper section of Start > All Programs during the Windows
Update installation process.
The [ FAQ ] and [ Get Help and Support ] links are worth a
read through as they provide a bit more in depth information
and additional links if you run into an issue that isn't
readily solvable. A link to Troubleshooters is also in the
Help and Support section.
The final link [ Use Administrator Options ] covers the
updating process for networks and also has links to
alternative sources for obtaining updates.
The Bottom Line Microsoft Update
offers a clean, efficient interface for keeping the system
current and up to date. Other than the fact it offers the
ability to select updates by product rather than just for
the XP operating system family, there really isn't any great
benefit over Windows Update. I used it for the latest round
of 'Second Tuesday' updates and it worked just as I
expected. Over time I hope it will evolve a bit more to
include more supported applications and a few features I
mentioned in the article, but for now it does what it's
intended to do with no problems.
Microsoft Update
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Microsoft Update - Installing |
