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Windows Update
Windows Update has been a part of Windows XP since it was
first released back in October of 2001, approximately three
and a half years ago. During that time a lot of things have
changed in both the way people access and use the internet
as well as changes to Windows XP itself. One item that
hasn't changed however is the need to keep a system updated.
If anything, it has become even more important than it used
to be, especially in light of the many and varied attacks on
system security that seem endless these days. There are a
lot of ways to keep XP updated, but I suspect the majority
of users are entrenched with a combination of Windows Update
and Automatic Update.
| What really
prompted this article was a little notice on the
Windows Update site that has been hanging around
for a while now. I'd read it, but not really
given it any thought since I've been using SP2
for quite some time without any significant
problems. It says, " Windows XP users: new
security updates are now available for SP1 and
SP2 only." That got me to thinking one day; what
happens if I want to go back and install a
version of XP released prior to SP1 or SP2? Does
that mean that I can't update the fresh
installation via Windows Update, or do I have to
go out and track down all the updates on my own?
Perhaps I was just reading it incorrectly or
reading more into it than what was there, so I
decided to do a clean installation of the first
Gold CD version of XP Professional and take it
through Windows Update. What I discovered along
the way is presented below. |
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You may remember a few months
back when SP2 was released there was quite an uproar because
the update was going to be pushed out automatically to users
via Windows Update. In response, Microsoft issued a tool
[See
Temporarily Disabling Delivery of Windows XP Service Pack 2
Through Windows Update and Automatic Updates] designed
to block SP2 being automatically installed.
Windows Update has gone through quite a few
transformations since the initial release of Windows XP.
Depending on how long you've been an XP user, you might
remember Version 4 of Windows Update. It looked like the
screen capture below.
Somewhere along the line, and I really don't
remember when, Microsoft released Version 5 of Windows
Update as shown below. As of this writing [ April 2005 ]
this is the version you'll see when selecting Windows Update
from the Start Menu. It's really not that much different
from the old version. Most of it is a spiffier user
interface with some added graphic elements.
The two main areas of concern are Express
Install and Custom Install. As you can see from the
descriptions, Express Install consists only of critical and
security updates. Custom Install gives you access to
critical, security, and optional updates. Which one should
you choose? As usual, I have an opinion. Go with the Custom
Install unless you truly don't care what updates are added
to your system. That's not to say that in some cases the
Express Install isn't useful, because it is, but if you like
to monitor and have control over your system the Custom
Install gives you that ability.
Express Install versus Custom Install
In the previous section I talked about
deciding between an Express or Custom install. What really
happens when you select one over the other? The screen
capture below shows the changes to the main Windows Update
screen when Express Install is selected. In this particular
situation you can see that Express Install has selected 18
updates it feels need to be installed. Microsoft words it
like this:
"Microsoft strongly recommends that you
install the following high priority updates to help keep
your computer up-to-date and secure. To install these
updates, click Install."
The first step in this exercise was to load
up a clean installation of Windows XP Professional from a
Gold CD (the first retail version released that doesn't
include SP1 or SP2) and then I headed for the Windows Update
site. After loading, it almost immediately popped up a
Security Warning asking if I wanted to install and run
"Windows Update" signed on 08/03/2004 and distributed by
Microsoft Windows Publisher.
While deciding if I'd install "Windows Update" I got
interrupted by a phone call. While I was talking, but before
I'd clicked the [Yes] button to begin installing, I noticed
the window refresh itself automatically to include the
"We're Sorry" message shown below. If you delay long enough
in deciding about the installation, Windows Update loses
patience and returns the error message. At this point there
is really only one option -- so go ahead and click
[Yes] and get the installation started.
Once you start the installation, two more screens appear
as shown below; one to verify you really did want to install
"Windows Update" and the other to tell you when the
installation has been completed. Gratuitous and a waste of
time, but it keeps the programmers busy.
Once "Windows Update" has completed installing, the
current version is displayed, including two displays on the
right side of the display; one encouraging the user to turn
on Automatic Updates and another that displays News related
to Windows Update. At this point there are two major options
available; Express Install or Custom Install. Right now it
doesn't matter which option is selected because both of them
are going to take you to the same place. Scroll on down and
I'll explain why.
Now that the most recent version of Windows Update is
installed, the first order of business is to upgrade
components. The screen capture below explains some of the
new features in this version. Expanding the Details section
shows the Upgrade for Background Intelligent Transfer
Service (BITS) 2.0 and WinHTTP 5.1 (KB824773) are the
components to be upgraded. Click [Download and Install Now]
to get the upgrades.
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