How to Change the Automatic Updates Setting in Windows XP

Microsoft Windows XP has many security features including the automatic Windows update function. This feature will keep your computer up to date with the very latest security and performance updates from Microsoft. By enabling the Windows update feature, your operating system will be more secure. On many computers, this feature is turned off by default.

To enable the automatic Windows update feature, click on the start button, and then on the right side of the menu you will see the words control panel. Click on control panel and a window will appear. On the bottom right hand corner of that window you will see the words security center. Click on the security center icon to bring up the Windows security center main window. You may need to scroll the window down to the bottom to see where the window displays the icons and words for managing security options. Click on automatic updates on the very bottom of the window.

Another window will come up on your screen. There are four main options in this window. The first turns off automatic updates altogether. Most likely, this option is already checked. The second option notifies you of any new updates that are made available from Microsoft. The third option automatically downloads all available updates from Microsoft but allows you to choose when to install them. The fourth option automatically downloads and installs all available updates at a time and day of your choosing.