Automatic Updates are NOT enough

To everyone here:

I wanted to take a moment to notify and/or remind this newsgroup about one of
the features of Automatic Updates, in case any customer believes their system is
patched 100% automatically with no input from the user.

Many users set the Automatic Updates to what we called "Scheduled updates" or
just "Scheduled" for short. This setting has the following wording in the
Control Panel->Automatic Updates:
"Automatic (recommended)"
"Automatically download recommended updates for my computer and install
them:"

This setting is terrific at downloading MOST updates and installing them at a
scheduled time set by the user (or by the IT staff).

However, this setting does NOT insure installation of ALL updates.

Specifically, an exceptional update in this scenario would be one that:
a) Requires a new End User License Agreement
b) Is a Service Pack, and has a restriction set on it that prevents download
other than by user manual intervention.

So, what does this mean for you, the user of Windows Update, who simply want
your updates to be downloaded and installed automatically?

Occasionally, you should go to the Windows Update site and scan your computer to
identify updates. How often? Once a month is sufficient and probably more than
necessary.

To reach the Windows Update site is really very easy:
1. Open an Internet Explorer browser window, while connected to the Internet.
2. On the menu bar of this Internet Explorer window, click Tools
3. Click Windows Update
4. Follow the prompts to scan your computer
5. Look to see whether there are any critical updates.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sincerely,

Pat Walters [MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. Use
of included script samples are subject to the terms specified at
http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm"

Did anyone read this? I was just curious.

Thanks,

Pat Walters [MSFT]


"Pat Walters [MSFT]" <a-> wrote in message
news:%...
> To everyone here:
>
> I wanted to take a moment to notify and/or remind this newsgroup about one
> of the features of Automatic Updates, in case any customer believes their
> system is patched 100% automatically with no input from the user.
>
> Many users set the Automatic Updates to what we called "Scheduled updates"
> or just "Scheduled" for short. This setting has the following wording in
> the Control Panel->Automatic Updates:
> "Automatic (recommended)"
> "Automatically download recommended updates for my computer and install
> them:"
>
> This setting is terrific at downloading MOST updates and installing them
> at a scheduled time set by the user (or by the IT staff).
>
> However, this setting does NOT insure installation of ALL updates.
>
> Specifically, an exceptional update in this scenario would be one that:
> a) Requires a new End User License Agreement
> b) Is a Service Pack, and has a restriction set on it that prevents
> download other than by user manual intervention.
>
> So, what does this mean for you, the user of Windows Update, who simply
> want your updates to be downloaded and installed automatically?
>
> Occasionally, you should go to the Windows Update site and scan your
> computer to identify updates. How often? Once a month is sufficient and
> probably more than necessary.
>
> To reach the Windows Update site is really very easy:
> 1. Open an Internet Explorer browser window, while connected to the
> Internet.
> 2. On the menu bar of this Internet Explorer window, click Tools
> 3. Click Windows Update
> 4. Follow the prompts to scan your computer
> 5. Look to see whether there are any critical updates.
>
> Have a great weekend, everyone!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Pat Walters [MSFT]
>
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> rights. Use of included script samples are subject to the terms specified
> at http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm"
>
>

It's a good article and needs reiterating at regular intervals. Ultimately
it's irresponsible of Microsoft to provide an Automatic Update facility that
doesn't provide automatic updates - it would be less deceptive not to have
the facility at all; but that's another story, and announcing the problem is
certainly better than concealing it!