Microsoft Update Product Team Blog : General

Upcoming Update for Windows Update

muteam — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:49:00 GMT

Hi All,

Please be aware that beginning next month, we will start an upgrade to the Windows Update and Microsoft Update services. As a part of the service upgrade, an update to the Windows Update and Automatic Updates client code will be required. We will start this infrastructure update in late August, and it will take a couple of months to complete the rollout. Updates to the services and Windows code are required from time to time to maintain and improve service quality, reliability, and operations. The last update occurred in November of 2008.

This update will not change your current Windows Update or Automatic Updates settings. It will improve the user interface for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 computers running Windows Update, adding a more visible and detailed description of updates as well as improvements in how users are notified about service packs. This update will not change the look and feel of Automatic Updates.

The Windows Update or Automatic Updates client software must be updated, or you may not be able to successfully check for updates or perform other configured actions. If Windows Update or Automatic Updates is enabled to automatically check for updates, download updates, or install updates on your computer then the infrastructure update will be downloaded and installed automatically. Your computer will not be updated if you have disabled Windows Update (or Automatic Updates) and do not check for updates.

This infrastructure update is being provided in the same way as previous infrastructure updates. For more information about infrastructure updates and the last infrastructure update, please refer to last year’s infrastructure update post.

WU/MU Team

Upcoming Expiration Reminders of Windows XP and Windows Vista SP Blocker Tools

muteam — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:01:00 GMT

Hi Folks,

Just a reminder, If you have used the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows XP or Windows Vista then make sure you’re prepared for the expiration of the blocker tool. The Windows Vista blocker tool expires on April 28, 2009. The Windows XP SP3 blocker tool expires May 19, 2009.

For those of you who haven’t used the blocker tools. They temporarily prevent certain updates or service packs from being offered to a computer through WU. The service pack blockers work for one year after general availability of the service pack. We provide them for business customers who don’t manage software updates using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or our System Center products and solutions.

For more information on the Service Pack Blocker Tool, please see the FAQ available through the Springboard Series on TechNet.

Thanks,

The MU Team

A New Resource about Windows Update is Available

muteam — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:19:00 GMT

Hi Everyone -

Want to better understand updating behavior and what Microsoft is trying to do with Windows Update? We've created a whitepaper called Windows Update Explained, which provides information about how Windows Update works, including how to check for, download, and install updates. It also talks about reboots, the information Windows Update collects in order to operate, and security protections in Windows Update. And there's a little bit about WSUS, and pointers to how you can customize it, for all your IT Professionals out there.

Here's a snippet to get you started:

"In spite of their high cost and the headaches they cause, many security breaches are easily avoidable. The security fixes are available, but users don’t get them installed quickly enough (or at all).

Have you ever wondered what Microsoft is doing to help? Or did you know that Microsoft® Windows® Update is an important part of the solution, but weren’t sure exactly what it does or how it works. If so, this paper is for you…"

Interest piqued? Go check out Windows Update Explained over on the TechNet Update Management Center today and let us know your feedback.

-MU Team

Upcoming Update to Windows Update

muteam — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:02:00 GMT

Hi everyone,

I'd like to let you know that, beginning at the end of this month and continuing over the next few months, we’ll be rolling out an infrastructure update to the Windows Update agent (client). I wanted to take this opportunity to provide some background on the update and discuss the value these updates bring to you.

How Windows Update Keeps Itself Up-to-Date

Occasionally, we must update the infrastructure of Windows Update in order to ensure a high level of service quality, reliability, and operation. As part of this process, we update both the back-end infrastructure that supports the service as well as the client side code (i.e. the Windows Update agent, or client).

So what are we doing this time? Well, this particular update won’t really change the way the client looks or feels to you, but you may notice some improvements in the length of time it takes Windows Update to scan for updates and how quickly you’ll receive signature updates. For example, in this update, we’ve invested heavily in reducing the amount of time it takes the Windows Update agent to scan to see if new updates are available. In this case, we’ve seen some instances of the scan times on some machines decreasing almost 20 percent.

Settings 101

Before we dive into how Windows Update issues the infrastructure updates, let’s review some information about different changes you can make to your personal Windows Update settings. We recommend that you install Important + Recommended updates (in Windows Vista) or High Priority updates (in Windows XP) automatically; these options are presented when you set up Windows. After initial setup, if you would like to change your settings, go to the Windows Update application in Windows Vista or the Automatic Updates Control Panel in Windows XP. There you can select from 4 settings: (1) Automatically Download and Install; (2) Download Only (updates are downloaded but the user chooses whether and when to install them); (3) Check for Updates (no updates are downloaded and you’re notified that updates are available for download and install); and (4) Off. See Figures 1 and 2 below.

Figure 1: Windows Vista Windows Update Control Panel

Figure2: Windows XP Automatic Updates Control Panel

What does this mean for you?

Anytime the Windows Update agent is turned on, Windows Update will take care of updating itself. Windows Update is considered “on” when anything other than “Never check for updates” or “Turn off Automatic Updates” is selected. What this means is that if you’ve selected “install updates automatically,” the update to the Windows Update client will install automatically. You may also notice that Windows Update will also automatically download and install updates necessary for the Windows Update client to function properly if you’ve chosen a different setting, like setting 2 (“Automatically Download Updates”) or setting 3 (“Automatically Check for Updates”). This is done in order to ensure that a system will continue to notify the user about available updates.

The Windows Update client does not download or install infrastructure updates if the user has selected setting 4 (“Off”). In other words, if a Windows Vista user selects “Never check for updates,”( or if a Windows XP user selects “Turn off Automatic Updates”), the user will not receive Windows Update client infrastructure updates unless they choose to manually install it from Windows Update.

Windows Update has been keeping itself up-to-date this way for many years, and while these infrastructure updates are important to maintain the quality of the Windows Update service, they aren’t that frequent (they usually occur about once a year).

Why does Windows Update need to self update?

You may be wondering why this process is different from other updates you’ve come to expect from Windows Update. The reason Windows Update issues infrastructure updates in this way is to ensure that users are able to successfully check for updates and/or receive expected notifications. If Windows Update wasn’t able to do this, it may cause some users to believe that they have all of the latest security updates even though there was no installation and/or notifications of updates. To avoid a false sense of security, the Windows Update client automatically checks for and installs any available infrastructure updates anytime a system uses the Windows Update service, independent of the settings for how it handles updates.

I hope this information was useful in helping you understand infrastructure updates, and that you have the time you need to prepare for the update.

We continue to be confident in the value Windows Update offers. For more information about infrastructure updates, please refer to KB946928. If you’d like more information about Windows Update, and how the service works, please review the newly launched Windows Update information on windows.com.

We look forward to hearing your feedback.

Thanks,

Michelle Haven

Product Mgr., WIndows Update