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Step 1
Open an Internet Explorer browser window.
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Step 2
Move the mouse cursor over to "Tools" on the menu and left mouse click, causing a drop-down menu to appear.
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Step 3
Move the mouse cursor to "Windows Update" and left mouse click again. This will cause the browser to attempt to open the Windows Update website. Connecting to the site starts the process to check the system. After the initial check, if all is well, a page will appear with two buttons: "Express" and "Custom." If the computer is configured to receive critical updates automatically, "Automatic Updates Turned ON" should appear in the sidebar on the right at the top of the box. If not, there will be an option to turn on automatic updates now.
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Step 4
Click on the "Custom" button to start the process to check the system. When the process is complete, the site will display a page with any updates that have been found that are applicable for the computer, and these can be selected by using the sections in the sidebar on the left side of the window labeled "High Priority," "Software, Optional," and "Hardware, Optional." If updates have been found for any of these sections, a number in parentheses will appear after the heading.
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Step 5
Select a section that shows an update is available, then select the check-box for each update to be installed.
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Step 6
Select all of the available updates as desired. After finishing, click on "Review and Install Updates." This will bring up the list of selected updates and a button at the top of the page to install.
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Step 7
Click the button to start the installation process. The operating system will download and install the updates, with a dialog box giving information of the progress and status of the updates. When finished, a message will appear with further instructions such as to restart the computer or to continue working in the system.
