A Windows Service Pack is a large collection of patches and tools to improve the reliability of the operating system. In the case of Windows, there are 3 versions: sp1, sp2 and sp3. It is strongly recommended to use the latest one - it is the most stable and secure, supporting many even modern applications. If you still have sp2 or sp1, you can download all the necessary updates for Windows XP to get the sp3 version.
How to find out the current version
First, users need to find out what version of the operating system Windows systems XP installed on this moment. This can be done using the computer properties panel:
If sp2 or sp1 is installed, follow the further instructions.
Windows XP Update
The easiest way - automatic update. The computer will automatically download all the necessary packages and install them in background without interfering with your work. If auto-update were active, Windows XP would have already installed sp3. Since this did not happen, it is necessary this function enable (at least temporarily):
Now you just have to wait until all the necessary packages are downloaded from the Microsoft server and installed on your PC. In case you encounter any problems and nothing works, try the alternative option described below.
Download the update package from Microsoft
You can also download all the necessary files from Microsoft servers and install them in manual mode. Despite the fact that support for Windows XP has already ended, all the necessary packages are freely available on the official website:
After these steps, the sp3 package will be downloaded to your personal computer.
Timely software update guarantees not only support for correct display modern species content, but is also the key to computer security by eliminating vulnerabilities in the system. However, not every user keeps track of updates and installs them manually on time. Therefore, it is advisable to enable auto-update. Let's see how to do this on Windows 7.
To enable auto-updates in Windows 7, developers have provided a number of methods. Let's look at each of them in detail.
Method 1: Control Panel
The most well-known option to complete the task in Windows 7 is to perform a series of manipulations in the Update Control Center by going there through the Control Panel.
Now all operating system updates will occur on the computer in automatic mode, and the user does not need to worry about the OS being up to date.
Method 2: Run Window
You can also proceed to installing auto-updates through the window "Run".
As we can see, using the window "Run" can significantly reduce the time it takes to complete a task. But this option assumes that the user must remember the command, and in the case of going through the Control Panel, the actions are still more intuitive.
Method 3: Service Manager
You can also enable auto-update through the service management window.
After these steps, auto-run updates will be activated.
Method 4: Help Center
You can also enable auto-update through the Support Center.
As you can see, there are a number of options to run automatic updates on Windows 7. In fact, they are all equivalent. So the user can simply choose the option that is more convenient for him personally. But, if you want not only to enable auto-update, but also to make some other settings related to the specified process, then it is best to perform all manipulations through the Windows Update window.
Operating system updates keep security features up to date, software, correct mistakes made by developers in previous versions files. As you know, Microsoft has stopped official support, therefore, the release of Windows XP updates from April 8, 2014. Since then, all users of this OS have been left to their own devices. Lack of support means that your computer, without receiving security packages, becomes vulnerable to malware.
Not many people know that some government agencies, banks, etc. still use a special version of Windows XP - Windows Embedded. The developers announced support for this OS until 2019 and updates are available for it. You probably already guessed that you can use packages designed for this system in Windows XP. To do this, you need to make a small registry adjustment.
Warning: By performing the actions described in the “Modifying the Registry” section, you are violating the Microsoft license agreement. If Windows is modified in this way on a computer that officially belongs to the organization, problems may arise during the next scan. There is no such threat for home machines.
Registry modification
- Before setting up the registry, the first step is to create a system restore point so that in case of an error you can rollback. Read the article on our website to learn how to use recovery points.
- Next we create new file, for which we click on the desktop RMB, go to point "Create" and choose "Text Document".
- Open the document and add the following code to it:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
"Installed"=dword:00000001
- Let's go to the menu "File" and choose "Save as".
We select a location to save, in our case it is the desktop, change the parameter at the bottom of the window to "All files" and give the document a name. The name can be anything, but the extension must be ".reg", For example, "mod.reg", and press "Save".
A new file with the appropriate name and registry icon will appear on the desktop.
- We launch this file by double-clicking and confirm that we really want to change the parameters.
- Reboot the computer.
The result of our actions will be that our operating system will be identified by the Update Center as Windows Embedded, and the appropriate updates will be sent to our computer. Technically, this does not pose any threat - the systems are identical, with minor differences that are not key.
Manual check
- For manual update Windows XP needs to be opened "Control Panel" and select a category "Security Center".
- Next follow the link "Check availability latest updates from Windows Update»
in the block "Resources".
- The browser will launch Internet Explorer and it will open the Windows Update page. Here you can select quick check, that is, get only the most necessary updates, or download the full package by clicking on the button "Selective". Let's choose the quick option.
- We are waiting for the package search process to complete.
- The search is completed, and we see a list of important updates in front of us. As expected, they are intended for the operating room Windows systems Embedded Standard 2009 (WES09). As mentioned above, these packages are also suitable for XP. Install them by clicking on the button "Install updates".
- Next, the download and installation of packages will begin. We wait…
- Once the process is complete, we will see a window with a message stating that not all packages were installed. This is normal - some updates may only be installed during system boot. Press the button "Reboot Now".
The manual update has been completed and your computer is now as secure as possible.
Automatic update
In order not to go to the Windows Update website every time, you need to enable automatic updating of the operating system.
Conclusion
Regularly updating the operating system allows us to avoid many security-related problems. Check the Windows Update website often, or better yet, let the OS install updates on its own.
It's no secret that the Windows XP operating system has many different vulnerabilities. Therefore, Microsoft employees try to periodically release special “patches.” As soon as hackers discover another loophole, the next Windows update is released to fix the discovered “holes.” And thanks to the service built into Windows, security updates are automatically downloaded to your computer. This allows you to quickly increase the level of protection of the entire system.
However, despite such a high usefulness of automatic updating, most users prefer to disable it immediately after installing a new OS. this service. This is due to the fact that in cases of using unlicensed Windows versions, new updates may block the use of the system. No matter what you fear for such things, you should simply turn off automatic updates. This is quite simple to do and will not take much time even for an inexperienced user.
Disable automatic updates
In order to disable automatic updates in Windows, you first need to go to the “Control Panel”. You can do it like this:
Disable the update notification
After turning off Automatic Updates, you will still receive a notification on your desktop asking you to update Windows. You can disable it in system services.
After completing all these steps, automatic updating will be completely disabled with the new starting Windows XP.