Yes. Windows Vista includes an automatic updating feature, which you can use to schedule Important and Recommended updates to download and install at a time that you specify, making keeping your PC up-to-date easy and convenient for you. For Optional updates, you'll need to go to the Windows Update control panel and select which updates you'd like to install.

Windows XP offers an automatic update service for High-priority updates. You can install Optional Windows XP updates from the Windows Update website.

Sometimes you might need to install an update by itself because the update requires you to restart your PC before it goes into effect. You may, for an example, need to install a new version or a service pack for the software that you're currently running. Or, Windows Update may need to update itself before it can offer you other updates.

To make sure your PC is ready to install these updates, Microsoft encourages you to first install all important updates for your PC. After you've installed all important updates, Windows may ask if you want to install the stand-alone or "exclusive" update by itself.

That depends. If you turn on automatic updating, you don't need to remember to check for Important and Recommended updates for Windows Vista, or High-priority updates for Windows XP. Windows will check for new updates whenever you're online and install them using your automatic updating settings.

If you do not use automatic updating, you should check for updates at least once each week. Microsoft generally releases updates that cause a restart on the second or fourth Tuesday of the month. However, some updates may be released at any time in order to offer you the choice to install them and realize the benefits as quickly as possible.

For Optional updates for both Windows Vista and Windows XP, you'll need to go to the Windows Update control panel and select which downloads you'd like to install.

Microsoft offers Important, Recommended, and Optional updates in Windows Vista, and High-priority and Optional on Windows XP. To see a list of the updates and definitions for each update level, refer to the Microsoft Help and Support website article, Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates.

You can choose which updates to install by manually checking for updates or by customizing your Windows Update settings.

To manually check for updates

1. Go to Windows Update in Control Panel. (Click the Start button, click All Programs, and then click Windows Update.)

2. In the left pane, click Check for updates. You can review or select from any available updates before installing them.

To change your automatic updating settings

• Go to Windows Update in Control Panel. In the left pane, click Change settings, and then choose the settings that you prefer.

Yes. To learn how, see Change how Windows installs or notifies you about updates.

Whether you use Windows Update or Microsoft Update, just go to Windows Update Control Panel and make sure that automatic updating is checked. To view or change your settings, you can also click the Start button, click All Programs, click Windows Update, and then click Change settings.

Occasionally, Windows Update may run into an instance where the file Windows is trying to update is locked or still in use. When this happens, Windows can't apply the update until it can access these files. In order for you to benefit from the update, Windows will ask you to restart your PC to continue installing updates.

Windows Update will remind you if you need to restart your PC to continue installing an update and give you the opportunity to "restart now" or give you the option to postpone the restart. If you're away from your PC for an extended period of time, you may find that it will automatically restart your PC. Windows does this to help make sure all the latest security and other updates are applied in a timely manner, to help keep your PC more secure with little effort for you.

If you're a system administrator and want to control restart behavior, you can use group policy to prevent automatic restarts from occurring anytime an administrator is logged on.

No. Windows Update works in the background to seamlessly download and install updates if you have it set to install updates automatically. This means that whether or not you're logged in as an administrator, updates will still install on schedule. You do, however, need to be logged in as an administrator to interactively install updates from the Windows Update control panel.

From time to time, Microsoft needs to update and enhance the Windows Update service and that includes updating the Windows Update client software on your PC. Microsoft does this so Windows Update can help you keep your PC more secure and reliable. Given how important it is to maintain the quality of the service, Windows Update will take care of updating itself if you've chosen to be notified of updates or have them automatically installed (Note: it won't if you turn automatic updating completely off).

While Windows Update provides you with updates specifically for Windows, Microsoft Update expands the service to download and install updates for other Microsoft software, such as Microsoft Office and Windows Live. Automatic updating is a feature that allows you to set your PC to automatically download and install updates using either service, making it easy and convenient for you to keep your Windows PC current.

You can receive updates from the Microsoft Update service by setting it up through the Windows Update control panel in Windows Vista. You'll also have an option to sign up for the service when you set up a new Microsoft program, such as Microsoft Office or Windows Live.

Not if you're using Windows Vista. Beginning with Windows Vista, you no longer use websites to check for updates. Instead, you just need to go to your Windows Update control panel. If you use Microsoft Update, you will be able to review and install updates for Windows and other Microsoft software products that are installed and supported by the Microsoft Update service.

Not if you've installed Microsoft Office 2003 or Microsoft Office XP. If you use an earlier version of Microsoft Office, you should still get updates from Microsoft Office Online.

Tip: To check which version of Office you're using

• Open any Microsoft Office program. Click Help, and then click About (program name).

Your use of Microsoft Update is subject to the Terms of Use. Software updates you receive through Microsoft Update are governed by any license terms that come with them. If no license terms come with them, they may be governed by the original license agreement for the software to which they apply. You should check that license agreement for details. If you choose to install updates automatically, you may not be notified of which products are being updated, but you can review details for these updates by going to the Windows Update history in Control Panel.

Windows Update checks your PC to determine which updates it needs depending on what software and devices you have installed. The service does not collect personal information—Windows Update simply collects specific PC details needed for the update, including data such as computer make and model, version and ID numbers, and other such details.

Microsoft is committed to helping protect your privacy, and does not collect your name or other personally identifiable information. For more details on how the information is protected, see the Windows Update privacy statement.