How to obtain the latest version of the Windows Update Agent to help manage updates on a computer

Windows Update helps keep your computer up-to-date and secure by downloading and installing the latest security and feature updates from Microsoft. Windows Update determines which updates apply to your computer.

Microsoft periodically makes software updates available to users of Windows and other Microsoft software. These updates include updates that improve reliability and performance, updates that provide new protections against malware and other potentially unwanted software, and upgrades to Windows features. To improve the performance or the reliability of hardware components on the computer, Microsoft may also provide updates to device drivers that are supplied by the computer manufacturer.

If you enable Windows Update, some software components that are directly related to Windows Update will have to be updated occasionally on your computer. These updates must be performed before Windows Update can check for required updates or before it can install other updates. These required updates fix errors, provide ongoing improvements, and maintain compatibility with the Microsoft servers that support Windows Update. If you disable Windows Update, you will not receive these updates.

To enable Windows Update, select one of the following settings in the Automatic Updates item in Control Panel: Automatic (recommended)Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them Notify me, but don't automatically download or install them Windows Update is configured to install updates automatically when you select the recommended option during Windows Out Of Box Experience (OOBE) Setup.

After you enable Windows Update, the required updates to some components of the Windows Update service will be downloaded and installed automatically without additional notice to you. This behavior occurs regardless of which setting you use to enable Windows Update. If you do not want to receive required updates, disable automatic updates in Control Panel.

These updates typically do the following: Address feedback from customersImprove compatibility, service performance, and reliabilityEnable new service capabilities When the Windows Update server is updated, a corresponding client update is typically required. During an agent self-update operation, Windows Update Agent files may be added, modified, or replaced. For example, Windows Update Agent files that help display the user experience or that determine whether updates apply to a particular system may be added. This behavior occurs when a system is set up to automatically check for available updates. It does not occur when automatic updates are turned off. For example, the behavior does not occur if you select Never check for updates in Windows Vista or if you select Turn off Automatic Updates in Windows XP.