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E-mail & Computing
Configuring Windows XP (Pre-SP 2) for Automatic Updates

Configuring Windows XP for Automatic Updates
  1. First find the My Computer icon. It will be either on the desktop or in the Start menu (reached by clicking on the Start button, most often found at the bottom left of your screen).

  2. Click with the right-hand mouse button on the My Computer icon and then click with the left-hand mouse button on Properties. This should bring up a window called System Properties.

  3. In the System Properties window click on the tab labeled Automatic Updates, located near the top of the window.

  4. Click to place a check mark in the box labeled Keep my computer up to date.

  5. Then in the Settings section, choose Download the updates automatically and notify me when they are ready to be installed.

  6. Click OK at the bottom of the window to finish.

Every time Windows finds new updates, you will see a notification message in the lower right-hand corner of the screen that new updates are ready to be installed. Do not ignore the Windows update message! Just say yes and allow the installation to proceed. After the installation is complete, you will be prompted to close down and restart your computer.



Reporting Security Problems

Send reports of security incidents, attacks, or questions to security@columbia.edu