How to update Windows yourself? Simple tips for novice users

Experienced users know that not all operating systems by the time of their debugging are thoroughly debugged and do not have so-called "holes". That's why over time, developers are releasing for their products add-ons and service packs, which should fix all errors found over time and make life easier for users. This article will tell you how to update Windows - one of the most popular operating systems in the world - to the latest, and therefore the most updated version.

Depending on the version of the operating system, a certain number of updates issued by the developers are installed on it. For example, until now widely used Windows XP has received three official service packs, and its predecessor, Windows 2000 - four. As a rule, after the release of a new version of the operating system, developers from Microsoft offer users to update Windows automatically or manually. For novice users and those who are not too versed in computers, experts recommend that this procedure be performed automatically. But it should be remembered that such a system update is available only if the PC is connected to the Internet.

On the official site, the most recent service packs remain available for download by users even after the release of new OS. For example, you can download and install the latest updates for Windows XP on the Microsoft website despite the fact that after this operating system the company has already presented "operating systems" called Windows Vista and Windows 7, and very soon it is preparing to launch a completely fresh Windows 8 The methods of installing the latest service pack for the still popular Windows XP are described in detail not only on the official website, but also on many other resources on the network. That's why it's quite easy to update windows. You can do this in one of the ways described below:

· Update windows using automatic download from the official site. By enabling automatic updates (you can do this from the control panel), you do not have to worry about the future of the installed operating system - the OS itself will communicate with the official site via an Internet connection and check for new versions of software. All that is required in this case from the user is to monitor the computer to be connected to the network.

· Manual installation. If the computer is not connected to the Internet, you can install the latest update for Windows XP yourself. To do this, the user needs to download a software package called Service Pack 3 from the official site (you can do this from a number of other sources, but there is no guarantee that such an update will be licensed), copy all of its files to your PC's hard drive and run the installation file (It is called Setup.exe). Before installing, make sure that the operating system version includes the two previous service packs, since you can only update the latest version to the previous updates. Also, keep in mind that this service pack is not available for the 64-bit version of the favorite "pig" (which is the nickname in the people's Windows XP). "Sixty-four-biters" will only work with the second update package at least until April 2014, the developers assure.

If your computer was purchased relatively recently, it's worthwhile to think about updating Windows to the seventh version, since many software developers do not currently release versions of their products for Windows XP and completely focused on the release of software for Windows 7.

To check if your operating system has been updated to the latest version, you need to go to the "Properties" of the computer and pay attention to the "System" section. If it already contains a postscript "Service Pack 3", then the OS has already been updated, and there is nothing to worry about.