Is it possible to update the operating system. How to update Windows and installed programs? Possible problems after installing updates

Windows 7 is by far the most popular and in-demand operating system, and even the vast majority of users of the legendary XP are seriously thinking about how to upgrade Windows XP to Windows 7. Unfortunately, they will have to be upset right away, because directly updating and switching from XP to the "Seven" will not succeed. It is recommended to perform a clean installation of Windows 7, since this is the most expedient of all the few methods, since updating, for example, in stages through Windows Vista, is a long and laborious process. You should also keep in mind the architecture of the system, because you need to take into account that you cannot migrate from a 32 bit OS to a 64 bit OS.

Step by step instructions

Stage 1: Find out the required bit depth of the operating system

The main advantage of 32 bit OS is the ability to run it on all computers. The main advantage of 64 bit is the ability to work with a significant amount of memory, but not all PCs can function in it.

In order to determine the bit depth of the working version of Windows XP on your computer, you need to do the following simple steps:

Stage 2: Analysis of the compliance of all PC components under the "Seven"

The algorithm of actions to perform the required analysis is as follows:

Note: The saved report, if available, will indicate the predicted difficulties in the hardware of the computer and in installed applications that complicate the installation, updating and subsequent operation of Windows 7. Also, the user in this report will have specific suggestions for taking appropriate measures.

Stage 3: backing up all data from the system disk with Windows XP

In order not to lose and fully ensure the preservation of all data stored by Windows XP on the system disk, it is necessary to use a freely distributed program that will save all Windows settings data by transferring them, for example, to an external drive with the appropriate amount of memory, and after switching to Windows 7, it will allow you to transfer them back already in new system after update.

To accomplish this task, several consecutive steps are required:

Stage 3: Installing Windows 7

You need to do the following:

Ready! Update with the transition from XP to "Seven" completed.

Note: This guide allows you to migrate (upgrade) to a new operating system without losing old settings and files, but all previously installed applications will need to be installed in Windows 7 again.

Operating system updates allow you to keep up-to-date security tools, software, fix errors made by developers in previous versions of files. As you know, Microsoft has stopped official support, and therefore, the release of Windows XP updates from 04/08/2014. Since then, all users of this OS are 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. are still using a special version of Windows XP - Windows Embedded. The developers have declared support for this OS until 2019 and updates for it are available. 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 tweak.

Warning: By performing the steps described in the "Modifying the Registry" section, you are in violation of the Microsoft license agreement. If Windows is modified in this way on a computer that officially belongs to the organization, then problems may arise during the next check. For home machines, there is no such threat.

Registry modification

1. Before setting up the registry, the first step is to create a system restore point so that in case of an error you can roll back. How to use restore points, read the article on our website.
2. Next, create a new file, for which we click on the desktop PKM, go to point "Create" and choose "Text Document".

   

3. Open a document and add the following code to it:

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

   
   "Installed"=dword:00000001

   

4. Let's go to the menu "File" and choose "Save as".

   

   We choose a place 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.

   

5. We launch this file by double clicking and confirm that we really want to change the parameters.

   

6. We restart 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 corresponding 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

1. To manually update Windows XP, you need to open "Control Panel" and choose a category "Security Center".

   

2. Next follow the link "Check for the latest updates from Windows Update" in the block "Resources".

   

3. Internet Explorer will launch and display the Windows Update page. Here you can choose a 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 fast option.

   

4. We are waiting for the completion of the package search process.

   

5. The search is over and we see a list of important updates in front of us. As expected, they are for the Windows Embedded Standard 2009 (WES09) operating system. As mentioned above, these packages are suitable for XP as well. Install them by clicking on the button "Install updates".

   

6. Next, the download and installation of packages will begin. We wait…

   

7. Upon completion of the process, we will see a window with a message that not all packages have been installed. This is normal - some updates may only be installed at system boot time. We press the button "Reboot Now".

   

The manual update has been completed and the computer is now as secure as possible.

Automatic update

In order not to go to the Windows Update site 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 site often, or better yet, let the OS install updates on its own.

By default, Windows Update runs all the time, so unless you manually disable it, you will always receive system updates or notifications to download and install them. The system is updated automatically with standard settings, but there are times when you need to start this process yourself. It can be done different ways both with and without internet connection.

Is it worth updating the system

System updates are needed so that Windows 10 does not lose its relevance and does not conflict with programs installed by the user. Each system update fixes any bugs found before, or optimizes the OS so that it can support more and more third-party applications.

Installing new additions to the initial version of Windows 10 is worth it, but keep in mind that there are times when a new version eliminates the mistakes made earlier, but at the same time causes others. Each update provided to users is tested by Microsoft, but anticipate everything possible consequences not always within the power of even such a large company. Of course, when Microsoft developers notice that they have released an update that is not entirely correct, they roll it back or replace it with another more refined one.

In order not to get into the raw version of the update, it is recommended to install it not on the day of release, but about two weeks later. So the likelihood that it will cause any new problems will decrease dramatically.

Updates that should not be installed

The unique update code can be used to identify its purpose and release date. If you switched to selective installation of updates, you can decide for yourself which ones will be downloaded. From the experience of installers, the following versions should be skipped, as they cause some problems:

• Windows update KB971033 - kills the activation of unlicensed Windows by changing the activation mechanism;
• KB2982791, KB2970228, KB2975719 and KB2975331 - crash, blue screen, Stop 0x50 in Win32k.sys;
• security update KB2993651 - BSOD, disabled or incorrect operation of Windows Update, windows of some applications may become invisible or incorrectly displayed behind other windows;
• security updates KB2965768, KB2970228, KB2973201 and KB2975719 - windows of some applications may become invisible or incorrectly displayed behind other windows;
• Windows update KB2859537, KB2872339, KB2882822 - programs from exe do not start, error 0xc0000005, only on unlicensed Windows, because core files are replaced;
• security update KB2862330 - BSOD, even on MSDN images;
• Security Update KB2864058 - Problems launching applications that use Visual C++ libraries.

Some more updates, sorted by month:

• April, 2015 - KB3045999;
• May, 2015 - KB3022345;
• June, 2015 - KB3068708 - blue screen, permanent reboot;
• August, 2015 - KB3060716 and KB3071756 - BSOD with error 0x0000007b;
• September, 2015 - KB3080149 - BSOD;
• October, 2015 - KB3088195 - BSOD code 0x80070490;
• November, 2015 - KB3101746;
• December, 2015 - KB3108381 - some applications crash;
• January, 2016 - KB3121212 - there may be problems who has the system activated via KMS server;
• Feb, 2016 - KB3126587 and KB3126593 - Windows won't start;
• March, 2016 - KB3140410 - BSOD;
• May, 2016 - KB3153171 - BSOD with 145 error.

How long do they take to install and how much do updates cost?

The time it takes to install an update will depend on its size, workload, and computer performance. Some updates install in the background and do not require any additional action, while others will require a computer restart to fully install.

If the update is large and the computer is not particularly powerful, then the installation process may take several hours. But usually the procedure takes no more than fifteen minutes. The main thing is not to interrupt the process manually until it becomes clear that it is hung. If you suspect that the procedure has stopped, then give the computer some time to recover, it may not signal progress to the screen, but do everything in the background. If you interrupt the installation, the computer will try to roll back, pretending that it did not try to install any update, but it is not a fact that it will be able to do it. In the worst case, you will have to restore the system manually or reinstall it.

The size of the update also cannot be specified exactly, since it varies from 10 MB to 3-4 GB. Updates of several gigabytes are anniversary and bring serious changes, although not always noticeable to the average user. They rarely appear, more often packages of 5-100 MB are installed. An example of a major update is version 1607, you can read about the changes that it brought to Windows 10 on the official Microsoft website.

User data is not lost or corrupted when updates are installed. You can update the system and at the same time delete data from the hard disk using an application from Microsoft, which provides an additional function that allows you to clean the hard disk.

How to update Windows 10

There are several ways to start the update process manually. Each of them, except for the one described at the very end, will need a stable Internet connection, since all updates will be downloaded from Microsoft servers and other computers. If using one of the suggested methods, you get an error that says that the installation is not possible, try to reproduce the process using any of the other options below.

Through computer settings

To update the system through Windows Update, do the following:

1. Open your computer settings. Open your computer settings
2. Expand the Update & Security tab.
   Go to the Update & Security section
3. Start the scan process for available updates.
   Click on the "Check for Updates" button
4. Confirm the start of the download if you agree to install the list of found updates. Confirm the start of installing the list of updates found by the "Update Center"
5. Wait until the necessary files are downloaded and installed.
   Wait for the updates to download and install
6. Restart your computer. You can do it right away or set a restart time. Run restart your computer
7. If the reboot is started, then when you turn off and on the computer, you will see a blue screen, which will display a process completion indicator in percent.
   Wait for the updates to be installed by turning the computer on and off

Video: how to check for updates on Windows 10

Through "Command line"

To force a system update, you need to execute two commands in succession in the "Command Prompt", run as administrator:

After completing both steps, restart your computer to complete the update process permanently.

Via Media Creation Tool

The program that is used to install or upgrade to Windows 10 from previous versions of the operating system is also suitable for upgrading to latest version already installed Windows 10:

1. Download the Media Creation Tool from the company's official website.
   Download Media Creation Tool
2. Run it and accept the license agreement.
   Accept the Media Creation Tool license agreement
3. At the step with selecting an action, indicate that you want to update this computer.
   Indicate that we want to update this computer
4. After scanning the system, examine the list of updates that are not present in it. By default, all files stored on the hard drive will be saved. But you can change that by clicking on the "Change Saved Components" button and setting your options.
   Start installation or choose what data to keep
5. Wait for the download and installation to finish. The computer will restart at the end of the process.
   Wait while Media Creation Tool downloads and installs updates

Through the Windows 10Upgrade program

On the same page where you can download the program for installing and upgrading to Windows 10, there is an "Upgrade Now" button, which only appears if you are logged into the browser with the OS already installed.

Custom installation

If you need to make sure that some versions of updates are never installed, use the official wushowhide.diagcab program.

Video: How to selectively install updates

Installation without Internet access

If the computer that needs to be updated does not have Internet access, then you can download updates from another computer, transfer them to the desired one and install them manually. You can download updates using the Portable Update program:

Installing CAB and MSU Format Updates

If you download the update you need in CAB or MSU format, you can install it by running one of the commands in the "Command Prompt" launched with administrator rights:

The path to the file in both cases must be separated by quotes.

Switching to Game Mode in Windows 10

The game mode appeared in the system with the release of the Creators Update. You can upgrade to it using any of the above methods. Game mode will allow you to achieve maximum performance through the optimization of processes running on the computer. After you upgrade to the Creators Update, activate it as follows:

Video: How to enable Game Mode in Windows 10

How to update the system edition

There are several system packages, each of which is designed for a specific range of users. Windows can be "Home", "Professional" or "Corporate". If you first installed the "Home" version, and then decided that it was time to switch to the "Professional", then it is not necessary to reinstall the system, just follow these steps:

Video: How to upgrade Windows 10 edition

Stop system update

By default, the system updates automatically. You can stop the update by doing the following:

There are other ways to disable automatic updates, but they are more time consuming. If you want to install some updates and disable others, then use the "Custom installation" instructions above in the same article.

Possible problems after installing updates

After installing updates and new build versions, you may experience problems with system activation or with applications, processes, games, or devices not working properly.

Build Rollback

If, after updating the assembly, activation has failed, then it must be repeated. If there are other kinds of problems, you need to perform a system rollback:

Removing updates

If the problems arose not due to the installation of a new assembly, but due to a specific update, then this update must be uninstalled:

Video: How to uninstall Windows 10 updates

System updates can both help the system and harm it, so it is worth monitoring incoming packets manually. You should not completely abandon new versions, but it is not recommended to install them all immediately, as soon as they are released.

Why is it necessary to update Windows operating systems? A very large number of users find that performing an installation operating system updates is an optional task that can be performed later. But this is not at all the case, since each OS update contains files that increase the level of stability and reliability of Windows.

Problems that are solved with operating system updates

• Improve the stability and performance of your PC. Almost every Windows update package contains new versions of drivers, which reduce the power consumption of devices and increase their performance. And new system modules and libraries make the Windows operating system more rational and stable.
• System protection. All versions of Windows OS, even the latest ones, have a large number of vulnerabilities that cybercriminals use for their own purposes to obtain user data from your PC. Or in order to use your computer to send spam, extract virtual currency, conduct DDoS attacks, etc. With each update package, Microsoft closes loopholes, thereby protecting its users from criminal encroachments.
• Full support for software and hardware. Manufacturers computer programs and equipment are constantly improving technology by adding additional functions to their products. And if you do not install the appropriate system update, then Windows will not be able to use the new features.

In the event that you do not have a stable Internet connection or there are traffic restrictions that do not allow you to download all updates, you should install at least those that have the "important" or "critical" status. Windows operating system update data fix the most critical bugs and eliminate the most dangerous vulnerabilities.

How to update the Windows XP operating system?
Installing updates in Windows XP is performed using the Windows Update Center from Microsoft, which can be accessed through the "Control Panel".

After entering Windows Update, you will be prompted to choose one of three modes for downloading and installing updates, or disable updates altogether. The best option Windows XP operating system updates is automatic scheduled updates.

Key Benefits of Windows XP Automatic Updates
Manual installation of updates requires certain user knowledge and time. During the download and installation of updates, there is a load on the computer's resources, and this can lead to its freezing. If you set up automatic system updates for a period of time when you do not use your PC, then such inconveniences will not occur.

• Windows XP service packs contain new system features and bug fixes. So, if you trust the installation of updates directly to the operating system, you will not have to wonder which updates are needed for your PC and which are not. Windows XP itself will select the necessary updates and install.
• Your personal computer will always have high protection against all possible threats. Also, you will not need to periodically track the release of important and critical updates in order to install them on your PC. When vulnerabilities are identified, Microsoft releases patches that fix them. So, the sooner the OS receives such patches, the more securely your data will be stored.

In order to enable Windows XP auto-update You should do the following:

• set the switch opposite the item "Automatic (recommended)";
• choose when to download and install updates. It is recommended to choose a time when no one is working on your PC, for example, at night. For a home personal computer, it will be enough to update the OS once a week, but if it has very important information, then it is better to update the OS every day.

• click on the "OK" button.

The changes will take effect immediately and you will not have to worry about the security of your personal computer.

How to update the Windows 7 operating system
The search and installation of updates in the Windows 7 operating system is carried out through the update center, which can be accessed through the "Control Panel" or using the wuapp.exe CMD command.

In order to check for updates and install them on Windows 7, follow these steps:

• click on "Search for updates" in the left menu, then wait until the OS finds all available updates;

• after a message appears about the need to install important updates, click on it. This will allow you to select the updates you wish to install.

In the event that there are no important updates on your PC, or they are already installed, a window will appear prompting you to install optional updates.

If you install important updates in a timely manner, you will significantly increase the security of not only Windows 7, but the entire computer. Optional updates are basically updates to drivers or programs that do not have a significant impact on the performance of the operating system as a whole.

How to update the Windows 8 operating system?
Installing updates on the Windows 8 operating system is carried out, as on Windows 7, using the update center. You can enter it through the CMD command wuapp.exe or through the "Control Panel".

In order to find updates and then install them, you should follow these steps:

• in the Windows Update Center, click on the item "Search for updates";

• after the OS finishes searching for updates, click on the "Install updates" button;

• now you need to wait a while until the Windows 8 operating system downloads and installs all updates. This window will inform you about it.

Remember to install updates as they greatly improve the performance of your personal computer and also its protection.

Despite the emergence of new versions of antivirus programs, security threats when working on the Internet are not decreasing. One way to improve security is to periodically update the Windows operating system.

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