This procedure must be performed once, so that in the future all program and system resources are updated according to the assigned parameters. This is important because updates give the system more performance, reliability, and stability. To complete the update setup process successfully, follow the instructions in this guide on your computer.
First go to the menu Update Center, which can be found by clicking the icon Start, then we find the point Control Panel and choose a category Windows Update.
Windows Update"> Figure 1. Control Panel -> Windows Update.
Click on Windows Update, a new menu opens, in which you need to perform several elementary actions.
Figure 2. Windows Update window.
In the left table, you must first click on the item Parameter settings.
Figure 3. Parameter settings menu.
Here you need to give preference to the option to monitor updates, but leave the choice of downloading and installing to the owner.
Why is it necessary to choose this particular mode?
This update mode is preferred as it allows for more flexible downloads and installations. The selected item allows you to inform about the arrival of new update files, but which ones to download and install - you can filter or postpone the procedure. Therefore, it is better to give preference to the update option that is indicated in the image.Search for updates
When the update mode is configured, we return to the previous menu and go to the next item, which is called "Search for updates". Select this option and Windows will automatically search for up-to-date files according to the current configuration.
Figure 4. The process of searching for updates.When the search is over, a new window will appear with the available important and optional update bases.
Figure 5. Update search result: important and optional bases.
Now click on the "Important Updates" subcategory.
Figure 6. Subcategory "Important Updates".More than twenty significant updates have been found that can be downloaded and installed on the system. The availability of important updates depends on the hardware and operating system configuration. These are significant OS libraries developed by Microsoft. Some are able to improve performance, improve system performance, introduce new elements to the interface. We select the necessary elements with checkmarks, if they are not selected, and click on the item "Optional updates".
Figure 7. Subcategory "Optional Updates".Additional service packs include supporting software, which includes foreign language pack databases for office applications. Device drivers that were found are also listed in this list. Some devices cannot be recognized by the system, so some of the necessary drivers may be missing.
We select the components we need. Although software was present on the computer, an update was apparently released that could be refreshed. Now we go down to the lower right corner and click "OK".
The system will return the user to the first step of updating system resources. Here you need to click "Install Updates". Updates are now downloading, the duration of the download depends on the size of the libraries and the speed of the Internet connection.
You can safely turn off this process and do other things in the system. When the download is completed, the user will be prompted to restart the computer with a pop-up message from the bottom bar. When a notification appears, we agree with the proposal, after which the PC will reboot.
Each month, Microsoft releases updates for its Windows operating systems and other products that come with security improvements and fixes for all kinds of problems and bugs that can harm users. Therefore, it is very important that the windows system is updated all the time, however, there are some users who cannot update for many reasons. For example, there is no Internet, slow speed, or you just need to bring your grandmother to the village and update your grandmother's computer there.
Typically, Windows updates are automatically downloaded to computers when they connect to the Internet via windows update. It is difficult for many users to download a patch of about 1 GB without problems and they accumulate many times, respectively, the amount of the update can be about 5 GB. Therefore, we will analyze how to use Microsoft Update Catalog to download updates manually, so that later they can be installed on any computer where there is no Internet. You will also have access to microsoft Office, windows server and all microsoft products for manual download of updates.
- This article will help you.
Download Windows update packages for manual installation
To download these updates, you need to go to the site update center directory . And the first thing we see is a simple site where there is nothing but the line "Find" in the upper right corner.
The ideal way to use this page is to search directly for the name of the updates, for example the cumulative patch KB4016637 Windows 10. We can download updates to a USB flash drive and then install them on another computer where there is no Internet.
For example, we can click on the name itself and see the Overview and information that this service pack includes.
Click to download the update Download, you will be redirected to another page where you need to click on the link and the update patch will download.
Thus, we can download any updates for any systems, be it windows 7, windows 10, windows 8.1. We take our downloaded file and simply move it to a flash drive, cd card, or even to a mobile phone. We connect the device on which our file is and clicks on the executable file itself. In a word, they inserted a USB flash drive into another computer and launched the downloaded file by double-clicking.
How to use the Microsoft Update Catalog if you don't know the patch
As I said, this service is better to use the exact name of the update patch, but for example we want to find all updates windows 10, windows xp, windows 7. Just enter in the search bar windows 7 and you will be given the entire list of updates for this system, and click sorting "Last update".
How to find out what updates are installed in Windows
In all versions of Windows, open a command prompt and enter the following command:
- wmic qfe list
Watching our patches of installed updates kb4022405 and to the left is the installation time.
Windows 7: Open " Control panel", type in the panel search " View installed updates" and select from the list.
In the event that you update through Windows Update, for this a Windows 7 update package was created that will safely unpack the latest updates. We recommend updating after a clean installation of Windows 7, this does not require the Internet, run the UpdatePack7 utility and wait for unpacking.
You can see what updates have become in the control panel, be sure to run the program as an administrator. The service pack can be installed on any version of Windows 7 (Initial - Ultimate) 64 or 32 bits. UpdatePack7 is completely in Russian, it's not difficult to figure it out with a few clicks and the process is started. Upon completion, the system will prompt you to reboot, agree with this action and wait for Windows to load.
It doesn’t matter a laptop or a home PC, the program starts on any hardware, the main thing is to run it in a Windows 7 environment. Ideally, the process should be like this, installing Windows 7 - activating and then installing updates. The latest version of 2018 updates will make the system more secure against all kinds of virus software.
Program for updating Windows 7 - UpdatePack7 you can download the torrent file at the beginning of the description from the link without registration. A set of Windows 7 2018 updates that are more likely to be banned from the official server, as the system becomes obsolete and will no longer be serviced.
I’ll start with the conclusions, and then there will be detailed instructions on how I recommend updating the Windows 7 system, as well as about automatic updates, about checking for updates manually, how to turn off updates and why you shouldn’t turn them off. Go!
You need to install updates. A good way to do this is " Look for updates, but the decision to download and install is mine».
And when there are messages from Windows Update that new updates have been found, you need to take the time to download and install Windows updates.
Periodically, you can manually check for Windows updates using the "Search for updates" option (number 1 in Figure 1), without waiting for these updates to be detected automatically. And, if updates are found manually, also install them on your PC.
With this approach, the Windows 7 operating system is up to date, and will be protected as much as possible from.
Let's now figure out how to set up updates and how to install them so that they remain useful, but at the same time do not bother Windows 7 users.
Where is the Windows 7 Upgrade Program located?
This program is called Windows Update. She can be found
- through the Search bar (the “Start” button - enter the text without quotes in the “Find programs and files” line: “Windows Update”),
- or through the "Control Panel" (button "Start" - "Control Panel" - "System and Security" - "Windows Update").
After that, the Windows Update window will open on the screen, as shown in Fig. one:
Rice. 1. Windows Update window
In this window, we will be interested in two options: "Search for updates" (number 1 in Fig. 1) and "Settings" (number 2 in Fig. 1).
Configuring Windows 7 Updates
To configure updates, click on the inscription "Settings" (number 2 in Fig. 1). A window for choosing how to install Windows updates will appear (Fig. 2):
Rice. 2. Window for configuring Windows 7 updates
Screenshot in fig. 2 is made in the operating system Windows 7 Professional. For others, the update window may look different.
The developers of Windows 7 offer users of this operating system 4 ways to install updates (numbers 1 - 4 in Fig. 2).
If you are interested in the question “How to enable Windows 7 update?”, You need to choose one of three methods:
- “Install updates automatically (recommended)” (number 1 in Fig. 2).
- “Download updates, but the installation decisions are made by me” (solid twos, because in Fig. 2 - number 2).
- “Look for updates, but the decision to download and install is made by me” (number 3 in Figure 2).
The question of how to "turn off Windows 7 updates" is solved using the fourth method:
Let's consider all four methods in more detail.
I would also recommend this method, if not for one but. It consists in the fact that searching for, downloading and installing Windows updates is a rather complicated and time-consuming task for a computer. This process does not go unnoticed by the user. While searching, downloading and installing updates, the computer is heavily loaded, slows down the execution of other tasks and programs. And at the end of the installation of updates, it generally begins to require a system restart.
And all this happens, as a rule, at the most inopportune moment. When there is no time to stop (suspend) work and restart the PC.
For some reason, here I want to recall Murphy's law: "Left to themselves, events tend to develop from bad to worse." That's why I don't want to give the operating system the ability to search for, download and install updates on its own.
Consider the second way to install Windows 7 updates.
Method 2 "Download updates, but install decisions are made by me"
Understanding that the installation of updates requires additional loading of the PC and requires a reboot for the final installation of new programs, the Windows developers offer us this, more simplified option than the previous one ("Install updates automatically").
Since the automatic search for updates and their download also requires PC resources, it also diverts the computer's power to these processes.
And this complicates the work of users, again at the most inopportune moment for this, unfortunately. And here I want to recall Murphy's laws: "When things are going well, something must happen in the very near future" and "When things go worse than ever, they will go even worse in the very near future."
Therefore, let's leave this method of Windows updates alone, and move on to the third method.
3 method "Look for updates, but the decision to download and install is made by me" or How to disable automatic updates in Windows 7?
Here we see the minimum distraction of computer resources. Namely, resources are diverted only to find updates for the Windows 7 operating system via the Internet.
Found updates will not be downloaded to the user's computer until the user chooses to do so. This method is especially convenient for those who have Internet with limited traffic. For downloading updates is additional megabytes downloaded from the Internet
Therefore, despite the fact that this is only the third method on the list for installing Windows updates, I recommend it to PC users.
We will look at how to download and install updates later, but for now let's move on to the fourth and last way to install Windows updates.
This is the last, 4th way to update the Windows 7 system.
And here I agree with the developers of Windows that this method cannot be recommended to computer users.
For, by applying this fourth method, the PC user thus refuses to receive and install any updates. And this can lead to an increase in security threats to the operating system, to an increase in its vulnerability.
In addition to choosing a method for downloading and installing Windows updates, in the window for choosing a method for installing Windows updates, set the following checkboxes (see Fig. 2):
- "Receive recommended updates in the same way as important updates"(number 5 in Fig. 2). Windows developers, in order to completely confuse PC users, came up with not only important (or, in other words, mandatory) Windows updates, but also so-called recommended updates. It is not possible to distinguish one from the other. Therefore, in order not to be confused, it is necessary to put a tick in front of this inscription.
- "Allow all users to install updates on this computer"(number 6 in Fig. 2). Why is this? If there are several accounts on the computer under which different users can work, or even one user under different accounts, then this checkbox gives all of them the right to download and install updates. The checkbox is useful, because otherwise you can forget about updates for a long time if you work under an account where updates will not be allowed. And this can lead to an increase in the threat of computer vulnerabilities.
- "When updating Windows, provide updates for Microsoft products..."(number 7 in Fig. 2). Also a useful checkbox, because it allows you to receive not only updates to the Windows operating system files, but also to receive updates to application programs, such as, for example, Microsoft Office Word, etc. These applications also improve over time, and getting updates for them keeps you up to date.
- "Show detailed notifications when new Microsoft software is available"(number 8 in Fig. 2). This checkbox can be left unchecked, as this is a kind of consent to receive advertising information. You can put it, it won't get worse.
So, we set the third way to install Windows updates "Look for updates, but the decision to download and install is made by me." And set all of the above checkboxes (numbers 5-8 in Fig. 2).
After that, press the "OK" button (Fig. 2). The window for choosing how to install Windows updates will close.
Let's move on to installing Windows 7 updates
Windows Update is now set to constantly look for new updates. While there are no updates, in the Windows Update window there will be an inscription on a green background “Windows does not need an update”, as shown by number 3 in Fig. one.
But as soon as new updates appear and they are found, you will see the inscription "Download and install updates" with a yellow bar (Fig. 6) indicating the amount to be downloaded from the Internet. The information is useful, because for owners of limited Internet traffic, it allows you to decide on the possibility of downloading updates.
For example, if traffic is limited to 50 MB (for example, when using mobile Internet), and you have to download 100 MB of updates, then such information will be a warning that this is not necessary.
Checking Windows 7 Updates Manually
Updates can be checked manually without waiting for an automatic program to do it for us. To do this, in the "Windows Update" window, click on the inscription "Search for updates" (number 1 in Fig. 1). A “running” green line “Searching for updates” will appear (number 1 in Fig. 3).
Rice. 3. Check for updates manually using Windows Update
After a while, the search will end. The search result may be
- lack of updates
- found optional (recommended) updates or
- required (important) updates found.
Both required (important) and optional (but recommended) updates can also be found at the same time.
Installing Windows 7 updates
On fig. Figure 4 below shows the Windows Update window after searching for updates when one optional (recommended) update is found.
Rice. 4. The Windows Update window after completing the search for updates, when one optional (recommended) update was found
In the window that opens, check the box (number 1 in Fig. 5) opposite the name of the update (in this case, this is an update for the program), and then click on the OK button (number 2 in Fig. 5):
Rice. 5. Preparing to install an optional update
After that, we will return to the Windows Update window (Fig. 6), where the inscription “Download and install selected updates” will already appear, indicating the download size (in this case, it is a small amount, only 417 KB). Here you should click on the "Install updates" button (number 1 in Fig. 6).
Rice. 6. Completing preparations for installing an optional update
Immediately after that, the installation of Windows updates will begin. In the window (Fig. 7) the inscription “Updates are being installed…” will appear (number 1 in Fig. 7). And below it will show the progress of the installation. The installation of updates can be interrupted at any time by clicking on the "Stop installation" button (number 2 in Fig. 7).
But in general, interrupting the installation of updates is not recommended. It is better to wait for the installation to finish, although in some cases this may take quite a long time.
Rice. 7. Performing the Windows update installation procedure
At the end of the installation, you may see the message "Updates installed successfully", as shown in Fig. 8. But if there are a lot of updates and they are complex, then you may need to restart the operating system. In this case, the Windows Update window will prompt you to reboot. It is advisable to agree with this and reboot the operating system in order to finally complete the installation of updates.
Rice. 8. Windows update completion window
During the restart of the Windows 7 operating system after the installation of Windows updates, you must not turn off the computer until the system has been completely unloaded (stopped) and then booted. This can also take a decent amount of time, but you need to be patient and complete this process in a regular way, without interrupting it halfway through.
Also, during the reboot, you may receive messages on the progress of installing Windows updates on a blue screen. It will show you how much the installation is complete.
As a rule, when the system is unloaded, updates are installed at 30%, after which the computer turns off for a moment, and it starts to restart. During the download, updates are already installed at 100%, which can also be displayed on a blue screen.
And yet, why do we need updates?
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Updates make changes to the health of Windows 7, fix various bugs and crashes, and add new features. Microsoft is still releasing security patches and troubleshooting the system.
Update centre
The Windows 7 Update Center is responsible for downloading the latest patches of the "seven". The icon to open it can be found in the list of programs start or in Control panels. There you can install the latest versions of system components.
Setting
In the Update Center, open the menu " Settings». 
Initially, the system works in auto-update mode. But this function can be disabled, in which case it will be necessary to use the manual function. To do this, activate the search for the latest versions. 
A dialog box will display a list of components for which any changes have been made. They are divided into three groups. 
There are three groups of updates:
- Important. The group includes significant or breaking system changes related to data security and the functioning of various Windows components. Any innovation from the "Important" group should be installed immediately when it is released. This will keep your computer and its data in the best possible condition.
- Featured. This includes fixing non-critical PC problems, but still very significant ones. Their installation will make the operation of the PC more comfortable, eliminate existing problems or avoid their occurrence in the future. Both auto-update and manual download are available.
- Optional. This group includes those innovations that do not make significant changes to the functioning of the computer and do not fix serious problems. They are intended to make the system more user-friendly, but do not carry the status of important or critical. They cannot be installed automatically, downloading is available only in manual mode.
Read about ways to disable auto-update of the system in ours.
An important nuance: anyone can upgrade Windows 7 for free. No charge is required to download any of the system components from the list. But you should understand that the procedure consumes Internet traffic. This fact must be taken into account for users with a limited connection.
Selecting components to install
The user has a choice of components to install. For example, if you have a third-party antivirus installed, there is no need to download the latest version of Windows Defender. 
In the same way, you can disable the installation of other components. But if you are not sure of their significance or do not know the function, it is better to leave everything as it is.
In any case, it is highly recommended to download updates from the first group, from the second - too, but from the third - if desired.
Recommendation: if automatic mode is disabled on the computer, it is advisable to update the system yourself. This will keep you up to date with the latest version of Windows 7, which includes new features as well as fixes for old issues.
Possible problems and solutions
Various problems may occur while trying or during the process of updating Windows 7. Consider the most popular of them.
Issue 1: Auto-update not working
Initially, the system is configured in such a way that it automatically downloads all new versions and installs them when the computer is restarted. But in some situations, this feature is disabled or does not work.
In the first case, you need to enable auto-update. This is done through a special service:
In the second case, you need to update the OS manually.
Issue 2: Can't update the system manually
When installing new versions of Windows 7, various failures can occur. The first thing to do is to check your network connection. The installation files are downloaded from Microsoft servers and cannot be downloaded if there is no Internet connection.
When trying to update the operating system, it is worth disabling any antivirus programs and computer protection tools. It is advisable to close all unnecessary programs.
If you want to download a specific Windows component, but you can't do it, you can download the installation package from the developer's servers yourself.
Microsoft Download Center official page - https://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/download/default.aspx
At the top of the page is the search area. Enter the name of the required component in it and click on the icon in the form of a magnifying glass. 
Issue 3: System crashed
If, as a result of the update, the computer began to work worse or any problems arose, then it is worth rolling back Windows to its previous state. The corresponding function is located in the control panel. Read more about this in our article "Windows 7 System Restore".
