One of the most powerful qualities of software is the ability of the developer to release updates after its initial release. Updates can fix problems, block security vulnerabilities, and add new features.
Updates can also be quite a nuisance. Windows and many individual apps regularly remind you to install some updates, and many of those updates require you to restart your
computer.
Updates are a nuisance, but they’re important. The philosophy of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” simply doesn’t apply in the world of software. A PC can be functioning just fine, but a newly discovered security vulnerability could threaten your data privacy and integrity if you don’t install a newly released security update. Similarly, updates might fix a relatively uncommon bug that will impact you at some point in the future, even if you haven’t yet noticed the bug.
In this article, I'm going to discuss about the different types of updates you should plan to install on your PC and how to retrieve those updates.
Updating Windows
Microsoft will release updates to Windows 8 on a regular basis. Microsoft releases several types of updates:
● Security updates
An update that is intended to protect your computer from a newly discovered security vulnerability.
● Critical updates
An important update that isn’t security related. Often, critical updates solve problems related to reliability or data integrity.
● Windows Defender definitions
An update to Windows Defender definitions, which Windows Defender uses to detect the latest malware.
● Service packs
A large update that contains dozens or even hundreds of smaller updates. Service packs occasionally contain new features as well. Basically, a service pack contains all the minor updates Microsoft has released up to that point in time.
You should install each of these updates as soon as possible. I realize that installing updates that require you to restart your computer is a bit of a nuisance, especially if you’re like me and tend to keep many different apps open. Nonetheless, the few minutes of computing time you lose while restarting your computer can save you the hours or days of time that you would lose if a vulnerability on your PC is exploited or if a reliability problem causes issues with your PC.
Microsoft might release updates at any time, but Microsoft releases the most updates on “Patch Tuesday,” which is the second Tuesday of every month.
Updating Windows 8 Apps
If you download an app using the Store, you also update it using the Store. the store tile shows the number of updates available in the lower-right corner when set live.
To install updates, open the Store and then click Updates in the upper-right corner. If you don’t see a link there, it means the Store hasn’t found any updates. You can manually check for updates by opening the Settings charm and then clicking App Updates.
Updating Desktop Apps
Updating desktop apps is nowhere near as straightforward. There’s no single process, but the following are common approaches:
● Desktop apps automatically check for updates when you run the app, notify you when one is available, and prompt you to download and install it.
● Desktop apps have a separate app that checks for updates and notifies you when they’re available, even if you don’t run the app. I don’t want to single anyone out, Java, but these notifications can become really annoying.
● Desktop apps include a menu item that allows you to manually check for updates. For example, the Help menu often has a menu item such as Check For Updates.
● Microsoft desktop apps, such as Office, might distribute updates automatically using Windows Update. These updates will be installed the same way as updates to Windows 8.
● Desktop apps might not be capable of checking for updates, but updates might be available on the software developer’s website. Visit the website to download the update. For best results, bookmark each app’s page, and add a reminder to your calendar to check for app updates monthly.
Because desktop apps install updates differently, people have a tendency to overlook them, leaving installed apps without the benefit of any new improvements. That’s one of the greatest improvements to the Windows 8 app infrastructure.
Besides all these sort of updates Microsoft releases updates for driver & firmware, BIOS too. As these are included in any other windows operating systems commonly I haven't specified them.
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