Keeping Windows 7 and Other Software Up to Date : Service Packs

• Important updates— Fixes for bugs that are so severe or involve such serious security risks that you really have to install them. As you know, Windows 7 can automatically download and install these, or at least download and offer to install them, so you don’t miss out. Important updates can be listed by using Windows Update.

• Recommended updates— These are not security fixes but are updates to accessory programs such as Messenger and Media Player, new desktop themes, and the like. Recommended updates can be listed by using Windows Update.

• Hotfixes— Bug fixes that affect a small enough group of users that Microsoft doesn’t send them out to everyone. Instead, you have to hunt for them by searching online, or hear about them from Microsoft’s Tech Support department. They’re not widely advertised because if you’re running into a serious-enough problem, you’ll go looking for the solution, and hotfixes tend to be released in a hurry without extensive testing, so they sometimes cause new problems of their own. Hotfix users tend to be corporate IT people whose job it is to stay on top of these things.

Basic Service Pack Information

Periodically—it’s supposed to be every 12 months but in practice it’s less often—Microsoft gathers all the important updates, recommended updates, and hotfixes, tests them extensively, and releases them as a service pack (SP). Some service packs are a complete, cumulative set of fixes and additions made since the initial release of an OS, whereas others are incremental and can depend on the installation of a prior service pack. You can obtain service packs on media (discs) or download them from the Microsoft Download Center.

You might wonder whether you really need to install service packs, because you probably install the important updates that Windows 7 downloads and informs you of from time to time. The answer is emphatically yes, for two reasons. First, service packs fix those annoying but minor bugs that you may not even realize are there—that odd crash every other week, or that weird sound that Media Player makes once in a while. Service packs can also include numerous performance improvements and new features. Second, application programs will eventually appear that require a certain service pack level to run correctly. Windows evolves, so you need to keep up. Those two reasons alone are enough to warrant installing any service pack.

Here are some other things that you should know about service packs:

• They’re either incremental or cumulative. An incremental service pack usually requires the installation of a previous service pack, if applicable. A cumulative service pack includes the old service pack(s) and more.

• Starting about the same time that Microsoft releases a service pack to the public, new computers purchased from major vendors should come with the service pack preinstalled. (At least, it should be an option. If you’re buying a new computer, ask for the latest version.) To check the current service pack level of your Windows 7 computer, open your System Information screen.

• Shortly after Microsoft releases a service pack to the public, retail versions of the OS will include the service pack. If you are shopping for additional copies of an OS for upgrading existing PCs or for installation on new PCs, be sure to buy versions that include the latest service pack. A sticker or note on the package indicates whether a service pack is incorporated.

  Note

  In a corporate environment, your IT department will most likely control the installation of service packs.

  
  

• It’s likely the procedure for installation of previous service packs will be similar for subsequent service packs as well.

Installation of Service Packs

There is a variety of ways to install a service pack, as presented in the following list:

• Windows Automatic Updates— If your computer was set up to automatically download important updates, and you spend enough time connected to the Internet, a service pack will be downloaded automatically. All of the required service pack files will have already been downloaded by the time you get the notification to install them.

• Windows Manual Update— If the automatic updates feature is not enabled, you can install a service pack from the Windows Update window. Windows Update will download from Microsoft just those service pack components needed for your computer, saving some download time over the “standalone” method. However, if you have more than a few computers to update, you’ll save time by using the standalone method.

• Standalone— The standalone method is the traditional service pack format. It’s a compressed file that contains all of the updated files. If you have multiple computers to update, and Internet access is difficult or slow, perhaps the standalone method is the one to use.

Before installation of a service pack, follow these guidelines:

• If you use Fast User Switching, be sure all users are logged off. Then, log on as an Administrator. Close any running applications.

• We recommend you perform a full backup of the files you keep on your computer using Backup and Restore.
  

• Check the websites of the manufacturers of your computer, your application software, and your antispyware and antivirus packages for updates or special instructions regarding the service pack. Some programs may need to be updated to work with the new service pack. For a list of programs with known compatibility issues with Windows 7 service packs, search the Microsoft Knowledge Base available at http://support.microsoft.com.

• If you suspect your computer may have viruses, spyware, adware, or other pestilential software, take steps to remove it before installing the service pack. These programs can cause serious networking and Internet connection problems after installation, and without a functioning Internet connection you may not be able to download the necessary clean-up tools. 

• Disable any real-time virus scanners; they can slow down and possibly interfere with the installation. Disconnect from the Internet first if you do this.

• You will need free space on your hard drive for installation.

After following these suggested guidelines, you will be ready to install your service pack.