Windows Update sometimes causes problems, especially with older, legacy hardware or software for which an update introduces an incompatibility, preventing older software or hardware from working properly or making Windows 8 unstable when software runs.

In the corporate environment or on a small Windows Server network with multiple users, you can disable the Windows Update service and instead use Windows Server features to download and test all updates before they are rolled out across the network.

You can disable Windows Update in corporate environments by using a utility called Group Policy Editor. To access Group Policy Editor, open the Start screen and search for GPEdit.msc (not case-sensitive). The Local Group Policy Editor window appears, as depicted in Figure 9.

Figure 9. The Group Policy Editor in Windows 8

Using the Group Policy Editor, you can independently control policies for the computer and for individual users. This is important because you want to grant systems administrators full control of the computer but limit access by other users.

To control Windows Update and set the policy for all users, in the Group Policy Editor, click Computer Configuration, click Administrative Templates, click Windows Components, and then click Windows Update. In this window, you can configure Windows Update to stop receiving automatic updates or to receive updates only from your company’s server, among various other options that are available for controlling Windows Update.

Many people prefer to use a third-party firewall with Windows. Third-party firewalls can offer more features and more protection than the standard Windows firewall, but they can also be quite intrusive and complicated to use. For advanced computer users, or for people who are always careful about what they click and open when browsing the Internet, the standard firewall that comes with Windows 8 is perfectly adequate; in fact, some antivirus and security suites now don’t even bother to include their own firewall, recognizing the effectiveness of the one that ships by default with Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Figure 10 shows that Windows Firewall is a two-way firewall that will block incoming and outgoing traffic, unlike the inbound-only block included in Windows XP. I recommend that you always have a firewall turned on, whether it’s Windows Firewall or a third-party product. This is an essential security strategy that can prevent many types of problems and attacks on your computer.

Figure 10. The Windows Firewall

By default, Windows Firewall settings provide adequate protection for most situations; however, more advanced controls might be necessary in certain environments, such as in a home where residents play Internet games or share files, or in an office where Windows Firewall could block access to a network or file share.

To correct some Windows issues, especially network connection problems by which a program or service cannot communicate with the outside world or your network, you might need to set more appropriate permissions for the program or service.

To change these permissions, you need to access the advanced settings. In the blue pane (on the left) of the Windows Firewall main window, click Advanced Settings. The Windows Firewall With Advanced Security window opens with an broad array of options for controlling your firewall and regulating access to and from your computer.