Editing Windows Update (section)

==Service==
At the beginning of 2005, Windows Update was being accessed by about 150 million people,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/speeches/2005/02-15RSA05.aspx|title=RSA Conference 2005: "Security: Raising the Bar" (speech transcript)|date=15 February 2005|access-date=2008-07-30|work=PressPass|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|archive-date=8 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090308012856/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/speeches/2005/02-15RSA05.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> with about 112 million of those using Automatic Updates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/jan05/01-06newsolutionspr.mspx|title=Microsoft Announces Availability of New Solutions to Help Protect Customers Against Spyware and Viruses|date=6 January 2005|access-date=2008-07-30|work=PressPass|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|archive-date=2 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402131647/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/jan05/01-06NewSolutionsPR.mspx|url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2008}}, Windows Update had about 500 million clients, processed about 350 million unique scans per day, and maintained an average of 1.5 million simultaneous connections to client machines. On [[Patch Tuesday]], the day Microsoft typically releases new software updates, outbound traffic could exceed 500 [[gigabit]]s per second.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc627316.aspx|title=Introducing the Microsoft.com Engineering Operations Team|year=2008|access-date=31 May 2012|work=[[Microsoft TechNet]]|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|archive-date=26 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826182930/https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc627316.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Approximately 90% of all clients used automatic updates to initiate software updates, with the remaining 10% using the Windows Update web site. The website is built using [[ASP.NET]], and processes an average of 90,000 page requests per second.

Traditionally, the service provided each patch in its own proprietary archive file. Occasionally, Microsoft released [[service packs]] which bundled all updates released over the course of years for a certain product. Starting with Windows 10, however, all patches are delivered in cumulative packages.<ref name=cw-culmwitheld/> On 15 August 2016, Microsoft announced that effective October 2016, all future patches to Windows 7 and 8.1 would become cumulative as with Windows 10. The ability to download and install individual updates would be removed as existing updates are transitioned to this model.<ref name="ars-culum7and81">{{cite web|title=Windows 7, 8.1 moving to Windows 10's cumulative update model|url=https://arstechnica.com/business/2016/08/windows-7-8-1-moving-to-windows-10s-cumulative-update-model/|website=Ars Technica|date=15 August 2016|publisher=Conde Nast Digital|access-date=16 August 2016|archive-date=14 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214193755/https://arstechnica.com/business/2016/08/windows-7-8-1-moving-to-windows-10s-cumulative-update-model/|url-status=live}}</ref> This has resulted in increasing download sizes of each monthly update. An analysis done by [[Computerworld]] determined that the download size for Windows 7 x64 has increased from 119. 4MB in October 2016 to 20 3MB in October 2017.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.computerworld.com/article/3242745/microsoft-windows/why-windows-7-updates-are-getting-bigger.html| title = Why Windows 7 updates are getting bigger| publisher = Computerworld| author = Gregg Keizer| date = December 14, 2017| access-date = 22 November 2018| archive-date = 22 November 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181122215906/https://www.computerworld.com/article/3242745/microsoft-windows/why-windows-7-updates-are-getting-bigger.html| url-status = live}}</ref> Initially, Microsoft was very vague about specific changes within each cumulative update package.<ref name=cw-culmwitheld>{{cite web|title=Windows 10 users beg Microsoft for more info on updates|url=http://www.computerworld.com/article/2983753/microsoft-windows/windows-10-users-beg-microsoft-for-more-info-on-updates.html|website=Computerworld|date=14 September 2015|publisher=IDG|access-date=30 September 2015|archive-date=14 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914235823/http://www.computerworld.com/article/2983753/microsoft-windows/windows-10-users-beg-microsoft-for-more-info-on-updates.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, since early 2016, Microsoft has begun releasing more detailed information on the specific changes.<ref name="Windows 10 Update History">{{cite web|title=Windows 10 update details|url=http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/update-history-windows-10|website=Windows 10 update history|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=4 March 2016|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305002110/http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/update-history-windows-10|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2011, the Windows Update service was decommissioned for Windows 98, 98 SE, Me and NT 4.0 and the old updates for those systems were removed from its servers.<ref name=":02" /> On August 3, 2020, the update service was decommissioned for Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003 and Vista due to Microsoft discontinuing SHA-1 updates. {{As of|2021}}, the old updates for 2000 through Vista are still available on the [[Microsoft Update Catalog]].<ref name="SHA1discont">{{Cite web |url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/4569557/windows-update-sha-1-based-endpoints-discontinued |title=Windows Update SHA-1 based endpoints discontinued for older Windows devices |access-date=5 August 2020 |archive-date=18 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218112919/https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/4569557/windows-update-sha-1-based-endpoints-discontinued |url-status=live }}</ref> On the same day ,SHA-1 updates were discontinued for older Windows versions prior to 7 and Server 2008. Updating Windows 7 and Server 2008 via the Windows Update service was also affected; however, Microsoft has provided SHA-2 patches that allowed Windows 7 and Server 2008 to continue receiving updates.<ref name="SHA1discont" />

===Microsoft Update===
[[File:Microsoft Update in Windows XP.PNG|thumb|right|The Microsoft Update website in [[Internet Explorer 6]] on [[Windows XP]]]]
At the February 2005 [[RSA Conference]], Microsoft announced the first beta of ''Microsoft Update'', an optional replacement for Windows Update that provides security patches, service packs and other updates for both Windows and other Microsoft software.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.helpwithwindows.com/microsoft-update.html|title=Microsoft Update Site Launched|date=June 10, 2005|access-date=2008-07-30|website=helpwithwindows.com|archive-date=22 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122215459/http://www.helpwithwindows.com/microsoft-update.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The initial release in June 2005 provided support for [[Microsoft Office|Microsoft Office 2003]], [[Microsoft Exchange Server|Exchange 2003]], and [[Microsoft SQL Server|SQL Server 2000]], running on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003. Over time, the list has expanded to include other Microsoft products, such as [[Windows Live Essentials|Windows Live]], [[Windows Defender]], [[Microsoft Visual Studio|Visual Studio]], runtimes and redistributables, [[Zune|Zune Software]], [[Windows Virtual PC|Virtual PC]] and [[Microsoft Virtual Server|Virtual Server]], [[CAPICOM]], [[Microsoft Lync]], [[Microsoft Expression Studio]], and other server products. It also offers [[Microsoft Silverlight|Silverlight]] and [[Windows Media Player]] as optional downloads if applicable to the operating system.

=== Command Line Updates Tools ===
There are only a handful of command line tools to install Windows updates. A very common tool that already works under Windows 7 and has no external dependencies is, for example, wuinstall.exe. It can push Windows updates to a computer (wuinstall.exe /install).{{cn|date=May 2023}}

===Office Update===
<!--[[Offie Update]] and [[Microsoft Office Update]] redirect here. Please be careful not to break the backlinks.-->
''Office Update'' is a free online service that allows users to detect and install updates for certain Microsoft Office products. The original update service supported [[Microsoft Office 2000|Office 2000]], [[Microsoft Office XP|Office XP]], [[Microsoft Office 2003|Office 2003]] and [[Microsoft Office 2007|Office 2007]].

On 1 August 2009, Microsoft decommissioned the Office Update service, merging it with Microsoft Update.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/FX010402221033.aspx |title=About Office Update |website=office.microsoft.com |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528120908/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/FX010402221033.aspx |archive-date=28 May 2010}}</ref> Microsoft Update supported all versions of Microsoft Office up to Office 2007 and later; however, it does not support Office 2000.

With the introduction of the [[Office 365]] licensing program, however, Microsoft once again activated a separate Office update service.<ref>{{cite web|title=Install Office updates|url=https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Install-Office-updates-2ab296f3-7f03-43a2-8e50-46de917611c5|website=support.office.com|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=4 December 2017|archive-date=23 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523222354/https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Install-Office-updates-2ab296f3-7f03-43a2-8e50-46de917611c5|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Check for Office for Mac updates automatically|url=https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Check-for-Office-for-Mac-updates-automatically-bfd1e497-c24d-4754-92ab-910a4074d7c1|website=support.office.com|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=4 December 2017|archive-date=9 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809152045/https://support.office.com/en-us/article/check-for-office-for-mac-updates-automatically-bfd1e497-c24d-4754-92ab-910a4074d7c1|url-status=live}}</ref>