Operating System detected - Windows 95®.

Vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Windows operating systems are frequently exploited by computer viruses and worms. As part of an ongoing effort to protect the Boston College computing environment every computer running Windows 95 must have all Critial Updates installed. BC Information Technology Services scans the network for vulnerable machines throughout each day. If you received a message instructing you to Install all Windows Critical Updates, follow all of the sections below. FAilure to do so would result in disruption of your access to the BC network.

Contents:

This computer is running Windows® 2000

Vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Windows operating systems are frequently exploited by computer viruses and worms. As part of an ongoing effort to protect the Boston College computing environment, every computer running Windows 2000 must have all Critial Updates installed. BC Information Technology Services scans the network for vulnerable machines throughout each day. If you received a message instructing you to Install all Windows Critical Updates, follow all of the sections below. Failure to do so will result in disruption of your access to the BC network.

Important Note: You may want to print these instructions to refer to during the download and installation of Windows Updates. This process will require you to restart your computer. If you restart prior to completing every section, return to this web page after your computer starts.

Download and Install Windows Updates

1. Log in to your computer using an account with Administrator privileges. Faculty and staff using a BC owned computer should sign in with their BC username and password. Students and others using a personally owned computer should sign in with the Administrator account (the account that came installed on your computer at the time of purchase).
2. Close all open applications.
3. Open Internet Explorer
4. Go to  http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
5. The Microsoft Windows Update page will display.
6. If you receive a Security Warning window asking if you want to run and install Windows Updates (refer to Figure 1):

   
   Figure 1 - Security Warning

   1. Do NOT check the Always trust content from Microsoft Corporation box.
   2. Click Yes.
   3. If you are prompted by a second window, click Yes to continue.
7. If you are prompted to install a plugin for Internet Explorer to perform Windows Updates:
   1. Click Yes.
8. If you are prompted to Restart following the Security Warning:
   1. Click on the START icon and select Restart.
   2. After your computer has started up, repeat the previous steps.
9. From the Welcome to Windows Update screen, click on the Scan for updates link (refer to Figure 2).


Figure 2 - Welcome screen

10. Windows will scan for updates available for your computer.
11. If the section on the right side of the windows displays the message: Windows Update did not find any critical updates for your computer, you have completed the installation of all critical Window Updates for your computer. Continue with setting up your Windows computer for Automatic Updates.
12. When scanning is completed, look under the Pick updates to install link on the left side of the window. You will see a Critical Updates and Service Packs link followed by a number in parentheses (refer to Figure 3). This indicates how many critical updates you computer requires.


Figure 2 - Critical Updates Found

13. If there are critical updates to install, click on the link for Review and install updates.
14. A list of updates to be installed will appear. You may see a red notice at the top of the list indicating that an exclusive item must be installed separately from the other updates (refer to Figure 4).

    
    Figure 4 - Exclusive Item

    1. Click Install Now
    2. A window will appear asking if you wish to install the exclusive update. Click OK.
    3. A "Microsoft Windows Update - Web Page Dialog" window will appear. Click Accept
    4. A download window for the update will appear. After the download is finished, it will automatically install itself.
15. If you are downloading a Windows 2000 Service Pack, then a Service Pack Setup Wizard window will appear.
    1. Click Next.
    2. Select the I agree radio button and click Next.
    3. Select the Archive Files radio button and click Next.
    4. Installation of the Service Pack will take a while
    5. After the download and install is completed, the title of the window will change to Completing the Windows 2000 Service Pack Setup Wizard. Click Finish.
16. You will be asked to restart your computer to complete installation. Click OK to restart.
17. There may be more critical updates that need to be installed after your computer restarts. After start up, repeat the previous steps to Download and Install Windows Updates. Continue with ALL installations until you receive the message Windows Update did not find any critical updates for your computer on the right side of the window. Once you have installed all of the critical updates, continue Setting up Automatic Updates.

Problems downloading and installing Windows Updates? Faculty and staff, contact your TC. Students call 2-HELP or use the problem report form.

Setting Up Windows 2000 for Automatic Updates

Note: Automatic Updates downloads and installs critical updates and security patches only. Optional patches or driver updates must be installed by running Windows Update manually.

Configure your computer running Windows 2000 to automatically download and install future Windows updates.

1. Log in to your computer using an account with Administrator privileges. Faculty and staff using a BC owned computer should sign in with their BC username and password. Students and others using a personally owned computer should sign in with the Administrator account (the account that came installed on your computer at the time of purchase).
2. Close all open applications.
3. From the Start menu, select Settings and Control Panels.
4. Double Click on the Automatic Updates icon in your Control Panels (refer to Figure 1). If you do not have an Automatic Updates icon in your control panel you do not have a required service pack. Please follow the steps outlined in Windows Updates for Windows 2000.


Figure 1 - Control Panel Icon

5. The Automatic Update window will appear (refer to Figure 2).


Figure 1 - Automatic Updates Window

6. Check the Keep my computer up to date. With this setting enabled, Windows Update software may be automatically updated prior to applying any other updates checkbox.
7. Select the Automatically download the updates and install them on the schedule I specify radio button.
8. Make sure the pull-down menu on the left is displaying Every day.
9. Using the pull-down menu on the right, select a time of day that you know your computer will be on.
10. Click OK.

You have completed the Windows Automatic Updates setup. When new critical Windows Updates available, your computer will automatically download and install the updates.