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Update the Windows Update Agent to the latest version
In this articleThis article describes how to update the Windows Update Agent to the latest version. Applies to: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 Original KB number: 949104 SummaryIf you have automatic updating turned on, the latest version of the Windows Update Agent is downloaded and installed automatically on your computer. Or, you can manually download and install the Windows Update Agent. Automatically download Windows Update AgentTo download the Windows Update Agent automatically, follow these steps:
Manually download Windows Update Agent from Microsoft Download CenterClick the download link for your version of Windows to obtain the latest Windows Update Agent. Stand-alone packages for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center. Operating system Update All supported x86-based versions of Windows 8 (KB2937636) Download the package now. All supported x64-based versions of Windows 8 (KB2937636) Download the package now. All supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2012 (KB2937636) Download the package now. Stand-alone packages for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1The following files are available for download from Windows Update. Operating system Update All supported x86-based versions of Windows 7 SP1 Download the package now. All supported x64-based versions of Windows 7 SP1 Download the package now. All supported x86-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Download the package now. All supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Download the package now. All supported Itanium-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Download the package now. Note Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2 with update 2919355 already include the latest version of the Windows Update Agent. More informationIf you receive a Windows Update error, try Solutions for common Windows Update errors. For more information about how to check which version of the Windows Update Agent is installed, follow these steps:
Note The latest version of the Windows Update Agent for Windows 8.1 is 7.9.9600.16422. The latest version of the Windows Update Agent for Windows 8 is 7.8.9200.16693. The latest version of the Windows Update Agent for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP is 7.6.7600.256. Improvements in version 7.6.7600.256 of Windows Update Agent
Improvements in version 7.4.7600.226 of Windows Update Agent
Issues that are fixed in version 7.2.6001.788 of Windows Update AgentVersion 7.2.6001.788 of the Windows Update Agent fixes the following issue. This issue was not previously documented in a Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
Improvements in version 7.2.6001.784 of Windows Update Agent
Issues that are fixed by version 7.0.6000.381 of Windows Update AgentVersion 7.0.6000.381 of the Windows Update Agent fixes the following issues. These issues were not previously documented in a Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
Windows Update helps keep your computer up-to-date and secure by downloading and installing the latest security and other updates from Microsoft. Windows Update determines which updates apply to your computer. Microsoft periodically makes software updates available to users of Windows and other Microsoft software. These include updates that improve reliability and performance, updates that provide new protections against malware and other potentially unwanted software, and upgrades to Windows features. To improve the performance or the reliability of hardware components on the computer, Microsoft may also provide updates to device drivers that are supplied by the computer manufacturer. If you turn on Windows Update, software components that are directly related to Windows Update will have to be updated occasionally on your computer. These updates must be performed before Windows Update can check for required updates or before it can install other updates. These required updates fix errors, provide ongoing improvements, and maintain compatibility with the Microsoft servers that support Windows Update. If you disable Windows Update, you will not receive these updates. Windows Update is configured to install updates automatically when you select the recommended option during Windows Out Of Box Experience (OOBE) Setup. You can also turn on Windows Update by selecting one of following settings in the Automatic Updates item in Control Panel:
After you turn on Windows Update, the required updates to components of Windows Update will be downloaded and installed automatically without notifying you. This behavior occurs regardless of which setting you use to turn on Windows Update. If you do not want to receive required updates, you can disable automatic updates in Control Panel. The updates to Windows Update itself typically do the following: Address feedback from customers, improve compatibility, service performance and reliability, and enable new service capabilities. When the Windows Update server is updated, a corresponding client update is typically required. During an agent self-update operation, Windows Update Agent files may be added, modified, or replaced. For example, Windows Update Agent files that help display the user experience or that determine whether updates apply to a particular system may be added. This behavior occurs when a system is set to automatically check for available updates. This does not occur when automatic updates are turned off. For example, this behavior does not occur if you select Never check for updates in Windows Vista and Windows 7 or if you select Turn off Automatic Updates in Windows XP. Administrators will receive the latest version of the Windows Update Agent for deployment through Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). Data collectionIf you need assistance from Microsoft support, we recommend you collect the information by following the steps mentioned in Gather information by using TSS for deployment-related issues. |