Which windows update setting do you use?

[Dazkent 113]

Hi

 

I have a general question that I wonder if i can have some advice on, I am not really sure what setting i should have my windows 7 update set to or should I even turn it off? At the moment my system is up to date as of 02nd Sept 2016 ( the last time i used my flight sim rig)  My system is running pretty well and last thing I want to do is have problems with it, am the moment mainly use FSX but also dabling with P3D.

 

many thanks

Daz

 

 

[martin-w 3,234]

Well this is down to your personnel preference.

 

It is very important to install the W7 security updates of course, if you don't your system is vulnerable. The additional, non essential W7 updates are up to you.

 

My preference is to leave Windows Update off, but check once every few weeks for any important security updates. The benefit of this approach, is that if there are ever any dodgy updates that might mess things up, you have left time for any issues to be corrected.

 

But yes, I would highly advise you to install the critical security updates. Up to you how you do it.

[ziggy 47]

I agree with Martin-w, it's what was recommended to me a while back by a much more experienced user at the time.

It may also help with performance a bit since it won't be running in the background when simming.

Check once a week and you're golden

 

 

Cheers

Greg Z

[Antioch 0]

 

 

My preference is to leave Windows Update off, but check once every few weeks for any important security updates. The benefit of this approach, is that if there are ever any dodgy updates that might mess things up, you have left time for any issues to be corrected.

Alas, no longer - well that is my reading of the new system - as from Dec for both WIN7 & WIN8.1.

 

My preference is to leave Windows Update off,

As has been mine since XP.

 

 

 

Check once a week and you're golden

 

It appears that the priority/important security stuff with be on the usual Black Tuesdays - other stuff like .net/drivers/system enhancements/office, could be any time - it remains to be seen if one has the choice to pick and choose these.

 

Current Position

Updating as from Oct & Nov has been done via roll-ups and one has been able to pick/choose which updates one wants/needs. From Dec it would appear that users will have less or no choice as to what gets downloaded and installed on each monthly Black Tuesday.

I have some interesting links on this subject -  win7 & win8.1 are now going to be treated the same as WIN10 users. In other words we users of WIN7 are dumb and stupid and not capable of deciding what updates we want or need and that MS knows best. The pathetic reason, given by MS for doing this is beyond reasonable comprehension.

I expect most users here will know or have already done the roll-ups for Oct and Nov, perhaps without knowing.

My personal choice is 'never check for updates'. Perhaps a 'sticky' is too late???

If only FS etc would run on a free OS.

 

Antioch

[Metal_Sky 14]

I have two machines with Win7. I have had updates OFF in the last couple years. Not one single one. And both of them run like a dream.

 

I've had more trouble in the last with uldates on then when I disabled that 'feauture'.

[martin-w 3,234]

Not one single one.

 

 

 

Do you mean you don't install any security updates at all?

 

If so, you are MUCH more vulnerable than you'd be with security updates installed. Security updates are for a reason.

 

Depends how you use your PC of course. 

 

 

I've had more trouble in the last with uldates on then when I disabled that 'feauture'. 

 

 

 

All I can say is that I've never experienced any issues with installed updates. Although it does happen occasionally.

 

This is an old topic of course, and now I'm on W10, with a group policy set up so that updates won't install automatically. I just get a notification that they are available. 

[Metal_Sky 14]

Correct. I have never installed a single update, security or otherwise.

[martin-w 3,234]

Been lucky then haven't you.  :smile:

 

Not something I would ever advise. 

[Metal_Sky 14]

Been lucky then haven't you.  :smile:

 

Not something I would ever advise.

 

 

No luck too it. Just another overhyped action Microsoft advise.

[tonytran 5]

I always set this option to be alert me and automatically download the updates. However, I will choose to install those updates manually instead of letting Microsoft do it automatically.

[Noel 4,487]

I haven't updated Win 7 in any way since it was originally installed almost 5 years ago, so I have updating turned off and never look--I'm sure it's missing a zillion security updates by now.  But I don't use this boot for anything except P3D--because of the practice of putting OS/P3D/Add-ons all on the same Samsung SSD, and because I don't have any of the common targets of malware installed (no MS Office, etc) on this SSD I have very little need to have AV or antimalware software installed.   I don't surf the web on this boot drive, and were it not for the need to pull in weather data I could run off line.  Plus bonus, it makes cloned backups quite simple to do--one image. I've used this strategy for a long time and have never had any issues.   I boot to another drive for non flight sim use, then send files downloaded to the first boot drive w/ P3D/OS isolated for example if I have a flight-sim related update to do.  Makes for the cleanest system possible IMO, for flight simming.  Back in the days of HDD's I would put OS on one drive and FS on another, but that is no longer worth doing as I see it with the way SSD's function.

[EuroTruckGuy 0]

I have updates turned completely off, seeing as fsx is an old game, any changes to the os could damage your install/cause glitches.

[Bob Scott 7,716]

I have it off, mostly to prevent an update process from interfering with/slowing down the sim.  I initiate updates manually once a month, generally a few days after Microshaft's regular "patch Tuesday" release on the second Tuesday of the month.

 

Regards

[koala63 2]

Im in the case of Tonytran, i chose to do manual update install.

 

Win7 is a great OS, i will not upgrade to Win10 cause it's a piece of ######.Update modify all your settings, then those updates restore all application you turned off before. see the task manager with win7 and win10 there is a hudge difference.

[Guest Mik75]

I have all automatic updates off, and haven't done any update in almost a year.

I can say, that my system has never been more stable and faster! ;-)

The only issue, I've got used to, is that in svchost (netvcs) the process winausrv (related to automatic win updates) consumes about 25% CPU time constantly, after each fresh reboot of the system. I just stop the process manually after the system start. No big deal.

So far, Win7 is the best and fastest OS I've ever used.