This article is Part 7 of the Reinstalling Windows XP Home guide. This part explains how to run Windows Update.

To view the other topics of the Reinstalling Windows XP Home guide, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that are listed in the "References" section.

The Reinstalling Windows XP Home guide includes the following topics:

Part 1:  Introduction
Part 2:  Preparing Windows XP for reinstallation
Part 3:  Creating partitions
Part 4:  Installing Windows
Part 5:  Post-installing devices
Part 6:  Configuring the work environment
Part 7:  Running Windows Update

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Programs are constantly revised and enhanced. This includes Microsoft Windows XP. You should make sure that you have the latest version installed.

Windows Update is an easy way of staying up-to-date with the latest version of Windows XP. You can use the Internet and download the latest updates at any time.

After reinstallation, there are generally several updates available. To simplify things, you should install the most recent service pack first. The most recent service pack for Windows XP is Service Pack 2 (SP2). You do not have to install SP2 if you used a Windows installation CD that included this service pack.

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Installing SP2

For more information about how to install Windows XP Service Pack 2, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: As soon as you have completed the installation of Windows XP SP2, you may want to install several other updates that were released after Windows XP SP2 was released. To install those updates, you can run Windows Update.

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Running Windows Update

1.	Connect to the Internet.
2.	Click Start, select All Programs, and then click Windows Update.
3.	The Update Wizard connects to the Update Web site and searches for the latest software versions.
4.	During this process, a warning message may appear. Click More options.
5.	Select your preferred option, and then click Install.
6.	Click Install now, and then click Express Install.
7.	The Update software searches for new updates.
8.	After a short wait, the most important updates are listed. Click Install Updates.
9.	To accept the terms of the License Agreement, click I Accept.
10.	The updates are then downloaded and installed.
11.	After the updates are downloaded and installed, you may have to restart the computer. To do this, click Restart now.
12.	You can now configure Automatic Updates. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Double-click Automatic Updates. A convenient option is Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them.

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For more information about this topic, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: This article is a translation from German. Any subsequent changes or additions to the original German article may not be reflected in this translation. The information that is contained in this article is based on the German-language versions of this product. The accuracy of this information relative to other language versions of this product is not tested in the framework of this translation. Microsoft makes this information available without warranty of its accuracy or functionality and without warranty of the completeness or accuracy of the translation.

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

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