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  • Force a Windows update in Windows 8 or 8.1?

Force a Windows update in Windows 8 or 8.1?

May 2, 2014 / Dave Taylor / Windows 10 Help / 2 Comments

I read on CNET that there’s a security update for Windows 8.1 that solves the Internet Explorer bug and that I should install it immediately. How do I force a Win8 system or windows update?

No surprise, the crack team at CNET are correct that the Internet Explorer security hole [as we explained here: Urgent Update for Internet Explorer Clandestine Fox Exploit] now has a patch from Microsoft. The good news is that it’s just a system patch that can be easily applied through a standard windows update.

The wrinkle is that if you have your Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 (and yes, you should upgrade 8 to 8.1) you might have set up Windows to automatically update, in which case you don’t really know when it’ll check and decide that you’re due for the update to be downloaded and installed. Normally that’s a good thing, but in the case of this particular “zero day” security exploit, you want to install the update as soon as possible. After all, a clandestine fox can’t be good news, can it?

More seriously, this highlights the trade-off between automating things and requiring that users manage their systems manually. There’s good, and there’s bad.

Fortunately, I can show you how to push a windows update. Start by using the Cmd-S shortcut to bring up the Search charm, then type in “windows update”:

search for windows update in win8.1

Notice the second option: “Check for updates”.

That’s what you want. Click on it. Here’s what’s revealed:

force windows update

As you can see, I too am set up to automatically install updates.

But notice that just below it “We found new updates today”. That’s nice. But how do you force an install?

Click on “View details”…

make win8 update the system windows update

At this point, choose all the updates flagged as important by clicking “Select all important updates”, then click on the “Install” button.

The system grabs what it needs from the Microsoft servers…

downloading windows update

And, without any further intervention, it’ll unpack and install everything.

Sometimes a restart is required, but in this particular instance you’re good to go:

congrats, windows 8.1 has been updated for the latest security problem

If you want, you can also temporarily turn off automatic updates, check to see what’s pending, then manually update your system. I would strongly encourage you, however, to remember to turn automatic updates back on so you don’t miss fixes, patches and improvements altogether!

 

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Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
force windows update, operation clandestine fox, security holes, windows 8.1 system update, windows update

2 comments on “Force a Windows update in Windows 8 or 8.1?”

  1. taylor1277@yahoo.com says:
    June 27, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    I am too all of a sudden having this problem, I just had a hard drive installed and asked the geek squad to download all of windows thinking they had high speed internet. But when I got home i realized later that it says I have nothing installed. I too have tried every trick that I have read, Can my firewall be blocking something. I seen in Bitdefender that my explorer.exe is blocked in it, but I can’t or don’t know how to unblock it and set the rules. so what do I do. I want to go back to Best Buy and have a word or two with the Geek Squad. they said it was a hard drive failure. but one day I just couldn’t get my windows to load. how can a hard drive work in a slave environment that I have if it doesn’t work in the main hard drive seat of my system. also would there be a place on the old hard drive that all the window updates I had are on there and I could transfer them over. to the new drive. any idea what to do, besides every techs answer these days just reset the computer or reinstall. is that what techs go to school for.

    Reply
  2. michael homan says:
    December 27, 2016 at 4:40 pm

    Well now that’s all handy dandy but it does not work for me. And don’t tell me to use the update trouble shooter that don’t work either. I have spent hour and hours trying every trick I read about and nothing I repeat nothing has worked on my 32bit acer w4 820. I have even rolled back to earlier drive images nad zip!! I have tested no malware or viruses WTF is wrong here? It feels the same issues win 7 had back before a major rollup fixed the those slowdowns….and yes I have reset windows update…

    Reply

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