For those acquainted with Microsoft's Windows Operating System, you're well aware of how vital is to keep your system updated with the latest patches released by Microsoft. As well as steeling you against any security issues, which arise on a regular basis, these updates have been proven to significantly improve the performance of the operating system.

Once a feature that many either casually overlooked or had difficulty managing, Windows Update has gone through a serious redesign since the transition to Windows Vista and the recently unveiled Windows Seven.

Unlike prior versions, this important feature is now accessible through the search bar located in the Start menu.

Once the command "windows update" has been entered in the search bar, the Windows Update window will appear, showing you how streamlined the process has been made. It is now easier to manage and download those updates where required. From the control panel, you can install available updates, manage those already installed, and check for any that were just released.

The new Windows Update manager also enables you to view all of the updates for MS products at once, saving you the time of checking for them individually.

You should usually have questions on what it is you are installing on your computer. If you are uncertain of just what a particular update will do, you can click a link for "more information," that will steer you to a more informative summary of that update's properties.

In the past, the installation of some updates has conflicted with the use of certain applications, which can regularly lead to the instability of your system. Should such a conflict occur, the non compatible update can be removed by simply choosing it from the uninstall window.

For what you need, plenty of the updates will be unnecessary, yet you may still find them included in the list of updates to install. For those updates you don't find mandatory, right-clicking on them will open a window from which you're given option to "Hide updates."

Keeping your Windows Updates current is only one of a number of ways for you to ensure that your system is working properly