Configure Automatic Updates by using local Group Policy
1. Click Start, and then click Run.2. Type gpedit.msc, and then click OK.
3. Expand Computer Configuration.
4. Right-click Administrative Templates, and then click Add/Remove Templates.
5. Click Add, click Wuau.adm in the Windows\Inf folder, and then click Open.
6. Click Close.
7. Under Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, expand Windows Components, and then expand Windows Update.
The Configure Automatic Updates policy appears. This policy specifies whether the computer receives security updates and other important downloads through the Windows Automatic Updates feature. By using the settings for this policy, you can specify whether automatic updates are enabled on the computer. If the service is enabled, you must select one of the three configuration options.
8. To view the policy settings, double-click the Configure Automatic Updates policy.
9. To turn on Automatic Updates, click Enabled in the list of options that appear at the top of the Setting tab.
If you click Enabled, you must select one of the configuration options that is described in step 10.
10. Select one of the following options:
2 - Notify for download and notify for install
When updates are available, an icon appears in the notification area and you receive a message that states that the updates are ready to be downloaded. Click the icon or the message to view and select the updates that you want to download. Windows downloads the updates in the background. When the download is complete, an icon appears in the notification area and you receive a message that states that the updates are ready to be installed. You can click the icon or the message to select the updates that you want to install.
3 - Auto download and notify for install
Note This is the default setting.
When updates are available, Windows downloads the updates in the background. The user is not notified or interrupted during this process. When the download is complete, an icon appears in the notification area and you receive a message that states that the updates are ready to be installed. You can click the icon or the message to view and select the updates that you want to install.
4 - Auto download and schedule the install
To specify the schedule, select the appropriate options in the Group Policy Settings dialog box. If you do not specify a schedule, updates are installed daily at 3:00 A.M by default. Windows restarts the computer automatically if it is necessary. If someone is using the computer when Windows is ready to restart it, a notification appears that states that Windows needs to restart the computer. The user can choose to restart the computer later.
If you select 4 - Auto download and schedule the install, you can set a recurring schedule. If you do not set a schedule, all updates are downloaded and installed every day at 3:00 A.M.
Other Options
Additionally, you can select the Disabled option or the Not Configured option. If you select Disabled, an administrator must download and install any available updates manually from the Microsoft Windows Update website.
If you select Not Configured, the status of Automatic Updates is not specified at the Group Policy level. The status is either "enabled" or "not enabled." However, an administrator can still configure Automatic Updates by using Control Panel. Control Panel includes the same settings that are available in Group Policy.
Note An updated Administrative Template (.adm file) is now available for use with the Automatic Updates feature in Windows Server 2003 and the Software Update Services (SUS) Service Pack 1 (SP1) client. This updated policy file adds two new policies:
- Reschedule Automatic Updates scheduled installations
This policy specifies the time period that Automatic Updates must wait after the computer starts, before it continues with a scheduled installation that was missed previously.
- No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Updates installations
This policy specifies that Automatic Updates will complete a scheduled installation when any user who is logged on restarts the computer. If this policy is not used, the computer restarts automatically.
Source : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328010
