Introduction

The following is a description of updates and their purpose. Updates are used for repairing or replacing software that is installed on a computer. Every update that is available on Microsoft Update is made up of two components: update information (also called metadata) and the update files. Metadata contain the properties of an update and enables you to quickly determine uses for the update. The metadata package downloaded for an update is typically much smaller than the actual update file package. Update files are the actual files required to install an update on a computer.

Updates can have the following statuses:

Status	Description
Approved for install	The client installs the update.
Not approved	The update will not be available for clients.
Declined	Declined updates will not be available for computers and you will not get a status for them.

Right-clicking on the Update folder gives you the following options:

Element	Description
Approve	Approves the selected update(s) for installation in the selected group.
Not approved	Disapproves the selected update(s) in the selected group.
Decline	Declines the selected update(s).

If you want to...	You can...
Automatically install updates	Patch Management options.
Set a schedule for updates	Patch Management options.
Approve updates	Approve Updates
Decline Updates	Decline Updates
Learn more about classifications	Classifications.
Learn more about categories	Categories.

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