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Release dates
When looking down the release dates for Windows, you may notice that some months have no listing. The exact causes for missing months can vary, but there generally four main reasons:
* Microsoft did not release any security patches for a particular operating system in that month.
* Some patches were released, but they are not needed if you have the latest service pack installed.
* Earlier patches have been included in a Service Pack (or Rollup package).
* Patches were superseded by newer releases.
Months with no patches for Windows XP or Vista:
* March 2006: no patches released for Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2).
* January 2007: no patches for Windows XP with SP2 or Windows Vista.
* March 2007: no patches for Windows XP with SP2 or Windows Vista.
* Security updates for Vista started being released in April 2007. There are no security updates before this date, but there are plenty of patches to fix various non-security bugs. For more details, see the optional updates listed under the Vista heading in the Windows section of this site.
* May 2007: no patches released for Windows XP with SP2 or Windows Vista. There were patches released in May 2007 for Internet Explorer 7 (for both Vista and XP), but these were replaced by the cumulative updates released in June 2007.
* September 2007: no patches for Windows XP with SP2 or most versions of Windows Vista. There were updates for old versions of Windows Messenger (earlier than 8.1 needs a patch). Using version 8.1 fixes the security problem without the need to patch. An update was also released for the Ultimate and Enterprise versions of Vista that use Unix applications, but this will not affext most home or small business users (See Microsoft's KB939778 support document for more information).
What Windows updates should I download?
Our view is simple when it comes to Windows patches: you update to the latest service pack, then install any updates that are subsequently released. This is why there are no Windows XP updates listed prior to October 2004. Windows XP SP2 was released in September 2004 and this included every patch that had been released until September 2004.
To make everything a little more complicated, sometimes Microsoft will upgrade a component of Windows. For example, if you have Windows XP, there are six different versions of Media Player that can run on your system (versions 6.4, 7, 8, 9,10,11) and each had its own collection of patches. Our view is that you should upgrade to the latest release of the program and patch that version. This is why there are no listings for patches affecting earlier versions of Media Player (only version 11 is listed on this site). If you decide not to upgrade to the latest release of a Windows component, you must still patch the program in order to maintain a secure system. In these cases, you will need consult Microsoft for further details. In a nutshell: upgrade to the latest version, then patch it.
The order of installing patches should be:
* Download and install the latest service pack (SP2 for Windows XP)
* Apply any other patches in the order that were released since the Service Pack, starting with the oldest patch (for Windows XP, this is October 2004).
* Upgrade software included with Windows to the latest releases. For Windows XP this includes: Media Player 11, Internet Explorer 7, DirectX 9.0c.
* Download and install any updates for software included with Windows - this includes DirectX, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express and Media Player.
* Download optional updates if needed - these patches are not critical to security, but generally improve Windows or fix a specific error. If you don't need the new feature or the error doesn't affect you, there is no real reason to download the file. On the other hand, most optional updates can be downloaded if you are uncertain.
* Important: to ensure you have all the needed patches and they are properly installed, you should run a scan of your system using Microsoft's Windows Update - this is the only way to check that you have all the needed patches.
Finally: patches are listed on this site as a convenience to visitors. We cannot guarantee that they are free of omissions or errors. To ensure a secure system, you will need to follow Microsoft's instructions for updating and maintaining a Windows system. More information can be found at Microsoft.com.
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