Using Software Update

The software update feature in OS X is used to either manually or automatically update the core software.

1.  To manually check for updates, simply go to the Apple Menu and select Software Update.

Apple Menu Software Update

2.  Your computer will automatically check for updates, and display them in the window seen below. You can highlight each available update and view a description in the lower of the two boxes. You can also individually select updates by clicking the check boxes next to the title of each available update.  After choosing the updates to install, click the Install Items button.

Running Software Update

Configuring for Automatic Updates

1.  To set the program to automatically update your computer on a schedule of your choosing, select Preferences from the Software Update menu.

Software Update Prefs

2.  You will see the screen below in which you can specify the frequency that the computer checks for updates, and also whether the updates will be downloaded automatically (the best choice for a broadband connection) or if you will simply be notified when the updates are ready for download (best for slower connections where you would want to allow the computer do download some time that you are connected to the internet but are not using bandwidth).

Scheduled Updates

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Last Updated: 04/24/2008

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