When you set up Windows Server® 2008 R2, you can choose settings to help enhance the security and reliability of your computer. This topic describes the settings recommended by Microsoft.

Enable Windows automatic updating and feedback Settings

This section describes the available settings in the Enable Windows Automatic Updating and Feedback dialog box.

Enable Windows automatic updating and feedback

When you choose this option, you turn on recommended settings for these features:

  • Windows automatic updating. If you use the recommended settings, Windows automatically installs important and recommended updates for your computer as Microsoft releases them. Important updates provide significant benefits, such as improved security and reliability. Recommended updates can address noncritical problems and help enhance your computing experience. Optional updates are not downloaded or installed automatically. You can customize your update settings by opening Control Panel and then opening Windows automatic updating.

    Read more about updates online.

  • Windows Error Reporting. If Windows Error Reporting is enabled (recommended), and problems occur in Windows or programs that are designed to work with Windows Error Reporting, Windows automatically sends information to Microsoft to help identify each problem and check for a solution. In some instances, reports might unintentionally contain personal information. If a report is likely to contain this type of information, Windows will ask if you want to send the report. Microsoft will not use the information in these reports to identify you or contact you. When solutions are available, they are offered as steps to solve the problem you reported or as updates to install. Because not all problems have solutions, the information you send can also help Microsoft create new solutions.

    Read more about error reporting online.

  • Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP). If CEIP is enabled (recommended), Microsoft collects statistical information about your system configuration, the performance of some components of Windows, and certain types of events. Windows periodically uploads a small file to Microsoft that contains a summary of the information collected. The uploaded data contains no information that can identify you or your company. Microsoft does not share this information with other companies; it is used only by Microsoft for the purpose of improving our software for our customers.

    Read more about CEIP online.

We strongly encourage you to use the recommended settings. You can change settings later by opening Server Manager.

Manually configure settings

If you choose this option, you can customize settings for Windows automatic updating, Windows Error Reporting, and the Customer Experience Improvement Program.

For more information about manually configuring Windows Error Reporting, see Windows Error Reporting.

For more information about manually configuring Windows CEIP settings, see Customer Experience Improvement Program.

Manually configuring settings for Windows automatic updating

Follow these steps to customize your Windows automatic updating settings.

To manually configure Windows automatic updating settings

  1. On the Enable Windows Automatic Updating and Feedback dialog box, click Manually configure settings.

  2. In the Windows Automatic Updating area, click Change Setting.

  3. By default, Install updates automatically is selected on the Change Settings dialog box. Select one of the following remaining settings to change the default setting.

    • Download updates but let me choose whether to install them. Windows automatic updating downloads updates automatically, but allows you to review downloaded updates and decide to install only those updates you want.

    • Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them. Windows automatic updating checks for updates and informs you by using an alert icon in your desktop tray that updates are available, but downloads and installs only the updates you choose.

    • Never check for updates (not recommended). Windows automatic updating does not check for or install updates unless you click Download and install updates in the Initial Configuration Tasks window, or open Windows automatic updating in Control Panel and manually command Windows automatic updating to install updates.

  4. In the Recommended updates area, if you want Windows automatic updating to identify those updates that are recommended or most critical, select Include recommended updates when downloading, installing, or notifying me about updates.

  5. Click OK to save changes and close the Change Settings dialog box.

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