# Solved: Do windows updates slow down a machine?



## Pbman (Sep 5, 2001)

I was thinking of installing Win 7 Ultimate but I was warned that installing the updates slow down a machine?

Any opinions on this?

Thanks


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## w7pro (Dec 30, 2010)

If its specs match what the requirements of Windows 7, then it should be fine, though you may want to run the Upgrade Advisor just to be sure: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...90-7659-4bd9-9e51-2497c146af15&displaylang=en

-- Ryan
Windows Outreach Team


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## Pbman (Sep 5, 2001)

I did the test and it will take it. My questions is after the fact. I was told that the updates, in general , slow down a machine. Could that be true?


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

Some updates are actually created to make a machine more responsive{performance wise}
While in general an update does add to the size of the OS and make it more complex,,they can slow you down a bit...this would be after a rather large quantity however/ take xp for instance...a fresh install with no service packs is lighter and faster than xp with sp3 on a machine that doesnt have much ram.
None the less,,,we still need our updates..many of these are to plug security holes...fix bugs etc.
Without them we are a greater risk from remote attacks...as well as other issues that relate to the dependability of windows itself.
Get the updates...if in 5 years if they have grown so much that ram usage has went up a touch..one can always upgrade the ram if they have a machine that is under equipped.
But......other software also requires more ram as time goes on so windows wont be the main concern.
For instance when xp was first released.I purchased a computer with 256 ram..it was 100 bucks to upgrade from 128.....256 got me by for a long time..a friend of mine gave me some ram..I bumped it up to 384....384 was good for a long time..but now it is "starved"....An AV solution and a browser open along with outlook is about all its good for.
FF consumes much more than it used to IE the same..AV products used to be light..not the case anymore.
Updates are the last thing to slow you down{although it does contribute some}..its the other software that becomes slower as newer versions are released.
I actually went back to an old version of Google earth
I use Fox it reader as Adobe has become rather large
These are just some examples of how software evolves and becomes slower...They have issues and are patched, so an updates comes out..which equates to a new version.
Always keep the OS current with updates and always keep the latest version of the software you are using....Failing to do such is putting one at risk by having "holes" in the OS or the product.


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## DaveA (Nov 16, 1999)

In general no, they do not slowed the system down. BUT if a NEW protection layer is added, that MAY in turn slow down, but I do NOT think that you will see it.

That said, after a updates are installed, your "Protection" programs are going to scan the new files, and at that time you may see things seem a bit slow as the file are being scanned.

And of course during the update process, the machine MAY appear to slow as it is very busy. That I why I do NOT try and do things while the updates are being downloaded and installed.


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

The question of updates slowing you down should not even be asked. Without the security updates, you will be vulnerable to hacks.


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## DVOM (Jun 21, 2002)

lunarlander said:


> The question of updates slowing you down should not even be asked. Without the security updates, you will be vulnerable to hacks.


You're vulnerable to hacks with or without the security updates, that's why there's new ones every week. They never get it under control. It's a constant ongoing circus of "security threats" and "security updates", and yet a good firewall and antivirus and an antimalware scan occasionally will keep you clean. And putting a router between your machine and the internet will go a long way.

The OP wanted to "upgrade" to Ultimate, I upgraded my Home to Professional with no problems, but I don't ever let MS "update" my machine for security. An "upgrade" and a "security update" are 2 different things.

"Security updates" may give you "peace of mind" but they don't make you safer, they don't keep you from being hacked. That's up to you.


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

DVOM said:


> You're vulnerable to hacks with or without the security updates, that's why there's new ones every week. They never get it under control. It's a constant ongoing circus of "security threats" and "security updates", and yet a good firewall and antivirus and an antimalware scan occasionally will keep you clean. And putting a router between your machine and the internet will go a long way.
> 
> The OP wanted to "upgrade" to Ultimate, I upgraded my Home to Professional with no problems, but I don't ever let MS "update" my machine for security. An "upgrade" and a "security update" are 2 different things.
> 
> "Security updates" may give you "peace of mind" but they don't make you safer, they don't keep you from being hacked. That's up to you.


Whats worse 5 security holes or 75?
Although one can never be fully secure...One shouldnt make it easy for intruders.
I use a router as well..and a firewall..but none the less..many of the updates are to fix flaws in the software.
Updating windows goes along the same lines as updating a browser...Take IE6 for instance not as safe as 8.
Same for Adobe reader...it has had problems...new versions fix it for the time being..they are merely updates....but one gets a new version rather than download adobe reader and "11" updates.
The new version is the same as the old but merely has the latest patches...adobe reader didnt become big overnight..its all the patches
java..always being patched
Flash always being patched
Ubuntu..a linux ditro always being patched
Windows OSs always being patched
Keeping current is a good idea not only for security reasons but some of these patches are for bugs in the software or an improvement to the software

A fine example is going online with original xp without any updates...Lucky to make it through a day of surfing without something taking advantage of the holes.....this is why many malicious files cripple windows updates...so the user cant update the machine to possibly fix the avenue of attack in the near future


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## OVERLORDCHAOS (Apr 8, 2011)

in my personal opinion and experience, acording what you install.
for example on windows xp the desktop search 4.0 not only would slow down xp at a insane slowness that also will overload your hard disk with ridicolously raw data indexing any file properties (from size to every letter that the file has from the file name to the certificated that could have, icon size and colour, how many times you use that file, if it is a nice microsoft program or an evil hacker company, in other words ANY other compny rather than microsoft, if your anti virus likes or dislikes interact with this file, and so on) all as uncompressed you can imagine.
on windows vista the sideshow gived you awesome capability of play on yoyr desktop over and over untill you lose your mind and trow your monitor over your window and wait for a car to run over it to make sure you never again watch the same video ever (if you never buy again another monitor of course) but something that microsoft did not realize untill like 1 year after release it (that not everyone we have a NASA server on our houses to be able to play an HD video over an over on our desktop while we play some heavy game like sims 2 or 3, wow, etc).
on windows 7, there is no update that causes slowdowns.
in fact, the important updates (for security stability etc) rarely causes slowdowns. and make your pc more safe against hackers attacks, nasty malware, or just plain windows bugs that some programmer created on microsoft when he was 2 weeks without sleep tipyng insanely the new source code for windows 7 and pass out on the keyboard pressing random keys and nobody noticed. if you ever get an error message sayng "unxpected error on thiedss microrofffff prowwwwam" that was just some of the erroneus types lol.


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## DVOM (Jun 21, 2002)

aka Brett said:


> Whats worse 5 security holes or 75?


75? You think it's a difference between 5 and 75? If there was only 75 they would have had this OS secured 10-15 years ago. There's tens of thousands of holes in this OS. There's no end to it.

I'm not trying to complain about MS operating systems, I like MS OS's, but it's the way of the world. Whatever system you're using (computer or otherwise) there are people out there trying to exploit it.

I like the MS description of their updates: "This update addresses a security risk that *could allow an attacker to completely take control of your machine*, turn your wife into a 1960's hippy, and give all your kids tattoos of Sesame Street characters.

The operative word here is "could". They don't say it's ever happened or that it is likely to happen. Just that it "could".

Bull!

I don't do updates, I don't even run a firewall. I run MS Security Essentials and that's it. And I've never been hacked. I've never had a virus.

Well, ,possibly I have but I keep a Ghost image of my machine and at the slightest indication of something wrong, I put the image back on the machine. I went through the stage of "fixing" things, but I don't "fix" anything anymore. I just slap the Ghost image back on it.

How long does it take to "update" your system? How long does it take to "fix" your system? I keep my "system" small by installing programs on a second partition, and my data on a 3rd partition. So I can replace my Ghost image in about 10 minutes. If you get "hacked", if you get "infected", it doesn't hack or infect the program or data files, it attacks the operating system files.

It's really a simple system when you figure it out. And you can forget "updating" or "fixing" anything.

Ya know, I think a lot of people think their Ghost or Acronis image is just for "emergencies". That's not true, it's something you should regularly use. It should be a gradual "build" of a system that fits you. That you can return too, And by "reimaging" you gradually get rid of new programs and other things that are superfluous, and add programs that enhance your style.


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## Pbman (Sep 5, 2001)

Point made, thanks. Off to update....

Thanks


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

Hi DVOM,

Security updates are important, because it closes some security holes. Some of which hackers already know about. If you don't close the hole, you have only yourself to blame if you do get hack or infected. Also, those patches get reverse-engineered pretty fast. And many exploits are made for those who don't patch. Web sites get hacked very frequently, and most are modified to install malware when an unpatched browser wanders by. They won't exactly jump up at you annoucing themselves. You could be part of a botnet and not know about it.

Good hackers rarely announce themself by wrecking your system. They just install tools and sit there collecting info like your credit card numbers and such. If you follow security related news, you will notice that a lot of companies only detect an intrusion after several months. That amounts to a lot of stolen data in the mean time. When one doesn't patch, one faces the possibility of being hacked and not even knowing about it. 

Security has several parts: deny, deter and detect. Patching is only fullfiling the first part. 

Yes, there may be no end to security holes, but MS is actively trying. Several years ago Bill Gates announced their security initiative and that brought the company to the forefront trying to make a more secure OS than XP. Along with Vista came new security technologies that are still giving hackers a hard time. XP is hard to secure, and led many to give up. But Vista and Windows 7 are truely better security wise.


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