Apply Windows Updates

Your Simply Cloud Windows server might be vulnerable to a recent bug or exploit impacting servers running Windows. Microsoft are regularly releasing security updates and it is good practice to install these as soon as possible. This tutorial will guide you through the steps to manually install Windows updates to help secure your server.

If you have any questions or need help checking your server, please e-mail us at support@simplyhosting.cloud or call us at 0345 259 1234 Monday through Friday between 8am – 6pm GMT.

Windows Update Installation

If you have opted to install Windows updates automatically then the latest patches will have already been installed. If you do not install updates automatically, we recommend manually installing any Windows updates labelled as important.

To check how your schedule is set and/or to manually install updates outside of the normal schedule or install a specific update then follow the steps below. Please note there may be some small differences between our guide and your own version of Windows, but overall they reflect the steps to check the schedule and install Windows updates manually.

Windows Server 2008 R2:

1. Click on the ‘Start’ menu
2. Select ‘All Programs’
3. Select ‘Windows Update’
4. Click ‘Check for updates’ from the left-hand side of the screen
5. Then click ‘Change settings’ from the left-hand side of the screen
6. From the ‘Important updates’ dropdown, select ‘Download updates but let me choose whether to install them’
7. Click on ‘Updates are available’
8. Make sure the box for the update you wish to install is ticked or simply choose to install all available updates
9. Click ‘Install updates’

Upon completion, you will be prompted to restart the server for the updates to take effect. It could take up to 30 minutes for the server to restart if a lot of updates have been applied. If your server is not back online after 30 minutes, please contact Support for assistance. You will need to follow these steps for each of the Windows Server 2008 R2 you have with Simply Cloud.

Windows Server 2012 R2:

1. Click on the ‘Start’ menu
2. Open the Control Panel
3. Select ‘System and Security’ (this will only appear if the control panel is in ‘Category’ view but if it isn’t then ‘Windows Update’ will be one of the items listed under ‘All Control Panel Items’)
4. Click on ‘Windows Update’
5. Click ‘Check for updates’ from the left-hand side of the screen
6. From the ‘Important update’s’ dropdown, select ‘Download updates but let me choose whether to install them’
7. Click on ‘Updates are available’
8. Make sure the box for the update you wish to install is ticked or simply choose to install all available updates
9. Click ‘Install updates’

Upon completion, you will be prompted to restart the server for the updates to take effect. It could take up to 30 minutes for the server to restart if a lot of updates have been applied. If your server is not back online after 30 minutes, please contact Support for assistance. You will need to follow these steps for each of the Windows Server 2012 you have with Simply Cloud.

Windows Server 2016

1. Click on the Windows icon to open the Start menu.
2. Click on the ‘Settings’ icon (it looks like a cog, and is just above the Power icon)
3. Click on ‘Update & Security’
4. Click the ‘Check for updates’ button
5. Windows will now check for updates and install any required ones.
6. Restart your server when prompted.

It could take up to 30 minutes for the server to restart if a lot of updates have been applied. If your server is not back online after 30 minutes, please contact Support for assistance. You will need to follow these steps for each of the Windows Server 2016 you have with Simply Cloud.