How quickly do I need to complete the installation of Windows updates once they're available?

Posted by DragonLord on Super User See other posts from Super User or by DragonLord
Published on 2012-09-15T23:45:47Z Indexed on 2012/09/17 3:41 UTC
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Windows

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security

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updates

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windows-update

I know that Microsoft publishes most updates on the second Tuesday of each month. While I understand that it is important to install security updates as soon as possible, do I place my computer at a significant risk if I wait more than a few hours after the updates are available to install the updates and restart the computer to complete installation?

I'm asking because 1) I can't always restart the computer immediately after the system prompts me to do so; and 2) the download process sometimes has to be manually started late in the day when I remember, much later than when they're released at 01:00 PM EST/EDT, because Windows Update only seems to check automatically once per day and does so as soon as I connect to the Internet.

Ideally, answers should be detailed and objective, with citations to references as appropriate.

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