MSE Update FAQ
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- Microsoft Security Essentials uses the AU/WU pipe and requires the Automatic Update services to be running.
Microsoft Security Essentials does not care what your Windows Automatic Update settings are.
Microsoft Security Essentials should update at least once per day as long as the machine is powered on and connected for an extended period of time
If a scheduled check is missed, there is no "catch up" check in the original beta version. This will be addressed in a future beta release.
Updates are also offered via the normal AU channel, so you may find that AU is advising you about available updates and when you look, it is the MSE signature update. This can happen if your AU check happens in between the scheduled check (completed or missed) and a new update was made available to WU.I don't know what sets the time of your MSE check, but know that it will happen at least once per day in this build as long as the PC is on and connected at that time.
You can set an option to perform a daily quick scan at a time that you know the PC will be on and idle and connected - and select the option to check for updates before the scan.
So, a PC left on and connected 24x7 has a few chances to check for updates. Any of those checks may fail to connect to the server and that would reduce the check count as it will not retry until the next check for updates as scheduled.
Because of the lack of a "catch up" check for updates, it is entirely possible that a PC that is not always on or connected can go a day or more without an automatic signature update.You can manually check from within MSE at any time.
I don't know how frequently updates are posted to WU, but suspect that it will typically be once per day and sometimes more frequently, and even less fequently as conditions warrrant - that's based on my experience with OneCare definition updates.
My recommendation for testing this out is to leave the manual update button alone. Also, when AU tells you about an available update and you see that it is a MSE signature update (might happen if you have Windows AU set to check and notify), ignore it. Leave the PC on and connected. Periodically check the version and time within the settings of MSE, but do not touch the manual update button.
And, finally, you can review the Event Viewer logs to see when the update check has occurred. Offhand, I can't tell you the specific entry identifier, but it should be easy to spot.
There have been some posts regarding the changing of a registry setting to "tweak" the scheduled check frequency. Microsoft asked me to post this:
Registry settings for MSE should not be changed unless instructed via support or in feedback for your bug report. Making registry changes may impact the functionality of your installed MSE and could also affect future updates.
-steve
Microsoft MVP Windows Live / Windows Live OneCare, Live Mesh, & MS Security Essentials Forums Moderator- Edited byStephen BootsMVP, ModeratorWednesday, August 26, 2009 12:17 PMminor edits
