Powershell run windows update update#

The only way to restrict the list is with SearchCriteria, which you have to pass a search expression: Start-WUScan -SearchCriteria 'Type='Software' AND IsInstalled=0' If you don't specify any parameter, all updates that apply to the system will appear in the results.

Powershell run windows update update#

You cannot specify a source for updates rather, the function queries the update server configured on the computer. The Windows Updates Status (PowerShell) sensor monitors the status of Windows updates on a computer and counts the available and installed Windows updates. Checking for updatesĪs the name suggests, Start-WUScan looks for available updates. While Get-WULastInstallationDate and Get-WULastScanSuccessDate are used to examine previous updates, and Get-WUAVersion outputs the version of the client, the three remaining functions provide the actual update management. The functions of the WindowsUpdateProvider module use the methods of the CIM class MSFT WUOperations In addition, PowerShell is useful on Server Core because there is no GUI for managing updates. This is useful, for example, if you want to secure a freshly installed computer by installing the latest patches. But its very tedious, each device has to be clicked (as it is not known if that particular device has an update available) - then the popups have to be clicked - and one has to wait for the online search to finish. More control over updatesĬommand line tools such as usoclient.exe, wuinstall, or PowerShell cmdlets give admins more control over the update process because they can explicitly request the scan, download, install, or restart. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option. In Windows device manager it is possible to 'manually' start an automatic update of a device. However, it is not possible to copy Microsoft's Windows Update Provider to older versions of Windows, such as Server 2012 R2 or 2016, because the CIM class required by the functions does not exist on those versions. In contrast, third-party modules must first be installed on every managed PC. Therefore, when using it for remote management, you can assume that the required functions are already available on the target computer. The main advantages of Windows Update Provider are its official support by Microsoft and that all newer versions of the operating system already have it on board.