137. Run Software Update  BEFORE YOU BEGIN 1 Install an Application from Disc or Download
 SEE ALSO 138 Ignore an Update 139 Schedule Automatic Software Updates
Software Update , a utility accessible either from System Preferences or from the Apple menu, is Apple's mechanism for checking the central Apple servers for available updates to Mac OS X, its component utilities, and Apple applications such as iTunes, iMovie, and Keynote, as well as firmware revisions for devices like the iPod and iSight. These updates, which generally appear two or three times a month, range in importance from minor revisions to esoteric components such as Bluetooth and Java, all the way up to patches for critical security vulnerabilities and new versions of Mac OS X itself that address flaws in the software that impair its operation. When Software Update detects an update that applies to your system, you can install that update with a couple of clicks. Software Update also gives you the option to ignore updates that don't apply to you, or to schedule automatic checking for updates. 137. Run Software Update 
 NOTE You must be logged in as an Admin user , or able to authenticate as one when prompted, to install new software obtained by Software Update .
| 1. | Open Software Update Preferences Select Software Update from the Apple menu to launch the Software Update utility directly. Alternatively, click Software Update in the System Preferences application. The Software Update Preferences pane opens, which allows you to configure the Software Update utility and launch a check. TIP Just to make sure that you don't miss it, Software Update is also available in a button link from the About This Mac window. | | 2. | Check for New Updates Make sure that you're connected to the Internet. (The Software Update utility can't find any updates if you can't reach the Apple servers.) Then click Check Now ; the button's label changes immediately to Cancel. Software Update examines your Mac OS X system and its core applications and compares their version numbers to the updates available on the server. All the applicable updates that the utility finds are listed in the separate Software Update window that appears. NOTE If the separate Software Update utility does not launch, it means there were no updates available. The Software Update Preferences pane informs you of this condition as well. | | 3. | Select the Updates to Install
Click an update in the results list to read its description and to decide whether you want to install it. For each update you decide to install, select the Install check box to the right of the update's name . (Updates are typically selected for installation automatically.)
If the update requires a restart after installation, you will see a "restart" icon to the left of the Install check box (it's a leftward-pointing triangle in a small circle). You can install multiple updates that require restarts at the same time and have to restart the computer only once.
| | 4. | Install the Updates
Click the Install <n> Items button to install all the updates you have selected. If necessary, a dialog box appears that prompts you to authenticate as an Admin user. Enter the username and password of an Admin user to continue. You may also be required to read and agree to one or more End User License Agreements (EULAs) for various software packages presented for download.
Software Update begins downloading the selected updates. An update can be any size from several hundred kilobytes to a hundred megabytes or more; refer to the Size column to determine how large your total download will be and plan the download accordingly . Use the Pause button to stop the download; you can then resume the download later without losing your place.
After all the required updates have been downloaded, Mac OS X will unpack and install them. This might require a lot of processor power and system resources, so now is a good time to quit any resource-hungry applications that you might be running, or at least go and get a cup of coffee.
| | 5. | Restart if Necessary If any of the installed updates were marked as requiring a restart, you are prompted to restart the computer. Click the Restart button to do so. All your currently running applications will be terminated . TIP If you have unsaved data in any of your applications, the application might prevent the computer from shutting down while it waits for you to confirm whether to quit without saving the changes. Be sure to answer all such confirmation requests promptly or the shutdown process might time out. If this happens, quit all your applications manually and select Restart from the Apple menu. It's not a good idea to keep using your system without restarting it after you've installed an update that requires a restart. Chances are that nothing bad will happen, but conflicts between the version of the operating system that's running and the version of the update you just installed might cause some very unpleasant results. Always restart promptly after a major update! | NOTE If you have installed an update to an application such as iTunes or iCal that uses passwords and interacts with your Keychain, the next time you run that application, you may be prompted with a dialog box that informs you that the application has been updated and the Keychain entry associated with it needs to be re-confirmed. Click Update All to fix all Keychain entries for that application.
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