Should I allow my computer to download updates from other computers on my local network and/or the internet?

Hello, my name is Bradford and I'm an Independent Advisor for the Microsoft Community and I'll be happy to answer your question.

Yes, you can enable the feature "download updates from other computers". The purpose of the feature is to speed up the rate at which updates can be delivered to PC's especially when there is more computer in a home, office, or network.

The service only transmits parts of Windows updates under the assumption that the computer physically closer to yours can transmit data faster than the internet.

However, the final update, once created from these different parts from different computers is verified by Microsoft Servers as being 1. Valid, 2. Intact 3. Timely and 4. Untampered. So rest assure the feature is safe!

If there are any other questions about the feature please let me know.

Finally, if you don't mind-please click the "Yes, this was helpful" button if this was, well, actually helpful :0)

Hi,

Starting somewhere around the the time of Windows 8, Microsoft started using it's customers PC's to supplement it's update servers... Peer To Peer, or something like that... It is very similar to a torrent download type setup..

Not only will your machine receive files this way... it will upload them as well...

I keep it turned off...

There is another setting for PC's "On My Local network"... This would be one of your own PC's if you had more than one connected... For instance... Windows Update might download files to one of your machines, and then transfer the ones that would apply to your other machine to it...

You would basically be downloading from your other machine...

I don't personally like this option either, even though I try to avoid having more than one of my machines connected to the internet at the same time...

In theory, turning both off should force a download from Microsoft's servers, but I don't think there is anything preventing Microsoft from sharing the download burden with customer machine's, providing the customer permits it..

Hi Kyle

With Windows 10, updates are delivered totally differently to previous versions . . .

Windows 10 uses a Peer to Peer network to quickly spread updates around the world, this is very similar to the technology used for file sharing torrent files on the Internet

The updates are delivered to your PC in packets form hundreds of other PC's rather than from the Update servers. In turn many other PC's are getting the update form your PC, this is called Delivery Optimization in Windows 10 . ..