Periodically, Apple releases free updates to your computer's software. You can check for updates manually or set your computer to check for updates periodically.

To set your Software Update application to automatically check for updates:

• On the Apple menu, select Control Panels, then select Software Update.
• Select the Update software automatically checkbox, then click the Schedule button.
• Select the day and time of the week that you want the computer to check for software updates. Configuring the software to check every day is recommended. Click OK.
• In the Software Update dialog box, select the Ask me before installing new software checkbox, then close the window.

To set your Software Update application to automatically check for updates:

• On the Dock, click System Preferences.
• In the System window, click Software Update.
• Select the Automatically checkbox.
• On the Check for Updates pull-down menu, click Daily.
• Click Check Now to immediately search for any updates Apple has available

To set your Software Update application to automatically check for updates:

• Open System Preferences and click Software Update.
• Select "Check for updates."
• Choose Daily, Weekly, or Monthly from the pop-up menu.
• If you want your computer to download important updates without asking, select "Download important updates in the background." When the update finishes downloading, you will be notified that it is ready to be installed.

When the installation is complete, Software Update checks for updates again. It does this because some updates require that you have installed previous updates.