Windows Update provides many optional and recommended updates, in addition to drivers for your system, but Windows XP and 2000 can only install critical security updates through the built-in Automatic Updates feature.
In effect, working with these OSes is now incredibly difficult.
Adding insult to injury, Microsoft actively removed many downloads for XP and earlier versions in 2020. As XP and earlier don’t officially support modern security improvements, such as the SHA256 hash algorithm required by modern SSL and Authenticode certificates as of 2019, much of the internet has become inaccessible to these devices. Since Windows XP was discontinued in 2014, followed by Windows 7 in 2020, Microsoft’s support for their earlier OSes has significantly dwindled. This is a community-run resource to help you fix access to the internet and the Windows Update service on earlier versions of Windows.
