Auto update your applications through Windows Update

Question

Here is a scenario: User installs .NET application that you have made. After some time, you find a security issue in it and create a patch for it. When patch is ready, you post it "somewhere", and when next Windows update is run on user's machine (automatically or manually), that application is updated, too. I'm wondering if this is possible...and how? Searching on MSDN about it, didn't give any results.

Answer 1

As far as I know, the Windows Update feature is only for Microsoft supplied software and updates

Answer 2

It isn't, unless it's a hardware driver which has gone through MS certification and is published on Microsoft update. The MS update web site is closed and limited to MS software and some hardware partners.

Answer 3

Windows Update is only for Microsoft products. You can't host your software on it.

Answer 4

You should check out Microsoft ClickOnce

Answer 5

You can't do that via Microsoft Update, but you could check out how Paint .NET or .NET Reflector implemented their auto-update feature.

Answer 6

You can't, as others said. You can build your own updater, as many companys does.

Answer 7

You can use the BITS downloader that Microsoft Update uses to download the files in the background.