by , 7:30 AM EST, January 19th, 2007

Apple's Software Update application is a great tool for finding and installing Mac OS X and Apple application updates, but sometimes the auto-check feature can get in the way. If you like letting your Mac automatically check for updates, you can set exactly when that happens so it best fits your schedule. Here's how:

• Launch System Preferences. You can find it by selecting Apple Menu > System Preferences.
• Click the Software Update Preference Pane.
• Choose Daily, Weekly, or Monthly from the Check for updates pop-up menu to set how often your Mac checks for updates.

Choose how often you want to check for system updates.

• Clicking the Check Now button sets the current time for your Mac's routine checks. Whenever you click the Check Now button, you are resetting the update schedule to match the current date and time.

For example, if you want to check for updates automatically updates every Monday at noon, make sure that the Check for updates pop-up menu is set to Weekly. Then click the Check Now button at noon on Monday. That's it.

Click Check Now to set the day and time for your update checks.

If you prefer to check for updates on your own instead of automatically, just uncheck Check for updates in the Software Update Preference Pane.

This Quick Tip was adapted from The Designer's Guide to Mac OS X Tiger.