Product updates can contain updates for system reliability, program compatibility, security, etc.
You can acquire product updates in two ways:
For current versions of SolidWorks: by using the Installation Manager to check for, download, and install updates.
You can initiate the Installation Manager manually, or schedule it to check periodically for updates.
For versions of SolidWorks prior to 2008: by downloading service packs manually from the SolidWorks support Web site.
Service packs are applied as patches to an existing software version. For example, SolidWorks 2007 SP1.0 is a service pack for SolidWorks 2007 SP0.0. You can install these service packs using the SolidWorks 2007 Installation Manager; you cannot install them using the Installation Manager in SolidWorks 2008 or later.
For instructions on downloading and installing service packs, see the installation documentation for the SolidWorks version you are updating.