Continuing with our series about PC speed/security, this week we turn to updates and how they can affect both performance and security. The two most important kinds of updates for your PC are for your Operating System (OS) and for your antivirus program(s).
Let’s begin with Windows updates. Every second Tuesday of the month, Microsoft releases updates for each of its operating systems that it currently “supports”. These are designed to either fix a known problem or to close some security gap that has been identified. It is prudent to take advantage of these free updates to help keep your systems secure. Most home users have these updates configured to download and install automatically; at least for the “important” ones. MS uses the designation “Express”, “important” and “high-priority” interchangeably; so any update with these handles you should take. They also issue “optional” updates which are just that.
You can view optional updates by doing a manual update and clicking on “optional” or “custom” depending on your OS. These can apply to the OS or to a MS application or they can also be issued to fix some compatibility error with one of your peripheral devices. My recommendation is to leave these alone, unless you are experiencing a problem that requires help. For example, if there is an updated driver available for your model printer that addresses a problem and you are having that problem, by all means install that update. If there is an updated driver for your printer and your printer is working fine, don’t.
Next be sure that your antivirus software is up to date. Again, you probably have your AV software programmed to auto-update. Do it manually every once in awhile to make sure it’s working properly. There are occasional updates required for the AV software program itself and you should always do those. Observe the word “update”; on the other hand an “upgrade” could mean an invitation to buy a new or better AV program. The most frequent AV updates are simply additions to the virus definitions and depending on your AV, you can get those several times a week. You definitely want to take those on auto.
Other programs running on your PC can be vulnerable to malware infection when not updated especially those programs (maybe you don’t even remember installing them) that run while you’re browsing the Internet. These can include your browser, all your media players and various helper programs that enhance your total Internet experience. It is almost impossible for you to keep up with all of them and most do not automatically update. Run Secunia’s online software inspector (OSI) to identify your compromised apps and then update the problematic ones. Sometimes it is necessary to uninstall an app and reinstall it to get a clean install.
Take care of these important security chores and you can be assured that your system will run better and faster because it will have fewer infections from the bad guys.
Written by Jim Hall. Email your questions to geekspeak@mchsi.com . You can find Jim online at HallsTrainingSolutions.com
First off i love reading everything you write.And i do pratice what you say.Yesterday i was looking at CNET.com.Now i always have used the free AVG.i think it is the best out there.Well when i went to CNET yesterday i found out AVG had a deal going,only for that day.The whole program cost 59 dollars a year for full protection.I think it s worth it.But yeaterday it was 19.99 for a year.Oh yes i did.I went ahead and got the whole thing.That was a deal.Thank you for helping us each week in the Journal.Have a Great Day.