Many people faithfully visit their family physician or local pharmacy each year to get their annual flu shot. The vaccination is a preventative measure to help minimize their risk of catching an illness more severe than the common cold.
Similarly, your computer needs to be “immunized” on a regular basis. Applying Windows and other software updates helps keep your computer secure, reducing the potential for nasty viruses and other malware to cause serious and costly problems. The best part is, vaccinating your computer doesn’t cost you a penny. It only requires a small amount of your time.
You may be like many of our clients who are unsure of what updates need to be installed. You may have even seen the icons and the balloons near the bottom right corner of your computer screen (also known as the system tray) advising you that updates are ready to be installed.
Before you start installing anything that says it needs to update your computer, it is important to know if it is a legitimate program. Many fake programs disguise themselves as being the real thing. So you really do have to use caution and be informed (which after reading this article, you will be!).
The most common updates that need to be regularly applied to your computer are:
- Windows and other Microsoft updates
- Adobe Reader updates
- Adobe Flash Player updates
- Java updates
- Antivirus software updates
- And updates for web browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.
Each of these software programs has a distinctive icon or dialog box that will alert you that updates are ready to be installed. For your convenience, I have attached a PDF file (click here to download it) you can download and print that shows the icon or dialog box that will appear on your computer for the common programs requiring regular updates.
A note about antivirus software updates: Be sure you know without a doubt what antivirus program you have installed on your computer. There are a lot of FAKE antivirus programs that appear on users’ computers that look like the real thing. They tell you that your computer is infected and want you to download or purchase their software. You should only download and install updates for the antivirus program that you KNOW for certain is installed on your computer. When in doubt, don’t!
Keeping your computer up-to-date with software patches is a smart, inexpensive way to keep your computer running smoothly and safely. And it’s less painful than a flu shot!
New for 2011! Want an even easier way to keep your computer up-to-date with all the latest updates and antivirus protection? Check out our new PC-Guard service. Click here for details.
As always, if you have any questions about installing software updates on your computer, please feel free to call our office at 812-386-8919 or send me an e-mail at info@calibre-cs.com.
