Computer Tip of the Day "09-10"

Patch your operating systems and applications.
All operating system vendors provide patches and updates to their products to correct security problems and to improve functionality. Microsoft provides monthly patches on the second Tuesday of each month. From time to time, Microsoft will issue an "off schedule" patch to respond to a particularly serious threat. To update any supported version of Windows, go to "Start" and select "Windows Update" or "Microsoft Update." Follow the prompts to select and install the recommended patches. Other operating system vendors have similar functionality. Ensure that you know how to update and patch any operating system you select.
For Microsoft Windows XP, select "Start", then "Control Panel", then "System", then "Automatic Updates". After that, set the day and time to download and install updates. Select "Apply" and click "OK".
For Microsoft Windows Vista, select "Start", then "Control Panel", then "Security", then "Turn Automatic Updating on or off". If the circle is marked which says "Install updates automatically (recommended)", check to see that the day/time tabs are set to "every day" and "11:00pm" or some other convenient time. If the circle is not marked which says "Install updates automatically (recommended)", then check the circle to activate automatic updates and select "every day" on the left tab, then select an appropriate time (11:00pm is fine) for the right tab. Then, towards the bottom of the window, check "Recommended Updates" and for "Update Service" check "Use Microsoft Update". Then click on "OK" at the bottom of the window and you are all set for automatic updates for your Windows Vista system.
Office automation software products such as Microsoft Office also need to be patched & updated on a regular basis. For Microsoft products, the patch/update process is similar to that of the Microsoft Windows operating systems. Other business software products also need to be updated regularly.