Keep your system up to date
Published: August 15, 2006
Connecting your computer to the Internet is like moving to the heart of a big city: life is more exciting, but you have to keep an eye out for the bad guys, too. On the Internet, most bad guys are automated programs called worms and viruses which fit into the broad category of dangerous software called malware. Malware typically attacks computers at random, so it doesn’t matter who you are; it’s quite likely you’ll be attacked eventually unless your computer is protected.
Microsoft Windows XP protects you from most attacks. However, malicious programmers are always at work searching for vulnerabilities in Windows XP and writing new malware to take advantage of them. To address new attacks, Microsoft regularly releases software updates.
If you’re connected to the Internet, you can set up your computer to receive these updates automatically
1. | Use Microsoft Internet Explorer to visit Microsoft Update. |
2. | A message on the right side of the Microsoft Update page displays the status of Automatic Updates on your computer. | • | If Automatic Updates is turned on, your computer is protected. Windows XP will automatically install updates. You don’t need to follow the rest of these steps. Take the time to learn more about home network security. 
| | • | If Automatic Updates is turned off, click Turn on Automatic Updates. 
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3. | In the Automatic Updates window, click OK. 
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Microsoft typically releases updates once per month. If your computer is turned on and connected to the Internet, it will automatically download and install the updates at night. During installation, Windows displays a notification. In some cases, an installation will prompt you to restart your computer the next time you use it.
Automatic Updates only installs updates to Windows and certain other Microsoft programs. However, every program on your computer, as well as your network router, requires regular software updates. To install these updates, contact the software developer or router manufacturer.
