Windows is the most popular computer operating system on the planet, and because of this it is also the most popular target for evil hackers and other criminals that want to infect a computer with a virus, spyware, or other malware. These criminals attack a computer through security flaws in the Windows operating system. These flaws are most often small mistakes or oversights in the millions of lines of computer code that makes up Windows.
The biggest threat to an individual user however is not the flaw, but a failure on the user's part to keep their system up to date by downloading regular updates to the Windows software. Soon after these flaws are discovered Microsoft usually sends out an update (known as a patch) to fix these security flaws. However, these updates are only applied if the user approves it or sets the computer to automatically download and install updates.
Find Out If Your Computer Is Up To Date
To find out if you computer has all of the latest updated software open Internet Explorer (Firefox and other web browsers will not work properly for this purpose) and visit http://update.microsoft.com. The web site will ask a few questions and provide you with the opportunity to update your computer's operating system with the most recent security patches. A better alternative to this method is to set your computer to automatically update itself on a regular basis.
How To Automatically Update Your Windows Software
All current versions of Windows (Vista and XP) have within them an automatic update feature. When turned on this program goes out to the Microsoft Update servers and downloads any critical update patches when they are available (usually every Tuesday). The update is downloaded and saved to the hard drive and the user is notified that the update is ready to be applied. Most of the time the update is installed at shut down time. In the case of more critical patches the user may be notified with a countdown style popup box that will reappear every few minutes. Always apply these patches as they are vital to securing and protecting your computer from harmful viruses and intrusions.
