 Operating
systems can be thought of as the “personality” of
a computer. Windows XP and Mac OS X operating systems are what
give computers a specific look and feel. The operating system is
also what allows the computer to access networks and data. Although
the operating system is designed to limit access to a computer,
they contain flaws which allow worms and hackers to “break-in” to
a computer. Thankfully, most of the time the flaws, called security
vulnerabilities, are discover before they can be exploited by malicious
individuals. Microsoft and Apple regularly release fixes called
updates, patches or service packs to fix the flaws in their operating
systems. Your computer's operating system should be updated frequently
and ideally it should occur automatically.
Directions to set your computer's operating system to automatically
update itself can be found by following the links below. If
you are not sure what operating system your computer has, please
check out Determining
Your Operating System.
IMPORTANT: If you have ever selected "Install
Later" or a similar option on a Windows Update, you must
visit Microsoft Windows Update (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com)
to download these skipped updates. This website allows you to
find and install updates for all versions of Windows.
Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0 cannot automatically update themselves.
You must manually visit Windows
Update to find updates for your computer.
Windows 95 is outside Microsoft's Support Lifecycle, so no new
updates will be released for Windows 95. You can check Windows
Update or the Microsoft
Windows 95 Homepage for previously released updates.
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You may also wish
to check for updates on software besides your operating
system. Update sites for a number of common programs
are linked to below.
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