Windows Update is a tool built into Microsoft Windows, to easily allow users to update and patch their versions of Windows. As with virtually all software, bugs and security holes in Windows are being discovered all the time. The Blaster worm which is currently infecting computers the world over exploits a security hole which was actually patched on July 16th 2003, almost a month before the worm appeared. This means that anyone regularly running Windows Update would have been immune from the worm before the worm was actually released. The Bugbear worm discovered in late September 2002 also affected a large number of users, and that exploited a hole that was patched in March 2001! Just like regular maintenance on your car, running Windows Update every couple of weeks can help prevent problems from developing on your system.

To access Windows Update, you will need to be running Internet Explorer 5 or later. If you are running Windows ME, 2000 or XP, you will already have Internet Explorer 5 or 6. If you are running Windows 95 or 98, you may be running an earlier version of Internet Explorer. Most versions of the Alphalink install cd will have Internet Explorer 5 or later.

To start Windows Update, connect to the internet. Then click on the Start menu, and choose Windows Update. You can also access it by clicking on the Tools menu in Internet Explorer, and then selecting Windows Update. Or you can simply enter http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ into the address bar in Internet Explorer.

 

next