what is the point of getting updates?

what good are the updates that I get every time I restart my computer?

Do they make my computer more secure? Is it enough to have MSE installed?

Doesn't updates slow down your computer over time? I have a netbook, (dm1z using amd e350 processor). How long would my netbook last me if it keeps getting more updates?

 

Updates can be improvements/changes to various functions w/in Win7, or can be important to close security loopholes.

No, updates do not slow your system down.

 

Any update marked as important is the all you need to install.

Slowdowns on important updates, rare but possible.

Having the MSE always be updated to date is very important .

 

Who have you been talking to?

The updates are usually security fixes that are found in Windows via people breaking in and breaking stuff in the system to steal files, or take over your computer to do weird things... Although these seem more geared for Corporate offices since I never hear of anyone really getting broken into like some of the hotfix release notes say.

Other updates fix issues with features that didn't work as expected, they actually can make the computer Faster

MSE works if you use common sense with it though.

 

I did ... lost 2 home computers back in the early xp sp2 era (Green Ascii Skulls and Crossbones as my BIOS POST + plus whole heck other crap they did to my hardware). Just simply be connected online, only playing UT99 on a limited account. In short, I learned to try not to anger anyone off in online gaming or anywhere else.

 

My guess is one of them grizzled old programmers who are still using a completely unpatched version of NT4 or something as their home machine, because 'if it works already, why fix it?'

Updates are important. Some more important than others, it is true, but installing all of them is a better policy than none of them.

 

No, updates should not slow the computer down over time. That said, you should also not be getting updates every time you restart your computer... that's indicative of an update install failing. Check your Windows Update, see if it's failing on an install.

 

::giggle::

And, windows defender pretty much updates ever other day, sometimes more often.

 

not only they don't slow your system down, they might make it faster, due to improvements and bug fixes...

 

Um, is that something Windows Update can prevent at all ? What you described seems to be UT99 being penentrated.

Windows update only only fix holes for Microsoft stuff, not some third party applications that is still running under Administrative right.

Either I misunderstand you or you may still be facing similar threat even now no matter how update your Windows is.

 

One of my buddies has a PC that says MALENKO OWNS YOU during post, then does nothing.

I always got a kick out of that.

 

several updates (especially in vista days) actually enhanced performance.

nowadays, the way windows works, updates don't slow down a system per se except if they need to (for security reasons for example, or stability). that normally happens never. in xp days, updates could slow down a system quite a bit.

 

SP3 seems to have taken a major toll on some of my older XP systems.

Not nearly as much as Search 4.0 did, though, although that's a much different kind of update.

 

It's ok, you kinda misunderstood me.

Oh, another old example , remember the ms blaster worm. I didn't get caught with this, since I always run windows update but many of my friends caught it.

Also, another old example, sasser

 

Oldies, but NO-GOODIES................

 

Internet smarts will go a long way in terms of protecting you from malware. Software and keeping your computer update is secondary protection that is worth keeping up to spec as a second layer of protection.

So, keep your system and security software updated. I only get Windows Updates about once a week, sometimes longer so I don't see any kind of hassle involved, it's mostly a transparent process in Win 7.

 

usapatriot: if there's no dramatic need for an update to be deployed instantly (doesn't happen much in post xp days), the updates are MONTHLY, not weekly. first tuesday each month.

 

Isn't the second Tuesday of each month?

 

hm.. right?

Patch Tuesday

right!

(there's a WIKIPEDIA ENTRY FOR THAT?!!? )

 

ms blaster was just genius. I remember being at work when, in a callcenter of 300+ machines that could not connect to the web. I got home, where I made downloaded updates wait months before I'd let them install, let them install and my home machine was fine.

 

With most of today's machine behind a router/firewall(even at home), network attack to the OS is a thing of the past.

What I have seen the most are now via browser, flash(saw one) and increasinly java(saw two recently both caught by MSE).

 

the blaster worm was classic because of that countdown prompt

which could be averted by setting the clock back a year
(rebooting in 31536000 seconds)

 

i see a raise of router-attacks. they, unlike the main desktops don't auto update their security flaws. a win7 pc by now does for the ordinary user. the major thing that doesn't is flash, actually. ie does, chrome does. firefox cries but doesn't.

so suddenly all non-pc devices in a network start to get interesting. anything not autoupdating (that includes most smartphones currently, too)

 

but the router's attack surface is so limited, in general not worth the time for the hackers, at least not home routers.

 

it's bigger than you'd believe. and as routers get more and more standartized, less and less diversification will exist (oh man i'm crap at english today..)