Windows Update Time

Just a quick reminder that today is Microsoft “Patch Tuesday” and you know what that means. Head on over to your Start menu and fire up the Windows Update utility. I was greeted with seven updates for Windows 7, three for Office 2010 and one for Silverlight (see below). If you are running Windows XP then you will probably see something similar. As always, wait till the end of the day after you are done working to apply any updates. Happy updating…!

-- Leo

Happy New Year From Windows Update!

Happy New Year everyone!

Today is “Patch Tuesday” at Microsoft and it looks to be a fairly light one.  I had five updates for Windows 7 and one update for Office 2010. Your number of updates may vary depending on the version of Windows and Office you are running.

As always perform your updates after you are done with any important work for the day in case there are any issues. Have a great new year.

-- Leo

Patch Tuesday – Dec 2011

Hello All…

It’s patch Tuesday again. Get all the latest Microsoft updates and keep yourself safe from the bad guys! I had 15 new updates today: 7 for Windows 7 and 8 for Office 2010. Your mileage will vary depending on the version of Windows and Office you are running.

And remember updates are important but wait till the end of the day when you have finished your work before you start. Updates only go wrong when you have a looming deadline!

Happy updating…

-- Leo

Mac OS X Lion is Here

Hello All,

I just wanted to let you know that Apple has released the newest version of their OS X operating system, Lion. This release is different than other operating system upgrades. You don’t go to a store and buy a disc like pervious versions of OS X or Microsoft Windows. You need to purchase the upgrade via the Mac App Store.

I am in the process of downloading and installing now. I’ll give you more details soon on my experience after I have Lion is installed and running. Until then here are a few tips on upgrading.

Upgrade Guidelines

• #1 RULE BEFORE UPGRADING – BACKUP YOUR COMPUTER! This can never be emphasized enough.  As with all operating system updates/upgrades/installs you should ensure that you have a full backup of your computer before attempting them. Most of the time upgrades go well but you never know what can go wrong - so play it safe.
• Ensure you meet the requirements. Most of the time a new operating system will have greater hardware requirements than the pervious version. Check if your computer meets those requirements otherwise you may be in a worse position than you started.
• Always build in time for resolving issues after an upgrade. Never expect to be up and running perfectly after upgrading. Upgrades are a lot less stressful if you are not under time pressure.
• Never upgrade an operating system or application if you are in the middle of working on something important. Upgrades can wait until you complete that important project that is due tomorrow.

Keep these simple steps in mind and you will go a long way in having a successful upgrade.

-- Leo

Patch Tuesday - June 2011

Microsoft released patches to Windows and Office today. I had 18 total patches but your mileage may vary depending on the programs you have installed. Total time to run the update and reboot was about 25 minutes.

Get started by finding the “Windows Update” program in your Start menu.

A gentle reminder…

Never perform an update if you have something extremely important to get done on your computer. It’s not very often but updates can cause problems with your computer. There is nothing more aggravating than having an update break something and you’re not able to perform some important task, like send out an email that needed to go out an hour ago. Just wait till after you finish working on your computer for the day before running an update.

-- Leo