-- Leo

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

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

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

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

Adobe released a security update for their Flash player yesterday (5/11/2011). Even if you don’t know what Flash is you probably have it installed on your computer. Flash is one of the most common ways to deliver audio and video over the Internet. If you have watched videos on YouTube you are probably using Flash to view them.

So what is the big deal? Why should you care if Flash has been updated? Here is why: Flash is also one of the most common ways that “bad guys” use to deliver malware (virus, spyware and other nastiness) to your computer. The wonderful folks that bring you malware are constantly looking for security flaws in programs like Flash, Adobe Reader and Java as a way to get malware installed on your system. Keeping these programs and your operating system updated is one of the best ways to avoid malware. Not patching your software is akin to knowing you don’t have a lock on your backdoor in a high crime neighborhood and then doing nothing about it. Then it’s only a matter of time before “bad guy” slips in that backdoor and wreaks havoc.

1. “If you didn’t go looking for it, don’t install it!”

Another month has come and gone which means Microsoft has presents for you. Make sure you run the Windows Update utility to get all the update goodness!

Talk to you soon...

-- Leo

Just a reminder that yesterday, Feb 8th, was Microsoft Patch Tuesday. For those of you not in the know, the second Tuesday of each month is when Microsoft release security fixes for Windows and Office. Make sure your computer is up-to-date by running the Windows Update utility. You’ll find it in your start menu in the “Programs” section.

-- Leo