By Now, everyone should be aware of
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
In case you are not, this will inspect your Windows installation and recommend patches and updates for download. Many of these are critical and should be downloaded to prevent your system from being hacked.
However, this service only addresses Windows system-related files.
If you are a user of any Microsoft Office product, there is a similar service located at:
http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates/mainCatalog.aspx
I know this works for Office 2000 and XP applications. Not sure if it will work on older versions. Please be aware that you will typically be required to insert your MS Office installation CD when installing these updates.
Many of the updates from either service can be quite large. If you are using dial-up, you may want to start the download before you go to bed and just let it run overnight.
Finally, other software vendors may or may not offer their own on-line update services. For example, Symantec has LiveUpdate which will install updates for most of their applications that are installed on your PC (some require a paid subscription service).
P.S. If you are a RedHat Linux user, you can use the "up2date" command to keep your system updated. This requires an initial registration with the RedHat website. Free subscriptions are available, but they currently require that you respond to an on-line survey every few weeks. Type "man up2date" on your RH box for more info or visit https://rhn.redhat.com/.
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
In case you are not, this will inspect your Windows installation and recommend patches and updates for download. Many of these are critical and should be downloaded to prevent your system from being hacked.
However, this service only addresses Windows system-related files.
If you are a user of any Microsoft Office product, there is a similar service located at:
http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates/mainCatalog.aspx
I know this works for Office 2000 and XP applications. Not sure if it will work on older versions. Please be aware that you will typically be required to insert your MS Office installation CD when installing these updates.
Many of the updates from either service can be quite large. If you are using dial-up, you may want to start the download before you go to bed and just let it run overnight.
Finally, other software vendors may or may not offer their own on-line update services. For example, Symantec has LiveUpdate which will install updates for most of their applications that are installed on your PC (some require a paid subscription service).
P.S. If you are a RedHat Linux user, you can use the "up2date" command to keep your system updated. This requires an initial registration with the RedHat website. Free subscriptions are available, but they currently require that you respond to an on-line survey every few weeks. Type "man up2date" on your RH box for more info or visit https://rhn.redhat.com/.