I just bought a brand new computer so everything must be up-to date…right? The answer in a word is-No!

Each computer manufacturer builds a computer using a series of components known as hardware and software that either they manufacture or purchase from a third party. It is the computer manufacturer's responsibility to make sure every component functions correctly when working together as a group within the computer. As a result, they select all the computer parts, test their compatibility, and then "lock down" the build series. One of the difficulties with this process is that software is always evolving. As a result of this evolution, the third party software manufacturer will create a series of software "patches" that typically fix bugs (incompatibilities), security issues or minor improvements after the build "lock down." Over several months quite a few "patches" are created to update their software. As example, Microsoft's Windows 7 is up to its second service pack that contains many patches. The computer manufacturer build "lock down" will not include all these changes since it would require retesting the entire machine each time a patch is issued.

Do not despair. Microsoft has made it easy to keep their operating system software up-to-dater.

Remember, the most important piece of software to keep up-to-date is your Security/Virus Definition software. This should be done once a week through a yearly subscription with your AntiVirus software vendor.