Malware Prevention Tip #2

July 25th, 2005

Operating System Updates:

OK…you’ve made sure you have antivirus software installed and you have made sure your virus signature’s are up to date by making sure your properly subscribed to these updates from your software provider.

Next you need to make sure your operating system is up to date. I’m writing these posts for PC users as Apple computers are much less vulnerable to these threats. So, I’m assuming your operating system is Windows XP Home or Pro. but much of this holds true for Windows 2000 users as well. Not sure what operating system you have? Highlight the My Computer icon anywhere in your system and right click and view the properties.

You may already have Windows Update on your PC. Click on the Start button, then All Programs, then look on the top of the program list for Windows Update or go to your control panel and click on the Windows Update icon. This will open the Windows Update web page and will imediately begin scanning your system to see what updates are needed. Follow the onscreen instructions to download and install all critical and security related updates. You can install other updates if you wish but make sure you install the critical and security updates as they plug the holes that hackers and malware writers take advantage of.

Windows XP Service Pack 2

If you do have Windows XP Service Pack 2 then you should turn on the new automatic updates feature that comes with the service pack. This will ensure that your PC will download and install updates for you and you don’t need to worry about keeping up with updates. Windows will do it for you.

If you do not have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed then you will need to install it separately. But be careful the service pack takes some time to install and you should not use your computer while it is updating as this may cause the service pack to be incorrectly installed and cause problems with your computer. Additionally, if you only have a dial up internet connection this update can take up to an hour to download. You must not interrupt the download process mid stream or you will experience problems.

If you are unsure of any of these procedures then contact BTC Consulting and we’ll help you.

That’s it your operating system is now up to date.

Entry Filed under: Client Tips, Malware