You know those pesky reminders that pop up on your monitor? They are always reminding you that your applications and drivers are out of date. It always seems like they rear their ugly reminders right when you’re in the middle of something important. Well, you should follow them and keep your computer up to date. And if you’re running really slow, like still cruising with Windows XP, then it might be time to upgrade to a newer operating system.
What are patches?
Contrary to what we believe, updates are not designed to ruin our lives. In fact, they’re designed to make our computers safer and keep hackers from exploiting vulnerable spots. They can fix the code that allows hackers to install damaging malware on our computers or delete important files. The things that you’ve been so busy working on that you think you don’t have time to update your software—those are at risk if you decide to ignore the reminder.
How long does it take?
The good thing about installing updates is that you just have to click a button, and if you set it up correctly, then you do not even have to do that. Whether you use a PC or Mac, you can set it up to automatically install updates.
With a Windows PC, you simply click on Start, then control panel. Go to Automatic Updates and turn it to Automatic. With a Mac, go into System Preferences and click on Software Update. At the bottom of the window, click on Download Important Updates Automatically.
Is it time to upgrade?
If your OS is so out of date that you constantly have to patch it, then you might consider upgrading it. Windows and Apple release a new OS every few years, and keeping it current will help you. By upgrading your machine’s OS, you make it compatible with the newest and most innovative programs. Don’t take us wrong and think we are suggesting being an earlier adopter by immediately upgrading to new OS once initially released, but keeping your OS up-to-date also means that you will be able to open files that you receive from other people without problems.
Should something bad happen to your computer, having an up-to-date OS will help the experts recover your files. Basically, keeping your systems current means that your files will be safer, which means that your life and work should be slightly less scary.
For more information on updating your Mac, check out this article from ZDNet.
