How healthy is your PC?

It’s all too easy to fall into a routine of firing up your PC to start work without a thought for the computer’s health. We know, because we are ourselves sometimes guilty of this.

However, although keeping a PC up to date with whatever software updates Microsoft and other companies regularly release can be a chore, there are good reasons for making a habit of it.

Software companies routinely fix minor flaws and add new features to their programs, so opting not to install an update can mean missing out on getting something for nothing.

More importantly, software developers are locked in a constant battle against people who want nothing more than to find an overlooked security hole in their products – and serious ones can grant criminals unauthorised access to your PC.

The problem is that keeping on top of what seems like a constant stream of updates can feel like a full-time job: it’s often easier to click Cancel when faced with yet another download prompt. But keeping a PC secure and healthy needn’t take long – and we’re going to show you how to make it as painless as possible.

Checking Windows’ health
Like any complex piece of software, Windows has more than its fair share of undiscovered bugs. Although many do nothing more than make it work in unexpected (and unintended) ways, others leave the operating system vulnerable to exploitation by hackers.

Microsoft pays close attention to any bugs that present such a security ‘vulnerability’ and ranks them according to severity. A bug classified as ‘critical’, for example, is one that poses an immediate threat and can be exploited without the user’s knowledge.

A threat of ‘low’ severity, on the other hand, means that while a problem exists, it is not serious or is unlikely to ever materialise. So, whenever a potential security threat is discovered, two things happen. First, Microsoft issues a security bulletin; and second, it issues a downloadable update, or ‘patch’, to fix it.

Diligent Windows users can browse Microsoft’s security bulletins online and even sign up to a notification service that sends an alert to warn of new security threats. Most people, however, aren’t interested in such information when Windows is able to patch itself.

Let Windows fix itself
This is where Windows Update comes. Part of the operating system since Windows XP, it is designed to automatically download and apply any and all fixes issued by Microsoft.

Windows Update can be set up to work in different ways and though you may have heard of, or even share in, the complaints about its intrusive or annoying behaviour, these typically arise from it being configured in a way that doesn’t suit the user. Fortunately, this is easily fixed. In all versions of Windows, Windows Update is accessed by clicking Start menu followed by All Programs then Windows Update.

Doing this in Windows XP launches the Windows Update website, so internet access is required to make changes to the way it works. In Windows Vista and Windows 7, clicking Windows Update opens a dialogue box where changes can be made even when a PC is offline.

Across all versions of Windows, though, there are four Windows Update options that control the way it works. To see them in Windows XP, start Windows Update and, when the website opens, click the ‘Pick a time to install updates’ link on the right.

If this link isn’t displayed then Windows’ Automatic Updates feature is disabled: fix this by clicking the Turn on Automatic Updates button then click the aforesaid link. Now click the More Options button in the dialogue box that appears.

In Windows Vista and Windows 7, click the Change settings link at the left of the Windows Update dialogue box.

The Automatic Updates dialogue box offers four options (accessed via a dropdown menu in Windows Vista and Windows 7). The first of these is ‘Install updates automatically’ (or just ‘Automatic’ in Windows XP): when this is the chosen option, Windows Update detects when a PC is online and automatically downloads any outstanding Windows updates, without disturbing you.

Updates are then installed according to a schedule chosen by you – the default is every day at 3.00am but obviously, this happens only if the PC is switched on at that time.

A better option is to select a period during the day when the PC is on but unlikely to be used, such as lunchtime. It is also possible to choose to install updates on a specific day each week rather than every day.

However, while this will reduce the number of Windows Update interruptions, it means that the PC could be at risk from a serious Windows security problem for up to six days. It’s a trade-off between performance and security, but we wouldn’t worry too much about deciding on a weekly schedule.