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DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A
December
18, 2005 |
Q. If I have all my security programs set to
automatically update, do I need to manually check
for updates?
A.
Even though you have all your security applications
set to update automatically, you may not be getting
all the available updates. As a general rule,
updates that require your computer to be restarted
will not be automatically downloaded and installed.
These types of updates are much less frequent but do
occur periodically. Therefore, it is a good idea to
manually check for updates to Windows and your
security programs occasionally to assure that you
have all the latest updates that are available.
While on the subject of updates, Microsoft has
recently changed their "Windows Update" to
"Microsoft Update" and it now includes updates to
all Microsoft products installed on your computer.
When you click on Start, then All Programs, if you
see "Windows Update", but don't see "Microsoft
Update" listed, then you have not set your updates
to include all Microsoft products. (If your Start
Menu is set to the 'Classic' style, this will be
listed directly in the top section of the Start menu
when you click on Start). Here's how to set it up.
Click on Windows Update which will open Internet
explorer, and go to the Windows update site. (Note:
Microsoft updates can ONLY be done using Internet
Explorer. If you have another browser set as your
default, Windows Update will still open and use
Internet explorer).
On the right side of the screen, you will see this:
[I] News
Upgrade to Microsoft Update.
Automatically Receive updates for
Windows, Office, and more.
Click on
this and the update will start. It will probably
take you through a Windows authentication
procedures, but eventually get you back to the
update page. Once there, click on the "Custom"
button. Your computer will be checked to see if
there are any updates available. This can take
several minutes.
All
available updates will be listed on the left
of the screen. These include High Priority,
Software-Optional, and Hardware-optional. These
updates will be for any and all Microsoft programs
you have installed. You can select which ones to
update. I usually update all available.
If you are
using a dial-up connection, (I truly do feel for
you) this process can take a very long time, but is
well worth the time spent.
Other
programs like an anti-virus program needs to be
manually checked for updates as well. Not all of
them are installed automatically.
Q. I have a new computer, and on my old one, I used
AOL instant messenger. Now I have this little man on
bottom of my screen right hand side. When I click
him, Windows Messenger comes up. When I try to add
buddy names, I get all kinds of instructions I don’t
under stand. Why can't I find my AOL instant
messenger I used before?
A.
The reason you cannot find AOL Instant Messenger
(AIM) is that it is not installed by default, you
have to download it and install it yourself. Go to
www.aim.com, and download it. Once you do that,
you can use the same name that you used before with
AIM on your old computer. If you do use the same
username and password as before, your buddy list
should automatically update to what it was before.
WARNING!!! During the installation of AIM, you will
be asked it you want to install other products like
Google Task Bar. Be sure to uncheck any of these
that you don't want. The AIM Browser will also be
installed by default, and the only way to get rid of
this, assuming you don't want it, is to go to the
Control Panel, click add 0r remove programs, and
remove it manually.
The Instant
Messenger that
is installed by default with Windows is Windows
Messenger, which is Microsoft's instant messenger.
It will definitely try to take over, and that is
what keeps coming up when you click that “little
man” that is getting you so aggravated. (Been there,
done that. Got aggravated that is). If you do not
plan on using Windows Messenger, you can remove it
from your computer if you have Service Pack 2
installed and get it out of the way.
To see if SP2 is installed, right click on My
Computer, then select Properties. If My Computer is
not on your desktop, click Start, and it will be
there. Click on the General tab, and it will tell
you if service pack 2 is installed. If SP2 is not
installed, you cannot delete Windows Messenger.
(BTW, you should install SP2. It is a free from
Microsoft, and contains many security updates).
If SP2 is installed, and you want to get rid of
Windows Messenger, click Start, then open the
Control Panel, and click on "Add or Remove
programs". On the left side of the screen, click on
"Add/Remove Windows Components". When the window
opens, scroll to the bottom where you will see
Windows Messenger. Uncheck the box in front of it,
and click Next. This will uninstall Windows
Messenger, and it will no longer bother you. Should
you ever want to reinstall it, just repeat this
procedure, only this time check the box.
You do not have to remove Windows Messenger in order
to use AIM. They can co-exist. However, if you have
no plans to use it, I recommend removing it just to
get rid of the aggravation it can cause. It is easy
to reinstall should you ever want to use it.
