Whether or not to install updates is a controversial one
I'm in a comfortable enough position now to review what the best course of action is. I am fairly sure in most cases it would be to do as I suggested and act in a most conservative way. Do not update, switch off "automatic updates" or at least have the setting.
"Notify me of any updates, and notify me again before installing"
Using the START, CONTROL PANEL, SYSTEM, AUTOMATIC UPDATES
mouse pointer.
I was mellowing to a position that Microsoft is a well run company, a caring professional company, that does a great job for it's customers... apart from Bill G. and some of it's employees paying themselves too much for selling a product that’s less then perfect. I liked how the knowledge articles dealt with patch Q811493 for example.
Then I had a most important email to send this morning, and an update mandated I should set up Microsoft Outlook as the default email system. I made a mistake in putting in the wrong pop.mailserver account details and that was me f**ked. No email access. Tried fixing it but I was already getting very mad at this most unnecessary screw up. Then I had a brainwave to reboot into Win 2k but that did the same. Somehow that got the update too. The cyber demons were attacking thick and fast this morning. A second attempt using XP after using a restore point had me
selecting Outlook Express before anything then stopping Microsoft Outlook from being the default browser and I had the problem immediately solved. I actually could send that important email!
The correct solution in my case is to have Win XP updating as suggested, and Win 2K not updating at all. That way I have a system that should work in a hurry at all times.
I am an engineer by trade, just not an MIS IT guy. Let me just review what happened last week, the correct solution stares out clearly to me. I had the following problems almost all at once, though some had been building up for a while.
(1) Dust had blocked up my processor heat sink to an extent where applications were freezing up because over overheating problems.
(2)Microsoft patch Q811493 made the problem much worse initially. It caused applications to fail almost immediately.
(3)There was also a Microsoft update Q817287, that when installed, killed all the previous restore points. Effectively wiping out the users Microsoft backup system. The XP "restore" facility is a replacement for the normal "backup" operation of normal operating systems. That was quite an unbelievable thing to dump on an unsuspecting user who does not always read the fine print.
(4) My printer had also broken down due to "unknown problems" of an unspecified nature.
Now, when it comes to trouble shooting any kind of problem, no matter what the engineering discipline; - computers, chemical, biological, civil, other electronic, avionics, marine, etc, changing more then ONE VARIABLE AT A TIME causes havoc in seeking a solution. I do have some experience in these matters.
So, especially for a "newbie", updating win XP is a big hazard imho. Advice from my boxmaker reinforces the point. If he does it... it's OK... fixes come free inside the warranty period. If you do it, expect to pay through the nose for any corrections necessary. |
