Operating System

Its fairly easy to neglect keeping the Operating System (OS) up to date. Microsoft Windows does make it easier and it reminds you to automate it but still some users neglect to make sure it takes place. This is true for Linux users also and very probably other systems too. The crucial point with Operating Systems is that they are hugely complex and there are many opportunities for hackers to find a "loose end" in them. This gives them a chance to make something happen that was not intended by the software author and designer. These opportunities to create mayhem are called vulnerabilities.

The purpose of keeping up to date is two fold. Firstly it lets the creators of the OS send you the latest modifications to products or features. Secondly, and more importantly, it allows those software authors to make good the vulnerabilities they accidentally left in the OS code in the first place. It cannot be stressed enough that these vulnerabilities can expose your systems and the data therein to unauthorised access and damage. On that basis it is highly recommended that you keep up to date.

Microsoft Windows systems since XP Service Pack 2 can be configured to download updates automatically. These can then be applied at say system close down time. The same for Linux systems; these too can be configured to get updates and apply them.

Applications

The advice above is true for application software too. Bugs and problems in the version you are using may well be rectified by new versions. Certainly new features will be present that will help your business. An example might be VAT changes in "the budget" need to be implemented in the accounts package that you have and these changes are in the next version. This may be sent to you as apatch to apply or it may be sent as a gernal installation of a new version. Whichever method is used it needs to be applied to your system.

Also the same vulnerabilities that apply to OS software above are sometimes found in applications. As such there can be security releases of application products that will avoid hackers taking control of a product you are using or worse taking control of your PC. 

Drivers

This is a contentious one in our experience. A driver is a piece of software that interfaces a hardware element to the operating system. An example: If you ran a graphics design company you would have need for a high resolution high performance graphics card to run your computer screen. This would give you the level of detail needed, the performance needed and colour ranges to produce high quality work. This card fits inside your PC and with it comes a driver that makes sure the computer can take advantage of all the features that the card can support. This driver is installed when the card is first inserted into the PC. From time to time new drivers are produced by the manufacturer that correct errors or refine algorithms thus making things run faster or they introduce new features. This has a benefit of course but equally the adage of "don't fix it if it isn't broken" comes to mind. There is an element of risk. Its entirely a matter for the owner of the PC as to what should be done. The advice here, though, is to upgrade but to take a restore point (or equivalent)  before hand so you can roll back the change if you need to do so.

BIOS

The BIOS is the Basic Input Output System. It controls the start up of the PC and is configurable to make changes to the system such as disc units, CPU speed, memory speed etc. There are very few reasons to enter the BIOS and make changes and only persons who know what they are doing should attempt it as it can leave your systems unbootable!

As with most things updates to the BIOS are made from time to time. Again they usually fix problems but can also bring new functionality. The BIOS is in fact a piece of software which is placed on a chip so updates come from the suppliers Internet site and have to be installed into your BIOS. The process varies a little from PC type to type but essentially you create a bootable floppy disc and place the new BIOS on that floppy and then boot from that floppy. This either installs the new BIOS or you have to type in the filename of the updated BIOS and that will then install it. As always there is a element of risk in this. If you got a power cut part way through the update then your PC would be rendered useless unless it had a backup BIOS. This could lead to an expensive recovery process.

The advice here is unless you have problems that need to be fixed with a new version leave well alone. Having said that the vast majority of BIOS installs go very well.

The Registry

What is it?

Registry problems go back many years and whilst things have improved greatly and become more reliable its fair to say problems still happen. Its not just Microsoft that use the registry by the way. If you have an e-mail client that gets your email from your ISP then the odds are that it uses the registry to save a default user, password and mailbox address in it. This would enable it to go and get mail on start-up without having to ask you to enter any details. Software written by anyone can use the registry and therein lies a source of some of the problems often found. Equally you accountancy package in all probability uses the registry to remember things between sessions.

Another example use of the registry is the Microsoft installer which is used for most software installations. As an example it places details of your new software product, licence details, user names etc in the registry as well as key parameters about how you have configured your product. Things such as language, where key files need to run are located, any automatic values you have set such as connections to the Internet for updates etc are all stored there. It builds records for all installed software and keeps key and critical data about the products there. Later when you run the product it builds and keeps a list of the files you have recently opened. You often see this last feature in the "File" drop down menu of a product where it allows you to open files by name or gives you a list of those you worked with recently. There are many many uses of the registry and some of these affect the deepest operation of Windows XP, Vista etc.

How can I keep it in good order?

So keeping the registry in good order is essential. On a PC that is 12 months old and has never had a register cleaner used on it before then its not surprising to see 200 or more problems found on the first scan; depends on business of the PC of course but 200 is not an over estimate for even a moderately quiet PC. How can they get fixed you might ask. There are several products available to scan and to clean registries. No recommendations on which one to use here but to get a scan free of charge then search the internet for a product and if you really hate the numbers of errors found then buy the product to cleanse your system. Certainly for under $50.00 you will find a product. Whilst we have no metrics on cleansers we have found that systems often run better and more smoothly after a scan and cleanse. If your research find some products and you have difficulty choosing which one might be best for you then we can of course help. We can also install it and do the first run for you to help you through the decisions you have to make during that process.