Update your Operating System
Why are updates important?
When a computer is connected to the Internet, computer-hackers look for "holes" in a computer's operating system (e.g. Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X). These holes, or vulnerabilities, allow them to spread viruses and worms on the Internet, many of which are destructive not only to your computer, but to other computers.
Software publishers, such as Microsoft, produce updates, or "patches", to their operating system software in order to plug the holes as they become aware of them. If you haven't installed these patches, then your computer is vulnerable to exploitation.
How do I Update my computer's Operating System?
Macintosh Users:
Click on the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen and select the Software Update item
Select any updates with "Mac OS" or "Security" in their names and click "Install"
Enter the administrator password you selected when you set up the computer
Windows Users:
Manually:
You can go to the Windows Update website, where Microsoft will automatically examine your computer's installation of Windows and provide a custom list of updates for your computer to download & install. (Make sure you install all critical patches.)
Automatically:
As an alternative, you might find it easier to configure your Windows software to automatically check for and install the updates for you.
How to Enable Automatic Updates -- Windows XP:
How to Enable Automatic Updates -- Windows Vista:
How to Enable Automatic Updates -- Windows 7: