Microsoft will release ten updates for Windows and Microsoft Office tonight, following its usual monthly schedule. Leave your computer on and expect it to restart overnight.
In addition, Adobe will release updates on Tuesday, the first quarterly security updates for Adobe Reader and Acrobat. Those won’t be automatically installed. If you’re not prompted to install them on Wednesday from an Acrobat icon in the lower right corner, then open Adobe Reader or Acrobat and click on Help / Check for Updates.
Most of my clients are up to date but if you’re not sure, then check on Wednesday to see if you’ve gotten the latest Windows updates and service packs.
- Windows XP: visit Microsoft Update and click on “Custom”
- Vista: open Windows Update from the Start menu and click on “Check for updates”
Don’t forget some of the updates will take a while to download and install. These recent releases are all worthwhile but time-consuming:
- Internet Explorer 8
- Vista Service Pack 2
- Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 2
- .NET Framework 3.5 SP1
Be prepared to start any or all of those and walk away from your computer for a while.
Note to my SBS clients: I’ll be installing updates and restarting your servers in the next few nights. Save your work in progress and log off when you leave for the day. (You do that anyway, right?)
