Explain about Microsoft Patches/Updates?
Yesterday, having read about yet another worm called Zotob, I went to Microsoft Support and downloaded their Updates and something called Windows XP Hotfix.
Today when I went back online I found everything had gone into slow motion due to the Updates being loaded. I only have a slow dial up, and this made it almost impossible to load a page, so after going back to read the latest about Zotob and finding out that it seemed to be only targeting Windows 2000 and older systems, I went to the control panell and removed the Updates and left the Hotfix. The effect was to bring me back to my original speed.
So-here's my question. What are the Microsoft Updates FOR? Do they automatically provide new patches, or do they simply give information about the latest viruses, worms, etc? Are the patches free, or do I need to pay for them?
Am I leaving myself vulnerable by not keeping this update feature on my computer? But if so, what can I do about the slowing up of my downloads?
I do have anti-virus software, and a firewall, but is that enough?
I'd appreciate you're explaining what I should be doing to make sure I'm as protected as I can be, but not brought to a standstill by updates!!
Thanks very much, Ellen
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