Many people are aware that security patches come out from Microsoft on a nearly daily basis. Most other good software has bug fixes and security patches and updates occasionally. Did you know that older versions of programs don't always update properly, sometimes it's just broken enough that the updater isn't working and then there are programs that have the update feature turned off. It's hard to stay on top of everything, with the kids needing to go here and there, and Bills, etc.
Along comes Secunia with a helpful *FREE* program that monitors third party (Non-Microsoft) programs and then patches them for you, "Automagically". It's called Secunia PSI, (Personal Software Inspector). The fact that it is free, thorough, and simple to use is AMAZING! You can let it do it's thing or you can use the integrated feature that allows you to download a specific update or patch to use on other systems in your house and get everyone up to date (or heck, why not install PSI on their systems?!?).
BR>They have a commercial product as well, which has extra features offering a wider array of platform/support options and customization.
My home PC, which has been running well for over a year, has many programs installed on it. Secunia PSI found that I had updated 90% of my software over the last year, but that Shockwave and flash and a few others that I use frequently had not been updated. Well I didn't have time to go find the updates, but I knew that secunia would find and update these programs for me, so I just left the system on overnight. The next morning, it showed me that it had patched all the end-of-life and insecure programs on my pc and I was now 100% up to date.
You can download this wonderful FREE program from download.com (sponsored by CNET) or go directly to secunia.com to get it 'fresh'...- All Rights Reserved. Feel free to print with this footer and share it personally with your friends. Commercial reprint available, with permission.