One of the most important maintenance activities for the PC that needs to be done on a computer is to keep it up to date. Not only is it important to install the patch and updates for the operating system, but it is also important to use the latest version of the installed programs. With rare exceptions, the programs on a Windows PC must always be updated both for security reasons and to take advantage of improvements and new functions. Only in some cases it may happen that the latest version is worse than the previous one, perhaps with paid features, which were previously free (In these cases you can always uninstall everything and download the old version of the program). So keeping your PC up to date will reduce the risk of infections, allow you to always have the latest versions and the latest updates with new features and could also solve that problem that we had encountered with an old version.
READ ALSO: Download patches and update Windows and Office manually
1) Windows 10 updates
On Windows 10 updates are automatic, just be connected to a WiFi network or via a network cable to your home modem and wait for the system to do the rest. To check for new updates manually, just open the Start menu at the bottom left and type Updates, so we can open the Check for updates menu, where we will have to click on the button of the same name.
Immediately the system will look for new updates and install them, it will be up to us to decide when to restart to make the changes effective (however Windows 10 will warn in case it is necessary to restart). On this operating system it is almost impossible to block updates, so you might as well let them do so as to have a PC immune to all the vulnerabilities that can be found.
2) Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 updates
On previous versions of the Microsoft operating system (Windows 8.1 and Windows 7) we can search for new updates manually, in case we had set Windows Update in deactivated mode or only notification (settings widely used by users to avoid nuisances, but which exposes PCs to viruses and hackers).
We open the Start menu and look for the Control Panel menu -> System and Security -> Windows Update, so that we can search for system updates which can then be installed automatically. Click on the Check for Updates button to start updating our version of Windows.
At the end we restart as soon as we can in order to make the changes effective. This procedure is also valid for PCs with Windows 10, since the old Control Panel is also available on this version, just find it in the Start menu.
3) Update the PC programs
Many of the programs that remain running on the computer, such as Flash Player, the Chrome or Firefox browser, update automatically while others report the release of a new version when they are run (for example VLC and Ccleaner). Some Microsoft programs (like Office) update automatically or as system updates, so we won't have to worry too much. Other software, on the other hand, do not give any notice of new versions, therefore, if no one thinks about checking, one remains with the old one forever.
In order to update the installed programs we can use a free tool such as SUMO that allows you to scan the programs installed on the Windows PC, indicating if there are new versions .
The thing that surprised me and that makes this tool an excellent tool is that it manages both downloads and installations and allows you to make updates quickly, without ever opening the browser. After the scan, a list of programs that are already installed on your computer, of which a new version exists, appears. For the most part you can press the Download button next to the program name to download the current version. When the downloads are finished, the Install button appears next to the name of the application to be updated, which allows you to start the installation procedure. If there are several programs to update, you can press Download on all at once and then install them all together (however be careful not to get confused with the installation procedures that will open simultaneously creating confusion).
Another very valid program to update the programs present with a few clicks is FileHippo.com Update Checker, based on the famous distribution site and downloadable here -> FileHippo.com Update Checker .
The program reports all the free programs that are present on the PC, showing the most recent version that can be downloaded via the website. Just click on the green arrow next to each program to download the installers and proceed with the updates.
Another program to try for updates is Avira Software Updater, available for download from here -> Avira Software Updater .
Just download it to immediately scan all the programs and get the latest versions. With the free version it is not possible to download updates automatically, but it is still a good way to get updated versions of the main free programs used on the PC.
Certainly there are many programs similar to those reported, we can find them all in ours with tools to automatically update programs and software installed on your computer .
