[ale] [OT and sorry] - M$ patches and security advice?

[BruceG]

On Thursday 11 September 2003 10:18, J.M. Taylor wrote:
> I don't actually use Windows, nor have I for...4 years now? (wow, it's
> like an AA meeting...)
>
> But I've been asked to give a security talk to our 62+ computer class
> (basically, how to use a computer for anyone over 62 years old) and of
> course they learn Windows.  So since there's lots of multi platform people
> on ALE -- where do you go to get Windows patches?  Is there anyplace
> *other* than the apparently overloaded microsoft site to obtain them?  Is
> it an automagic patchy thing where they <shudder> scan your machine over
> the web to determine what you need and then deliver it?
>
> Anybody have any Windows-specific advice to give me to pass on to these
> folks?  I need to keep it relatively simple, but I want to make sure they
> have resources they need.  My security talks don't focus on technology per
> se, but are more an overview of how to be paranoid.  But I do want to give
> them some Windows specific stuff that they can follow up on.
>
> Many thanks, and I apologize for asking MS questions here...I just am
> totally, utterly clueless when it comes to Windows.  Ignorance is bliss,
> as they say.
>
> jenn

Hey Jenn,

   No Windows for 4 years? That's a GOOD thing! Anyway, MS patches are a 
semi-automagic thing. You click on Internet Explorer, then on Tools, then on 
Windows Update. This gets you to Microsoft's update webpage. If you do not 
have MS Updater on your PC, it will get downloaded and installed. Once the 
application is installed and you are at the MS site, you can click on Scan. 
It will scan your computer and give you a list of patches for your computer.

   Patches are broken out into 3 sections: Critical, Windows, Drivers. 
(forgive me if I get a name wrong, I'm on my SuSE PC right now - but 
dutifully applied patches to my Win2K laptop this morning). 

   You select the patches you want to install, then they are downloaded and 
installed. Some critical patches require a reboot - so you download and 
install then individually, then go back to Windows update and apply the rest.

   If you don't get better info, I'll sit at my wife's WinXP laptop, my Win2K 
laptop and WinME dual-boot desktop to see if there are any major differences. 
I think they all operate pretty much the same.