Today some of the most common computer problems come from old out of date drivers as well as programs offering to update your drivers for free. The “For free” should be a good indicator to avoid these programs. Device drivers are what enables hardware and some software to communicate with the operating system. If a driver is removed or replaced with the wrong driver terrible things can happen to the computer. Windows 7 and windows 8 are considered “perfected operating systems” Current updates will seldom affect these operating systems. Windows 10 is another story all together. With every day it seems a new update is installed. Updates can affect your system in a negative way if you have certain programs installed.
All windows systems offer a function called “system restore”. Let’s say that you are about to install a new program that you found online. You can go into your system restore program and set a restore point before you install the new download. If the new download were to cause a problem, you can go to system restore and set your computer back to before you had the problem. This works sometimes, but not always. The last thing you want to do is turn off your updates. When Microsoft finds a breach in windows they will release a patch using an update. If you don’t have that patch, chances are you are going to have a problem. Do not rely on any anti-virus program to keep you safe. I do this for a living and I have seen every possible anti-virus fail to protect computer systems.
So what can the average user do to stay out of trouble? My next post will cover a combination of steps that will help keep your computer safe. Nothing is fool proof! Come on, they hacked the pentagon! They hacked the CIA! Your little over the counter anti-virus program is only there to keep the light weights out. Please feel free to contact me larry@computerdoctorboise.com with any question you may have. Advice is free, downloading a bad driver or malware is costly.