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Thread ID: 31754	2003-03-30 21:59:00	Utilities	dotparsons (1117)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
132282	2003-03-30 21:59:00	Has anyone had any problems with the utilities on the PC World disk. I run 2000prof. & McAfee and have used among others, Zone Alarm etc. However a few weeks ago my computer and I.E, Outlook Express started freezing and having mem. problems. My H/D has been re-formatted and 2000 re-installed. My computer shop told me these add-ons frequently cause problems. Also the security patches and upgrades for I.E 06. I would like to use them but am now a bit reluctant. Any comments Dot	dotparsons (1117)
132283	2003-03-30 22:09:00	A lot of the upgrades and patches can cause problems it pays to have a image back up or Goback sytem restore working so that you can reverrt back in time	kiwibeat (304)
132284	2003-03-30 22:43:00	Installing well known utilities (tend to be more well written) generally should not cause problems. However, what works in one PC may cause problems in another. If you tend to install and try many different programs, you may find your start up list getting a bit bogged down which can slow your PC. Being more selective in what you install and then monitoring what programs are allowed to run in the background will help. Official Microsoft Windows patches should be applied as they should keep your system in top health. Upgrades such as IE 5.5 to IE6 depends on your needs, but upgrading often offers better security and more features. Jen	Jen C (20)
132285	2003-03-31 00:01:00	> Official Microsoft Windows patches should be applied > as they should keep your system in top health. > Upgrades such as IE 5.5 to IE6 depends on your > needs, but upgrading often offers better security > and more features. Also some updates from MS are buggy & they some times have they own problems... ;)	stu140103 (137)
132286	2003-03-31 00:40:00	> Also some updates from MS are buggy & they some times > have they own problems... ;) True, there have been some issues with updates. I think the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to critical updates. You shouldn't download every general (non-critical) update that is listed unless your PC is experiencing the problem that is described in the fix or you want to add that feature to your system (eg language packs). Upgrades are different - users choice whether they want the improved program/function.	Jen C (20)
132287	2003-03-31 01:16:00	Thanks to those that replied. I am still in doubt and will go slowly. I will leave IE where it is at meantime. Thanks again. Dot	dotparsons (1117)
132288	2003-03-31 04:46:00	IBM had upgrade/bug fix policies which they developed with experience of the OS for the System 360 computers of the 60s and 70s. Roughly: They put out a bugfix package each time there were 1000 problems to fix. ;-) More was unmanageable; fewer caused more bugs by installing fixes than they solved. The strict rule was: "Never install a fix for a problem if you don't have the problem on that machine." Still sounmds reasonable to me. B-) More computer history: The development of that OS prompted a very good book "The Mythical Man-Month", by Fred Brooks. He was in charge of the software. That's where some of the "wisdom" comes from. Things like: "Adding more people to a late project makes it later". Brilliant book.	Graham L (2)
132289	2003-03-31 07:32:00	Good advice. I have exported the registry just in case. Dot	dotparsons (1117)
132290	2003-03-31 10:36:00	IE and Outlook are notoriously buggy,and MS has integrated them deeply into the OS, where a fault is much more critical, and because they are "popular" attract all sorts of hacker attention . Why don't you install Mozilla or Opera as a backup browser . Just as an aside if these browsers do get a vulnerability there is usually a new version put out very quickly rather than a patch, and because they are small it doesn't take too long to download them and upgrade . Anyrate this would give you some leeway before installing the latest "fix" for IE or Outlook,to see if it was up to scratch . Personally I have long ago ditched them both .	Rod ger (316)
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