Microsoft offers critical updates on CD
Microsoft is offering their critical Windows updates on CD shipped to you for free. This includes the Microsoft critical updates through January 2004 for Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000 and XP. Also included is a second CD with free antivirus software and a free firewall. It is the Computer Associates EZ-Antivirus and firewall discussed elsewhere in this month's newsletter.
This is a great opportunity that NO ONE should bypass. I had a client's computer here which needed updating. I prepared the hard drive by running scandisk. If you are using Windows 2000 or XP then you'd run chkdsk instead.
I was then ready to update. They were missing at least 30 critical updates. I inserted the CD, told it to update, it determined the updates that were necessary, and began updating. Every once in a while it asked me to reboot and then continued. 20 minutes later, it was done. The computer was updated through January 2004. A few more from the web and I was finished. Very nice.
You may feel you don't need it because you keep up to date, but you may loose your hard drive and need to re-install, if so, it'll be nice to have most of the updates on CD.
A similar update is available for free for Microsoft Office XP and 2000. The link is here:
Find the "More about updates" section; click: "Order Office service packs on CD-ROM".