…to get the appropriate Windows updates?
I’m on WindowsXP, and using NOD32 antivirus as my primary protective device. Periodically, when I start up, the program will pup up and tell me that the Operating System is not up to date. The following text appears:
When I click on the word “here” it provides a list of items that it says need updating, and also a link to here which in turn opens up Internet Explorer and launches access to the Windows update site.
When I click on that url from my firefox browser, it tells me that I can only get those updates through an IE browser. It’s apparent that the people at ESET feel that the updates are important. But I feel that it’s important that I not use Internet Explorer.
Is there any way to obtain the necessary updates to my operating system that allows me to avoid having an IE browser window open (even for a short time)?
Assuming NOD32 only shows you actual Windows updates and doesn’t mix in updates for other things, you can just bypass it altogether and use the control panel.
I haven’t used XP in like 5 years (seriously, people!) but IIRC, it’s just in the root level of the Control Panel folder named “Windows Update.” Open that up, click “Check for updates” on the left-hand side, and it’ll do them all for you.
You can also set it to just automatically download and install updates at 3:00 AM, if you leave your computer on overnight, and not worry about it again.
Yes windows automatic updates will download on their own if the service is enabled and has permission to access any firewalls. The windows updates site uses activeX which some other browsers do not support due to security issues.
That said, using IE to get to windows update is safe. Launch IE with a good no ad home page like google and then search for windows updates, click on the link to the MS updates page, download the needed updates, move on with your life. There is not going to be any threats on those pages. Having the latest updates is important when running ANY browser, so avoiding IE to pull updates because you are scared of threats via IE is kinda like burning the roof to stay warm, you avoid the immediate problem while alllowing other bugs/vulnerabilities/undocumented features to go unaddressed.