Which updates are safe to install – and which aren’t

Updated April 2016:

Computer users are prompted to install updates from programs such as Adobe Reader, Flash Player or Java. With many fake programs that try to convince people to download official-looking updates, it’s often hard to know what is safe to accept and install.

If you DO NOT have your internet browser open (Internet Explorer, Chrome, etc.) and you receive a prompt in the notification area just to the left of the clock on your computer’s taskbar that a program needs your permission to update, it is generally safe to do so. However, if you are being prompted to download or install something while you’re viewing a web site while your internet browser is open, it’s most likely a gimmick to get you to install adware or malware.

Consider signing up for our Computer Maintenance Plan to take away the worry of knowing which updates to install or not, and keep your computer up-to-date and maintained.

If you’d rather do updates on your own and want to check to be sure if an update is legitimate or not, below I have provided direct website links to the most common browser add-ons that that you are likely to need and are updated frequently. Read the installation prompts and check-boxes carefully and uncheck any extra programs or toolbars that you may be prompted to install.

• Adobe Flash Player– Used by websites such as Youtube.com and CNN.com to display videos. Official updates are usually presented as a pop-up box in the upper-left corner of your screen when you first start your computer.

• Adobe Acrobat Reader – Used by many websites to view and print official documents and manuals that have a file extension of .PDF. Official updates are usually presented by a notification icon on your taskbar to the left of the clock.

• Java – Used by most websites to allow programs to run on a website. Online games, dynamic maps, and customizable home pages using drag-and-drop and just a few examples of websites that use Java and/or Javascript. Official updates are usually presented by a notification icon on your taskbar to the left of the clock and sometimes along with a blinking notification about “jucheck.exe”.

• QuickTime – In April 2016 Apple advised that QuickTime will no longer be supported and contained security vulnerabilities. Therefore, QuickTime should be uninstalled. It was used by some websites to display video and/or audio, most commonly movie trailers and videos playable in iTunes. Used on Apple and non-Apple computers, official updates are usually presented by a pop-up box from Apple Software Update.

• Windows Update (link works only with Windows XP and Internet Explorer), on Windows Vista or newer go to Windows Update in the Control Panel – These updates fix security flaws and provide reliability updates for the Windows operating system. Windows Updates are usually downloaded and installed automatically on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. Occasionally some updates need to be manually installed and will show a yellow shield or light-blue icon in the notification area just to the left of the clock on your computer’s taskbar to prompt you to install the updates.

If you use an Internet Explorer based browser, sometimes a website may prompt you to download an ActiveX control – as shown below in the yellow bar between the address bar and the top of the web page. In this case be sure you are at a well-known trustworthy website, and read everything to make sure what the website is prompting you to install is really required in order to use the website. When in doubt – don’t do it. In the example below, I would not install an ActiveX control from “Shop at Home Select” because I don’t know or trust them.