Your computer warns you regularly: software update available. And then, just to be nice, you will be asked “do you want to update now?” If you’re like most people, however, you skip those updates regularly. Well, I’m here to tell you that you should stop skipping those updates. Sure, updating can be a pain if you’re right in the middle of a task, but updating your system can help you prevent stalls, crashes, and all kinds of other things – not to mention the fact that updating will allow you to gain the latest version of a program, and that’s never a bad thing.

Things You Should Update

It might not be vital that you update a program you never use regularly, but there are some things that must be updated on a consistent basis. The first thing is your operating system. Now, this can get a bit tricky, since updating your OS may actually cost you some cash. But, getting the latest version of Windows or OS X is something that you should really do. Why?

Companies like Apple and Microsoft create new operation systems, so that you can have the best and latest information available. Unless an OS is notorious for being too clunky and not useful, go ahead and pay that minimal fee for an update. If a new OS hasn’t come out yet, it’s still a good idea to update your current OS by allowing your system to do so. This way, any new repairs or patches will be fixed and you can go about your business.

You should also update your browser. Both Google and Mozilla automatically update their browsers, so you don’t have to do anything manually if you use either of these options. If you use Safari or Explorer, you will have to update your browser regularly and manually. Again, you will see a small notice that asks you to go through the update process, and this is a notice that you should not ignore.

Lastly, never ever skip updating your security suite. If you want your antivirus or antimalware program to actually protect your computer, you must go through these updates regularly. Neglecting to do so might mean that your warranty is void and that your computer is not protected.

What Happens If You Don’t Update?

If you never update your OS, antivirus or antimalware program, or browser, you will be dealing with a lot more hassles than you actually need to. Crashes, problems, bugs, and other bits and pieces are fixed when a company creates an updated version of any program. If these programs aren’t updated, you can’t expect problems to go away. Most people don’t update software simply because it’s time consuming. But, the few minutes that you would take to update your software can save you a lot of trouble in the end.

Are you one of the many people who don’t bother updating? Go ahead and update those programs right now, and then let me know whether or not these simple updates have saved you a lot of hassle.