should i install "important" windows update for windows 7?

Question

my PC runs fantastic. its a Toshiba satellite l675 with 4 gigs of ram and a i3 processor. Had it for a year with absolutely no problems. And when I check Windows Update I have 69 Important Updates and 21 Optional Ones. I know the Optional ones are not that critical, but if my PC has been working just magnificently well for the last 12 months, should I even bother? There is one Silver light Update that I would consider. 4 For Office, 1 for Windows Defender, 1 from Visual Studio 2008 and 61 for Windows 7. I only install programs, drivers, updates that I really need. I believe in the saying, "If its not broken, don't fix it." What do you think? Thanks in advanced.

Answer 1

Personally, I would ignore the IE9 update. It still has many issues.



In the optional category there are a few which involve your drivers for sound, keyboard, display (screen) etc. which should not be overlooked!



Most are security issues, which should be addressed. You may wish to stay away from KB971033 (windows activation), it has been known to have issues.



I would suggest choosing 3-4 at a time, otherwise you will spend 3 hours waiting for downloads and restarts. The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time!



Good Luck!

Answer 2

I would recommend running the updates. Most of the time the updates that are important are Microsoft finding bugs in their programming of the operating system and them patching the issue with the updates. The office updates are the usual updates to your software that actually can from time to time make interesting changes to some office products. I would strongly recommend the important updates as they can patch a number of possible security issues. If you are concerned with not knowing what the update is you can always research the update on the internet and Microsoft does have information on the patches they send out.

Answer 3

Yes, it is for the safety of your computer and if it runs fantastic, what harm could updates do if they're from Microsoft?

As for the Optional ones, some of them are drivers for your PC, like graphics improvement.

Answer 4

Answer these question:

1. Would Microsoft issue a security patch if there's nothing really wrong with their OS?

2. Would they call them important or critical updates if they aren't?



The answers are pretty obvious to me.



However, if you think that your OS is fine you may choose not to patch it if you don't like to. It's up to you.

Answer 5

The vast majority of those updates are critical security patches and definitely should be installed!☺