Windows XP Annoyances for Geeks, 2nd Edition

Specific Software Issues

Once you start peeking under the hood of Windows XP, you'll notice some of the tools that have been included to help the system run smoothly. Some of these tools actually work, but it's important to know which ones to use and which ones are simply gimmicks. A good example is System Restore, a feature intended to solve certain file-version conflicts automatically; its brute-force method often ends up causing more problems than it solves. See the discussion of System Restore later in this chapter for details.

Here are some software-specific issues that should help you solve most problems with Windows XP and the applications that run on it.

Patching Windows with Windows Update

If software manufacturers waited until their products were completely bug-free before releasing them, then we'd all still be using typewriters.

Windows XP has a fairly automated update system, wherein patches to the operating system that Microsoft considers to be important are made available on their web site and, by default, automatically downloaded and installed on your computer.

Just open Internet Explorer (other web browsers won't work) and visit http://www.windowsupdate.com (or go to Tools → Windows Update) to load the Windows Update program. Click Scan for updates to compile a list of the updates you haven't yet installed from which you can selectively download those updates you want or need.

This is a fairly straightforward procedure, and one you should do regularly. Here are a few ...