Hp updates- Do we need them?

[kenpitcher4]

My system is an Hp pavillion. Since I've had it I've it when the alert comes up saying there are new updates available from HP, I just close it and don't recieve them. Is that not good?

[drragostea]

I don't usually use it Windows XP by HP. The update might prove positive and beneficial to your OS. But it depends on what the updates are, and what they update.

[tashi]

Hello,

Since I've had it I've it when the alert comes up saying there are new updates available from HP, I just close it and don't recieve them.

As drragostea said, it depends on what the updates are.

You might be able to skip a driver update, take a look at the description and search for more information to see if it is necessary.

However if the update is to patch a vunerability it deserves serious consideration.

Remote disclosure of information and execution of arbitrary code

A potential vulnerability has been identified with the HPeDiag ActiveX control which is a component of HP Software Update running under windows. The vulnerability could be exploited to allow remote disclosure of information and execution of arbitrary code.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport...ctID=c01439758

Check to see if any update has caused problems before you download and install. HP has forums and faqs.

Hope that helps.

[drragostea]

Yes. As I said (and tashi too ) it may improve driver or the system performance and stability. Security updates and driver updates are both updates, but two different things. Can you give some examples of the updates that HP has offered you?

[Valethar]

A lot of the time, the updates don't always apply to your machine and wont be installed. I get them fairly often for my printer, yet a majority of them check my current software and give me a message stating that the update/fix isn't needed.

It can't hurt to let the updater check your system, since there may well be an update for the HP hardware that isn't addressed by MS, etc.. It could be something as simple as updating code so the HP hardware behaves better with your graphics card, to them coming up with a fix for the NIC hardware that someone found a way to exploit.

Better to let the updater run and decide you don't need the update than to cancel it and possibly leave your system vulnerable.

[drragostea]

By hey, an update is an update. Might as well improve system stability and performance. .

[kenpitcher4]

Hp usually has a small yellow pop up box which says it has updates. I have never updated in over a year, (system is 1 year old). Is there a site I can go to to let Hp go ahead and update all that they feel is necessary? If so should I wait til after all malware problems are resolved? Every time I start or close my system I bring up Windows Task Manager first, and almost every time there is a program running that says HP updates which I immediately close as I don't believe that it is HP.