are security updates vital??

Question

i asked a similar question earlier, (thanks for the replies) i turned on windows updates which gave me 60 downloads, security, media xp etc. ive now done a system restore because whenever i use updates something always seems to go wrong with my laptop, this time my wireless internet connection stopped working, after the restore its fine again. all i use the laptop for is email and internet, i use firefox instead of internet explorer and i have avg anti spyware, anti virus and zonealarm firewall. i just need to know if windows update is really important for my laptop because i would rather not use it??

thanks

Answer 1

YES I thought the same as you a while ago but when my operating system started reinstalling itself i suddenly changed my mind

Answer 2

I suggest that When ever you have problems, try to carryout system restore to a day previous to the day when there was no virus or any problems. It may be a few weeks or months back. You have to decide the date. Detailed instructions are posted at http://fixit.in/systemrestore.html
The problem is likely to be solved. Then,You insatll a standard antivirus soft ware such as Norton, AVG , Avast ( free antivirus software and Ad-aware, Ewido ( free spyware removers). You can download free softwares at
http://fixit.in/antivirus.html and http://fixit.in/spywareremover.html

Answer 3

windows updates are what microsoft consider to be nessecary security patches for our p.c,s but you dont need to install them if you dont wish
in my opinion p.c security is up to the individual so if you can find a combination of software that will keep your p.c secure and safe then you should do this
however i must aggree with the first answer,security updates are there for a reason,mainly to stop hackers from stealing data or important info so i would recommend against ignoring them but again its up to you
but your laptop shouldnt go wrong when you install updates,this can be due to a hardware problem or virus,so i would 1st run virus scan and check for any infection and then check in control panel>system properties>device manager>then check that all devices are working correctly
well done for using firefox as most viruses are found on internet explorer so obviously using firefox is a good move
your choice of anti-virus is fine(allthough avast anti-virus(http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html)would be a better choice,easier to use and uses less system resources)
with regards to antispyware try using spybot(http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html) and lavasoft adaware(http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj=dl&tag=top5)
these are excellent anti-spyware programs and will protect you from future attacks as well as cleaning up any existing spyware
your firewall is fine,zone alarm is one of the best free firewalls avalible,it scans incoming and outgoing traffic were as the windows firewall only scans incoming
finally your best bet would be to set your updates to the middle setting which will alert you to any updates and gives you the option of which ones to install and which to not
i hope this helps
happy new year!