by Robert Garofalo – GAOTD (c/p)
But I AM a fan of routinely checking your computer for outdated software, as well as the myriad plug-ins, browser helpers and other assorted utilities which can pose a security risk if not kept up to date. This can be a daunting or time-consuming task, but there is an excellent piece of software that can do the heavy lifting: *Personal Software Inspector from Secunia.*
Essentially what it does is scan your computer for any and all programs that are obsolete, outdated, or having well-known security vulnerabilities. It can then present you with a list, which you can use to tell the program what it should update for you; or, you can set the program to scan and automatically update every old program it finds (a "set it and forget it" mode). It can even update Windows itself--installing security patches and hot-fixes, even if Windows update is turned off! And why would you use it to update Windows instead of Windows itself? Because miraculously, it does a better job; it's faster and it doesn't seem to bring the computer to a crawl if you'd like to continue working during updates.
The program is free. You can read about it, and grab it, here:
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http://www.flexerasoftware.com/enterprise/products/software-vulnerability-management/personal-software-inspector/