Thursday, November 18, 2010

Find out what your Windows Hotfixes do

Every now and then my Windows XP automatically updates. Usually these are to plug holes in the system (as you know, Windows XP is a work in progress). But what exactly do all those hotfixes do? Well, I discovered a way to find out.

First, you need to go to your Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs. Next, scroll down toward the bottom and you will see "Windows XP Hotfix..."

Click the hotfix and it will expand to show "Click here for support information".

Clicking there will bring up another screen with a URL that takes you to a description of what that hotfix does (make sure you're online when you do it).

Now you can satisfy your curiosity when those updates happen. This also helps let you know if you have a security patch needed to prevent a worm/virus.