- Why You Should Worry About Keeping Your Computer Safe
- Getting to Everything Security Related in Vista
- What Spyware and Malware Are and How Your Computer Gets Them
- Symptoms of Malware on Your Computer
- Getting Rid of and Keeping Malware Off Your Computer
- Windows Defender
- What to Do If You Suspect Malware But Can't Get a Pop-Up to Close
- What Is a Virus and How Is It Different from Spyware?
- Protecting Your Computer from Viruses
- Determining If You Have a Virus
- The Importance of Automatic Updates
- Turning On Automatic Updating
- What Is Windows Firewall?
- Why You Should Back Up Your Computer
- Backing Up the Files on Your Computer
- Backing Up Your Entire Computer
- Where to Store Backups
- Restoring Your Computer from a Backup
- Automatically Backing Up Your Computer
- What Is Service Pack 1 (a.k.a. SP1)?
- How Do I Get SP1?
- How Do I Install SP1?
What Is Service Pack 1 (a.k.a. SP1)?
You may have heard about Vista Service Pack 1, also called SP1, for short. Essentially, SP1 is a cumulative collection of all fixes that have been released for Vista since it first came out. This includes performance enhancements, compatibility fixes, and most importantly, security updates. Think of it like a band’s greatest hits collection—it’s not anything new, it’s just all of the best stuff wrapped up in one place. Depending on when you’re reading this and when you got your computer (or upgraded to Vista), you may or may not already have SP1 (see the tip below to find out how to tell if you do or don’t). If you don’t, then you should definitely install it. Another question that’s just as important is, “What is SP1 not?” It’s not new stuff. You’re not going to actually see any of the changes in the user interface or any new programs. It’s all under-the-hood stuff to make your computer run better. So, even if you think you’ve kept current with all of your updates, make sure you install SP1, because there are always a few new things thrown in the actual service pack that make it worth installing.