Tuesday, August 9, 2011

How to Keep Current With Microsoft Outlook Updates

Even though Microsoft Office Outlook is a mature product, Microsoft continues to send out a stream of important updates. While potentially a pain in the neck, this is actually good news since it tells you that Microsoft is actively supporting Outlook by fixing bugs and protecting you against spam (junk email). But this means to get the full benefit, you have to be conscientious about installing each update when it comes out.

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While Microsoft has tried to make this process easy and smooth, it still isn't intuitive or without quirks. Conceptually, the process is easy. You tell Outlook to check for updates, then download and install any of the available updates that you want. And this is where the first problem can arise.

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You don't have to install all the updates Microsoft offers you. One example would be updates for languages you don't speak. It's tempting to not install those. However, the best answer is to just install any updates Microsoft offers you. It simplifies your life by eliminating the need to evaluate each update that comes along and decide whether you want it or not.

My suggestion is that you check for updates about once a week, ideally on Thursday or Friday to accommodate Microsoft's usual release schedule. Patches normally come out only once a month, but if there is an emergency release, you won't want to be without it for long. It only takes a moment to do if there aren't updates available. If there are updates available, you want to get them installed as soon as possible. Setting up a recurring task to remind you to check is the best way to do this.

NOTE: Your company may have a policy about doing software updates that conflicts with the advice here. If yours does, you should always follow company guidelines instead of general suggestions like these.

While incorporating repeated Outlook updates may seem like a distraction from getting actual work done, if you incorporate the updatesover time you will gain a better-running program and less junk mail than you would have to deal with if you didn't install the updates. The reduced amount of spam (from improved junk mail filters that Microsoft sends as part of updates) alone makes keeping Outlook updated a net time saver.

Here's an outline of the steps you need to follow to check for and install Outlook updates:

Use your web browser to go to the Microsoft Office Downloads home page. Click the link that lets Microsoft scan your computer to figure out what updates you need. Select the updates you want to install and download them. Install the updates.

Those are the basic steps to getting Outlook updates. If you want more detailed instructions, you should visit a quality Outlook information site online.

How to Keep Current With Microsoft Outlook Updates

Living-With-Outlook.com is a site dedicated to providing quality Outlook tips and tricks and other information. You can get more detailed instructions on keeping Outlook up to date by going to the Microsoft Outlook Updates page.

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