Windows 7 Service Packs

Windows 7 is part of Microsoft's "New Technology" or NT family of OSs, along with Windows Vista, XP, NT, 2000 Professional, the various flavors of Windows 2000 Server, and Windows Server 2003. These OSs were designed from the ground up for stability, reliability, and security. To keep them in tip-top shape, Microsoft releases a constant stream of software updates as follows:

• Important updates-Fixes for bugs that are so severe or involve such serious security risks that you really have to install them. As you know, Windows 7 can automatically download and install these, or at least download and offer to install them, so you don't miss out. Important updates can be listed by using Windows Update.
• Recommended updates-These are not security fixes but are updates to accessory programs such as Messenger and Media Player, new desktop themes, and the like. Recommended updates can be listed by using Windows Update.
• Hotfixes-Bug fixes that affect a small enough group of users that Microsoft doesn't send them out to everyone. Instead, you have to hunt for them by searching online, or hear about them from Microsoft's Tech Support department. They're not widely advertised because if you're running into a serious-enough problem, you'll go looking for the solution, and hotfixes tend to be released in a hurry without extensive testing, so they sometimes cause new problems of their own. Hotfix users tend to be corporate IT people whose job it is to stay on top of these things.

Tip Windows hotfixes are available from the Microsoft Download Center at www.microsoft.com/downloads. On the same web page, you can sign up for the Microsoft Download Notifications service, which sends you a weekly email listing downloads in the categories you choose.