Older computer & service packs

[MrRick]

I received an older Sony Vaio desktop (from probably 2006 or so) from a friend that I'm mainly just going to use for storing photos & other general info on. He told me that getting online may be an issue because it was lacking current service packs. The pc is running on Windows XP

I basically am very unadept at computer lingo & wasn't sure what he was referring to. I saw from some seaching that this computer is still sitting on XP 1 & that they're up to service pack 3.

Forgive my ignorance, but is this the service pack I need to update in order to take it online? Is it an Internet Explorer update I need?

When you hit IE right now, it will go online to the yahoo homepage, but if you try to go to another site, it gives an error report. What can I do to make this machine online compatible?

Feel free to ask for any info you need to give an answer

Thanks

 

[chirkware]

You need a LOT of updates if it is still on XP Service Pack 1. I would advise not doing any general web surfing on this PC until you get it brought up to date.

Basically, Microsoft frequently issues minor patches, usually a few each month. Every few years, they release a "Service Pack" (SP), which is a roll up of a BUNCH of minor patches, along with a few new features. (For instance, XP SP 2 introduced the Windows Firewall). SP3 is the current (and will be the last) service pack for Windows XP. However, there have been MANY (100+) patches issued since SP3, so the PC in question has a way to go.

Launching "Windows Updates" will start the process to bring the PC up to date...You'll be prompted to install a BUNCH of updates, so expect several reboots. Hope you have a fast Internet connection!

To start the process, launch Internet Explorer, then go to Tools-->Windows Updates.

You'll probably have 2-3 small updates that need to be applied (probably one at a time). After each one, just tell Windows Updates to check for updates again. Eventually, it will get to the Service Pack 3 update. This will be a BIG download. Once it applies, you'll be asked to turn on Automatic Updates. Say YES. There's still 100+ to go, but it should just be 2-3 more reboots. Somewhere along the way, the upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 should be applied.

 

[jmacavali]

+1 for the above post. Since it's been a few days, things should hopefully be updated by now.

Is the Internet working?