Hi RFOlson.  Yes, these are safe to download and install.  The only Microsoft updates that you should NEVER trust are any that you may get via email.   Those are NOT Microsoft updates, despite how official they might seem.  They are viruses and trojans designed to social engineer unsuspecting people into loading them  Microsoft will NEVER send updates or notifications by email.

RFOlson,

The Critical Updates are safe to download (and are imperative to keep your system secure). The link will take you to the Windows Update site (which you can also reach by going to Tools|Windows Update in Internet Explorer. Anything you download from Microsoft is safe. Do not ever accept any updates offered as attachments in email. Microsoft does not provide attachments through any mechanism except their Windows Update Web site.

You should install all Critical Updates. Recommended updates are up to you--if they apply to the way you use your computer or Microsoft programs you can install them. Driver updates are better acquired from the Web sites of the makers of the hardware for which they are written.

Message Edited by Denny Denham on 01-22-2004 06:32 PM

Regarding Windows updates...  I just installed the latest and after I restarted I saw Microsoft XML 4.0 Parser SDK on my destop; was that part of the update? 

thanks!

bashaner,

If it's XML Parser 3.0 SP4 it can be downloaded from here. It is not listed in the Windows Updates for Windows XP. It is, however, a part of the recently released Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, and if you downloaded that it could explain its presence on your system.

Message Edited by Denny Denham on 01-23-2004 08:15 AM

A few Microsoft Windows Updates have caused problems & they have been replaced by Microsoft.
So suggest you install Updates individually then check your system.

Concerning these updates, I notice that some have a reference to a Knowledge Base article, e.g., KB824145, and others just have a 6-digit number. 

Are these identified with just a number also KB articles?

 

DennyDenham

I do not recall downloading the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer myself.  All I did was install the auto updates.

thanks