Bob3160.......interesting.........Patch My PC

[midnight]

Before I download and install this program I would like to know if it could mess up my computer.   

[Pondus]

Done a System Restore and everything is fine.  Thankfully, this HitmanPro didn't do any damage to my computer. I'm seriously done with testing any new programs.

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=111332.msg874880#msg874880


http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=111332.msg874921#msg874921

[midnight]

Thanks for your reply.  Won't be downloading the program. 

[Charyb-0]

Funny!

Windows update and automatic program update checks work fine for me. I also use Secunia to double check and if I have a program open I will also manually check for updates.

-midnight,
You should invest in a portable drive to store an image and a file backup on. Maybe try Virtual Machine. Or, buy a computer used specifically for testing.

[bob3160]

Why a Brand new topic Why would it hurt your system if it's used properly

[midnight]

Why a Brand new topic Why would it hurt your system if it's used properly

Pardon me for starting a Brand new topic.

[Dch48]

It doesn't work quite right. It incorrectly reports installed versions and wants to do updates that are not needed. Case in point, uTorrent, it says I have 3.1.3 when I actually have the latest 3.2 version. It also wants to update Flash which is at the latest version. It did correctly pick up that Silverlight and Shockwave had new versions but I did not let it do the updating since I didn't trust it. I uninstalled Silverlight 4 first as the Microsoft site recommended and then used Windows Update to get the latest one which is v5. Why it hadn't already come through on WU before, I don't know. I also updated Shockwave through the Adobe site. It just reinforces my decision to not use things like this, including Secunia and the others which also don't work perfectly.

Midnight, you're doing well by not downloading it. I can see where it may cause problems. The good thing about it is that it's a portable application which does not install on the system so just deleting it from wherever you downloaded it to removes it. (except for any firewall rules that may have had to be created to allow it to work correctly and it does need one to allow it to connect to the internet) I also think you did well to create this topic since concerns may be justified.

[MrMaxaMan]

I've used Patch My PC for quite a while, just running it once or twice a month to check for anything that might not be up to date. I haven't had any problems with it, if it mentions something is out of date I use the out dated program to update or I go to the proper website.

[midnight]

Funny!

Windows update and automatic program update checks work fine for me. I also use Secunia to double check and if I have a program open I will also manually check for updates.

-midnight,
You should invest in a portable drive to store an image and a file backup on. Maybe try Virtual Machine. Or, buy a computer used specifically for testing.

I didn't know what a Virtual Machine was so I did a search and found a couple I could download for free but I'm a bit leery about downloading something I know nothing about.

http://www.windows7download.com/win7-windows-xp-mode-windows-virtual-pc-/rmnmpshy.html 

I  have no idea about how to use this.   

[bob3160]

Then simply skip it.

[midnight]

I want to see what Charyb has to say about it.  If he has nothing to say I will skip it.

[Dch48]

You need a very powerful machine to run VM. I tried the LinuxLive USB program and running it virtually in Windows is terrible. It lags and freezes constantly. When booted from the stick, it runs fine.  Different program yes, but it gives you an idea what you need to run a virtual machine successfully. Also what you were looking at is only a way to run Windows XP applications in a virtual environment on Windows 7. It is only for that and is not a true Virtual machine in which you can run whatever you want.

[Charyb-0]

Running an operating system within an operating system does use extra resources. You must allocate system and video memory.

The main thing I have seen causing slow performance is incorrect default VM settings. I dread installing the guest operating system to have it run sluggish in the VM. Many of the default settings are incorrect for both VMWare and VirtualBox depending on which OS you install. I also had problems with mouse integration in VirtualBox which has worked itself out. I'm not certain if I fixed it or if it fixed itself.

For example, I installed Linux Mint 14 in VirtualBox and with one setting change it ran great. I installed Ubuntu 12.04 and spent a couple hours trying to get it to run correctly.

Once the settings are correct, it runs great on my computer. I could maybe run Windows 7 and two guest operating systems at once and then I would probably be out of resources. Different variables would quickly change this though.

It's a pain in the rear to set up. Once the settings are correct things run great.

Before trying any of this, you need a backup plan other than restore. In fact, I have restore turned off and am using Seagate for daily backup of personal files/folders and Windows 7 system image for weekly system b/u.


EDIT: I want to add, before running anything in a virtual machine, know your license agreement for any software run inside the virtual machine as well as your resident OS.