What Happens If You Never Update Your Laptop’s Operating System? 3/1/2025
We’ve all done it—brushed off that update notification with a quick “Remind me later.” But when later turns into weeks, months, or even years, your laptop could be running on borrowed time.
So, what really happens if you never update your operating system? Let’s break it down.
Why Do Updates Keep Appearing?
It may feel like your laptop just enjoys nagging you, but those updates exist for a reason. Your operating system is an incredibly complex piece of software, and like any software, it’s never perfect.
Each update is designed to fix something—whether it’s a security vulnerability, a software bug, or compatibility issues with newer programs. Ignoring updates doesn’t just leave you behind—it leaves your system vulnerable.
Hackers Are Always One Step Ahead
Cybercriminals are constantly searching for weaknesses in operating systems, and when they find them, they don’t wait. These security gaps can be used to steal your data, install malware, or even take control of your laptop.
Updates serve as patches to close these security loopholes. If you’re not updating, you’re leaving your laptop open to attack—even if everything seems fine.
Browsing Safely Isn’t Always Enough
Think avoiding sketchy websites keeps you safe? Unfortunately, modern cyberthreats don’t always require downloads or clicks. Zero-click exploits can infect your laptop simply by visiting a compromised website or viewing a malicious ad.
Security updates help protect against these evolving threats—but only if you install them.
Updates Fix More Than Just Security Issues
Ever had your laptop freeze, crash, or behave strangely? Bugs and glitches are inevitable in software, but developers continuously work to fix them.
Updates often contain crucial bug fixes and performance improvements, helping your system run smoothly. Ignoring them means dealing with problems that could have already been solved.
Outdated Systems Limit Your Software Choices
Skipping OS updates can create frustrating roadblocks. Over time, many third-party applications stop supporting older operating systems. That means you may no longer be able to install new apps or update the ones you rely on.
Something as simple as keeping your system updated can ensure everything continues working as expected.
The Longer You Wait, the Harder It Gets
If you put off updates for too long, catching up can become a headache. Some systems require installing older updates before you can upgrade to the latest version.
In extreme cases, skipping too many updates could force you into a full system reinstall—meaning you’ll need to back up your data and set everything up from scratch.
Your Laptop Won’t Be Supported Forever
Even if you stay on top of updates, every operating system eventually reaches the end of its lifespan. When that happens, it stops receiving security patches, making it riskier to use over time.
Additionally, outdated OS versions lose hardware support. Without updated drivers, you may start experiencing performance issues, compatibility problems, and security risks.
The Bottom Line
Updating your laptop might seem like a minor inconvenience, but it’s one of the easiest ways to keep your device secure, reliable, and running smoothly. Ignoring updates only leads to bigger problems down the road.
If you’ve been putting off updates and aren’t sure where to start, we’re here to help. Whether it’s updating your system, fixing issues caused by outdated software, or transitioning to a new laptop, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today at (651) 456-8655 or visit our Contact page and let’s get your laptop back on track!
Why You Need Professional Virus Removal. “Your computer has a virus.” Such a dreaded five words! We don’t want to come down with a human virus; we’ll feel awful and miss work. But when a virus hits our computer, we could lose valuable information or be vulnerable to attack. Chicken soup won’t cut it.
Perhaps you have an antivirus product installed on your computer. This computer software is intended to prevent, detect, and remove viruses. Antivirus tools are designed to keep infections out. They can also delete any viruses that may already be on the computer when the software is installed.
The software provides protection by tracking malicious code and other computer threats via:
classifying the actions the file or code drives (as malicious or OK);
inspecting file signatures for matches to an existing signature in its virus dictionary;
scanning for rootkits that can change how your operating system functions.
However, antivirus software isn’t that good at cleaning up. When it detects a malicious file, it will delete it. But what if the virus spread before discovery? If the infection spreads before virus deletion, it can do all sorts of damage.
Think of it this way: you have a cyst on your knee. Doctors decide it is pre-cancerous and operate to remove the cyst before it spreads. But, that’s all they do. They have seen the cyst. They go for the cyst. However, they don’t notice the cancer that’s in your shin or femur, because they were only working on the cyst. The rest of your leg remains unhealthy, and you don’t even know it!
Getting a Second Opinion on Viruses
If the antivirus software is your primary physician, a computer professional is the specialist you go to for an expert second opinion. For one thing, antivirus products don’t always remove all the malicious files. Many viruses start as one thing but can mutate into several different strains. The antivirus software may not be programmed to identify all of the virus variants. A professional actively looks for undetected strains on your computer.
Viruses are always evolving. A recent strain of malware, SquirtDanger, let hackers take computer screenshots, capture passwords, download files, and empty out cryptocurrency wallets.
Some viruses can change the settings of your computer. For instance, a common virus changes your computer’s DNS, which is like a bit like the Yellow Pages for the internet. On a virus-free computer, when you type in “Google.com”, your browser goes to Google’s servers located at the IP address “216.58.203.100.” However, an infection can make Google.com on your computer go to a different address. Perhaps a server address cyber criminals use to capture your personal data. It still looks to you like Google, but it’s no longer safe. These settings can still remain after the infection is long gone.
Viruses can also leave behind browser toolbars, extensions, and other nasties designed to spy on your Web browsing habits. If you’re consistently redirected to unwanted sites, or seeing unwanted pop-up advertisements, it’s likely your computer’s infected with a browser hijacker.
Ultimately, if you detect a virus on your computer, check with a professional. Don’t trust that your antivirus software is going to do the same, thorough job an expert can offer. Sometimes your computer isn’t fully safe until the operating system is reinstalled, but you can’t know that until someone can go in and see what the virus did and what remnants are still there, lurking.
Cyber criminals are growing more sophisticated and better able to design viruses that disguise their tracks. Avoid being an unwitting victim. A computer security expert can diagnosis when your computer gets a virus, or determine if there are strains on your device you don’t know about. Let a security expert protect your computer from harm today! Call us at (651) 456-8655 or visit our Contact page.
This month, we talk about 5 Common Computer Myths Debunked. Common urban myths would have us believe alligators live in sewers or people put razor blades in kids candy. Common misconceptions about computers are just as persistent. Here are several IT myths debunked for your benefit.
#1 A slow-running computer has a virus
A virus can be to blame. Spyware or other malware can also cause a computer to slow down. However, there are also many other reasons your computer might run slower:
You may have a lot of programs that start up when you boot up the computer. You could remove or disable programs that start every time.
The computer has gone into power save mode every night, but you haven’t rebooted the computer in a long time.
There are many programs running in the background. On a Windows PC, you can go into task manager and see what is running and the computer resources in use.
A security utility is running. If it’s an antivirus scanner, let the scan finish first, then see if your computer speed improves.
Temporary files or other junk are taking up too much hard drive space. Your computer needs at least 200–500MB of free space on the hard drive to be able to move and manage files.
Your computer doesn’t have enough RAM to run programs within memory. If your computer has to swap information on the hard drive to get enough memory to run programs, it’s going to work slower.
The computer is old. You may need to upgrade to a computer that can handle current software needs without slowing to a snail’s pace.
#2 Macs don’t get viruses
Many Apple owners believe their Macintosh computers are immune to viruses. If only. Macs do get viruses; they are simply targeted less than PCs. Why? There are many more computers running Windows, which means a bigger, easier target for cyber-criminals.
As Apple’s market share rises, the threat to Macs is growing. Apple works to protect its users from malware, but you still need to use caution with downloads and when clicking on links from unknown sources.
#3 My Windows registry needs cleaning up
Registry cleaning companies will say that scanning your Windows registry can speed up the computer and avoid error messages. The cleaner finds unused registry keys and any malware remnants for removal.
But let’s consider the fact that Microsoft has not released its own registry cleaner. Why not? Because it’s really not necessary. Worse still, going in to clean your registry (when you don’t know what you’re doing) can actually do serious damage.
#4 My laptop battery needs to be dead before I recharge if I want it to last longer
This was once true. Nickel-cadmium batteries suffered from what was called a “memory effect.” If discharged and recharged to the same point several times, they would remember that point in the future and not go further.
Now, however, laptops typically come with lithium-ion (or Li-ion) batteries. They don’t suffer from this memory effect. In fact, they function better with partial discharge instead of letting the battery run down to zero.
#5 I don’t have anything hackers would want
Cybersecurity should be a priority for everyone, not only sprawling enterprises. Let’s put it this way:
Do you have any money?
Do you have an identity cyber-criminals could use to access money or sell for money?
Do you work anywhere?
Hackers have all kinds of ways to profit from your data or from hijacking your computer’s processing power. They can turn your computer into part of a bot network or use your information as a bridge into a business target’s system.
Keep all your computers at top speed with the best security measures in place with the help of our experts. Contact us today at (651) 456-8655 or visit our CONTACT page!
When your computer is acting up or driving you crazy, the absolute last thing you want to do is lug it down to the local repair shop. So many cables. So many connections. And why is it suddenly so heavy? It’s stressful just thinking about it! Fortunately, tech support has come a long way in recent years and you now have another option: remote access support.
Just like it sounds, one of our experts will connect to your computer through the internet and fix the problem. You can even watch the entire process on the screen or step away and we’ll call you when the problem is fixed. As long as the computer starts and has a working internet connection, you can simply put your feet up and watch the show! Remote support isn’t just a new technology that lets you stay in your PJs for longer, it’s a better way to approach a huge range of issues, with some pretty great benefits.
High fix rate: While it does sound impossibly futuristic, around 90% of problems can be solved this way, quickly and efficiently. We’re sure you’ve been on the frustrating end of a call-center style support session at least once and can guarantee – remote support is nothing like that. Our technicians don’t ask you to click a hundred buttons and read the screen back, they simply identify the issue and fix it for you there and then.
Location independent: For some people, the best part of remote support is that it doesn’t matter where YOU are either. You could be away on holiday with your laptop, at home with the kids, or under 6 foot of snow in a record-breaking blizzard, and our remote techs can still fix your computer. Fortunately, your computer loves staying where it is. They’re actually more likely to have issues when they’re moved around a lot, so this is the perfect solution. There’s no need to pack anything up, drive across town to drop off and then back again for pickup a week later. Our technicians know you have better things to do, and will remote support you in any way they can.
Complete privacy: Remember how you can watch the technicians move things around the screen? There’s no better way to know your privacy is protected than to see exactly what’s happening. Unless they’ve identified them as the issue, our experts won’t go anywhere near your private files and photos. You don’t even need to move them to a folder marked ‘private’, our technicians are laser-focused on getting you going again and that’s all.
You’re in control: Our technicians can’t access your system unless you allow us to. In fact, we need you to download a special piece of software before our technicians can do anything. Then we call via phone to arrange a time for us to access the computer. If you don’t want to watch and just want it done, perhaps while you’re at work, we can do that too. We’re here to get your computer issues solved, on your terms.
Next time your computer is misbehaving, or you need help setting up a new device or program, let us know. We’ll be able to jump in and get your system moving again without you leaving the house. Our remote support technicians can save you a lot of time and money, not to mention frustration. It’s never been easier to get expert help for your computer issues.
Visit our remote support portal HERE to request a remote support session!
Give us a call today at (651) 456-8655 to get started, or visit our Contact page.
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