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While the Macintosh remains less vulnerable to security vulnerabilities, the
emergence of OS X, based on the Unix Operating System, does make the Macintosh
a bit more vulnerable than in the past. Therefore, as a Mac user you can no
longer feel confident that the security of your computer is a given. As a result,
make sure you regularly update your system and built-in Mac apps. Apple has
made this easy by providing the Software Update tool.
Performing a Manual Software Update
Setting up Software Update to automatically prompt for available
updates
How to check to see if a specific Mac OS update has been applied
Performing a Manual Software Update
- First, make sure that you have a connection to the internet.
- OS 10.2x users go to the Apple Menu and select
“System Preferences”. Continue to Step 3.
OS 10.3x users fo to the Apple Menu and select “Software
Update”. Continue to Step 4.
| OS 10.2x
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OS 10.3x
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- OS 10.2x users, when the System Preferences window opens,
click on “Software Update”.
- OS 10.2x and 10.3x: In the Software Update window click
on the “Check Now” button to see what updates
are available to install.
- The next window will show all of the updates that are available for installation;
uncheck the ones that you do not want to install and then click “Install”
to perform the software updates*. If you are unsure of which updates are needed
to install, you can contact the ITS Help Desk for assistance, however our
Mac Techs recommend that you perform whatever updates Apple suggests (this
is our standard practice for our University-owned Macs). Follow the instructions
to install each update. You may be asked to restart your Mac to complete the
installation process.
| OS 10.2x
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OS 10.3x
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Setting up Software Update to automatically
prompt for available updates
- Follow Steps 1 through 4 in the above instructions
to get back to the main Software Update window.
- The Update Software tab has an option you can check to be prompted for updates.
Check the box and, from the pop-down window, select the time-frame you want
you Mac to check for updates. Your computer needs to be connected to the Inernet
during the updates, so don't assume that just because you set your Mac for
auto-update checking that you are covered. You will still need to periodically
check for udpates and do the actual installations, especially if you don't
have your computer connected to the Internet a lot.
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