Are all of your programs & software patched, up to date, recent,
secure, etc? Keeping all of your software & hardware drivers patched
& current is key to your system's security & performance. Patches,
updates, hotfixes, service packs, etc. are typically released &
installed to correct performance problems or security issues. A very
high % of the time, you are not aware of various updates available or
prompted by the software manufacturer / provider. Microsoft & most
of the major "players" in the industry are pretty good about
patch & security notification but this is not always the case with
smaller providers. Your individualized settings per application are
also important to ensure you are informed of potential security risks
or performance problems with various applications, drivers & programs.
End-of-life software is simply a program that is no longer supported
or monitored by it's provider to ensure it's keeping up to date with
current technology & security practices. It is important to make
sure all of your software is working & secure in your current electronic
environment. In a lot of cases, free upgrades are available for end-of-life
software. Especially the variety that came factory installed or bundled
in new PC's. It is very important you are not running large amounts
of end-of-life applications as each will add a % of possible performance
or security risk.