The Microsoft Fix It Center is a resource I knew nothing about until I started poking around with this new job of mine.

This site automates repairs which many lay people are afraid to attempt and quite frankly, are ignorant of including advanced trouble shooting techniques and the Windows registry. The latter is a daunting prospect (remember to always make a backup, and change things one at a time). In later posts I'll deal with System Utility software.

Now, at this MS site, there's area 1, a row of icons (Select a Program) which guides you by program or device. Each has a drop menu.

Alternatively, one can choose 2 (Select a Problem Area),

and area 3 where a solution can be viewed, printed or run.

Microsoft Fix It Center is designed to help users install appropriate software updates and identify known problems that might be impacting their Windows systems. The application features automated troubleshooters and a series of wizards that guide users through set-up and routine maintenance tasks.

The software scans a user’s PC to create an individualized software and hardware profile; that information is then compared against Microsoft’s databases of known support issues and updates, and lets the user know about anything relevant to their particular computer—and the software keeps records of everything its done so users know what’s been changed on their computer. Users can control the level of automation that Fix It Center uses, and the system even supports multiple devices.

Microsoft Fix It Center is available for Windows XP SP3, Vista, and Windows 7; it’s a free application, but users will need a Windows Live account to use the service. Incidentally, it's free and web based.

Here are some key features of "Microsoft Fix it Center":

Automated Troubleshooters:

Upon installation of the Fix it Center client, it automatically downloads the latest troubleshooters in our library to your PC. The troubleshooters can “find and fix” issues immediately or “find and notify” you of the issues it detected. The “find and notify” puts you in control – you decide which issues you want the troubleshooters to resolve. No matter what you choose, we show you a report of what was performed on your PC and offer you options to learn or further investigate the issue or submit a support request at Fix it Center Online.

Personalized Experience:

When you create an account during the setup of Fix it Center client on your PC, a profile is automatically created for you at Fix it Center Online. During the setup of the client, Fix it Center detects your hardware and software information and securely stores it to your online profile. This information enables Fix it Center to offer and display solutions that are specific to your PC configuration – in an easier to understand manner and without search or information overload.

You can install Fix it Center client on as many PCs you like, and when you use the same sign-in account during the client setup on each PC, the information about all your PCs will be registered in the same account. This makes it easier for owners of small business or heads of families with multiple PCs to manage all computers from a single location yet can view solutions specific for each PC.

Save time when working with customer support:

Should you want to request additional support via Fix it Center Online, all the relevant information about your PC as well as the reports from the troubleshooters can be seamlessly included in the support incident request, thus helping you get faster resolutions to your problems and helping reduce the time you spend on the phone with customer support. With Fix it Center, you don’t need to know what Service Pack of Windows XP or what video card your PC has.

I haven't had personal experience with this site. Luckily, most of my computer problems are simple.

So, I ran some of the diagnostic tools and fixed some stuff.

Worked smoothly and everything seems ok.

More news from Microsoft:

Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 is out of Beta and has some new features:

Five months after the release of MSE v 2 Beta version, Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 final version has just been released. If you are already a user of MSE, you will probably get a notification asking your to update. If you are not, or if you don't wish to wait, you might just want to check out this most popular free, award-winning anti-virus software offering from Microsoft. The download link is below.

Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 features a new anti-malware engine with enhanced detection and clean up capabilities, better Windows Firewall integration, Internet Explorer integration to block malicious scripts even before Internet Explorer can start running them, a behavior monitor, an option to limit CPU usage while scanning, etc.

Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 has the following new features:

• Windows Firewall integration. Microsoft Security Essentials setup enables you to turn on or off Windows Firewall.
• Enhanced protection for web-based threats. Microsoft Security Essentials now integrates itself with Internet Explorer to provide protection against web-based threats.
• Network Inspection System. This feature of MSE enhances real-time protection by inspecting network traffic to help proactively block exploitation of known network-based vulnerabilities.
• New and improved protection engine. The updated MSE engine includes a Heuristic Scanning Engine and offers enhanced detection and cleanup capabilities along with better performance.

Microsoft Security Essentials is free for home users and Small & Medium Businesses and works on Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. It supports 32 and 64 bit.

Download Link