I just installed Shavlik’s NetChk Protect 6.1.0 (build 57), a product that that I used more than a year ago, back when it was version 5.31.  This previous product ran for a whole year and kept my six systems (one server, two laptops, and three desktops) fully up-to-date.Â
Sure, Windows Update can do this for you for free, but the process is controlled by Microsoft, who does not always have the consumer’s best interest in mind when they install products like Windows Genuine Advantage, which can take a totally legitimate installation of Windows XP and disable it for no apparent reason.
Also, NetChk Protect updates a lot of common non-MS applications like Adobe Reader, WinZip, etc…
I will be performing a product review of the NetChk Protect application in the future, so we’ll see how this product does in the next month or so…