This week users of Office 2003 and Internet Explorer 6 have major updates to install.

I also review the latest version of Advanced Uninstaller Pro, which is a good way to take control of your computer.

The Office 2003 Service Pack 1 contains a series of bug fixes and improvements in stability, Microsoft says.

As a boost the package also provides some sweeping changes and new applications.

This service pack includes all updates previously released for Office 2003, including those for Excel 2003 and the Word 2003 update.

If you're looking to upgrade to Office 2003 this is usually the time to get it, after everyone has worked out the bugs in the program's first release.

Business owners attempting to do the fix themselves should look carefully at the guide on installing the update (downloadable for free at www.microsoft.com).

Depending on what software you have on your computers you might have to also download some separate updates.

Meanwhile the cumulative security update for Internet Explorer 6 (Service Pack 1) catches up with all those who have not been able to keep up with the normal flurry of Microsoft patches.

They just keep coming. If you've missed any they're all bundled in this update - which also plugs some newly discovered hacker holes.

One patches a security problem that could allow an attacker to compromise a computer running Internet Explorer and gain control over it, so that should encourage you to install the update.

The IT bees will want to take note that except for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows 64-Bit Edition Version 2003, most hotfixes for all other operating systems created after the February 2 update are NOT included in the service pack.

For the rest of us, a hotfix is a single package issued by Microsoft to specific corporate customers to address a problem in a product. Installing the update will remove the hotfixes from your network.

Don't panic. Microsoft provides an update rollup containing all the hotfixes.

It's not obvious that you have to do this. Go to the FAQ section of the Microsoft bulletin (MS04-025) on the subject.

You can get all the links at www.SecureBermuda.com. Now, on to Advanced Uninstaller Pro 2004, which you can guess, I recommend trying, even though I think it's missing a key backup feature.

Most of what is done by such uninstallers can currently be done through the tools provided by your Windows or Mac operating platforms.

What the programs do is bring all such functions under one roof along with providing some additional computer maintenance tools, including registry cleaners.

You get a way to find out exactly what programs are on your computer, and remove the ones you never use.

The aim is to free up disk space and improve computer performance.

For years I have been using CleanSweep, which allows me to track and get rid of all the programs I test and don't use anymore.

CleanSweep (now part of Symantec's Norton brand) is better because it allows you to keep backups of programs or files in a sort of purgatory and later restore them if you later find you need it after have to. Advanced Uninstaller Pro does not have the same feature. You delete a program or a file and it's gone.

That's a big black mark against it for those of us who have had the bitter experience of hitting “Delete” much too fast. However all the other features on Advance Uninstaller work great and are a cinch to use. I did some major cleaning with the 21-day test version.

The main program uninstaller works as do others, but contains a “forced remove” function, which helped me get rid of two programs that neither Windows uninstaller nor CleanSweep have been unable to remove for the past two years. Whew! The disk clean function gives a lot of choices, including the individual deletion of history, cookies, and temporary disk files.

Be aware that wiping out the log files for some important applications could mean the application, if it needs to also track files, will not function properly.

Advance Uninstaller also throws in a fabulous font manager for those who work to design go looking documents. You can disable fonts and restore them if you need them.

All with the aim of gaining computer speed.

A Quick Cleaner option runs a number of the cleanup features at once.

There' s a way to back up your registry and scan it to finds all the faults.

I found 56 references to files that don't exist, ten invalid help files, and empty uninstall entries. Three were identified as severe problems (incorrectly registered ActiveX objects), while the rest were classified as a variety of medium and ‘light' problems. All cleaned, according to Advance Uninstaller.

My system has not crashed so it must work. The registry optimiser “defrags” your registry and restores a new copy.

This tool also seemed to work. Interestingly, the Internet Tools panel allows you to revisit any of the pages you've gone.

This is useful for when you've lost your way on the Internet and need to get back to your original target.

You can download the trial version at Innovative Solutions (www.innovative-sol.com).

Norton's CleanSweep now seems to be packaged as part of Symantec's Norton SystemWorks, which contains a sheaf of other programs, including the signature anti-virus package.

Advance Uninstaller costs $27 while SystemWorks costs $70.

At least get the trial version of Advance Uninstaller, clean your system, and get rid of it when it expires. Symantec does not provide a trial version of CleanSweep on its site.

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Contact Ahmed at editor@offshoreon.com. Go to www.SecureBermuda.com for security updates.