One simple (and free) tool to help keep your Windows PC updated

Enter Patch My PC.

This small - and free - utility can not only monitor over a hundred common applications for updates, but can also install those for you silently while you work. Applications it is compatible with range from commonly used products such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Adobe Flash Player to more obscure stuff such as ImgBurn and SandBoxie.

And just in case that makes you worried about getting a ton of bloatware on your system, if Patch My PC detects any bloatware payload with an update, it silently remove that too.

The tool is also portable, meaning that you can pop it onto a USB flash drive and run it on multiple systems. And it can also scan for missing Windows updates.

If you want a more pain-free PC experience then this is well worth checking out. Also, if you happen to be the IT guy or gal for your friends or family, then this tool can save you a lot of time, effort, and unnecessary hand-holding.

This is a Windows-only utility, so OS X users are out of luck I'm afraid.

See also:

• Apple facing lawsuit over shrinking iPhone and iPad storage following iOS 8 update
• Where your tech focus should be in 2015
• Getting my hardware ready for action in 2015
• Apple releases security update for critical NTP vulnerability in OS X
• Five of the best (and free) Android security apps