Your computer holds a lot of personal information. You rely on security programs to keep that data safe. You’ve got your firewall, anti-spyware and antivirus. And you make sure to keep them up to date. Are you all set?

I wish I could say yes. I can’t. There are many other programs and processes that affect your computer’s security. They include programs like Flash and Java. Your Windows settings can also create vulnerabilities. You’d probably never know when any of these need attention.

That is, unless you have the right tools. I've got two programs you’ll find invaluable. The Secunia Software Inspector and Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer will help you rest easy.

Secunia Software Inspector

Developers are constantly working on their software. They often find security holes, and they're usually quick to fix them. They release updates and upgrades. But you might never know. It's not as if they send you a letter or something.

That's why you need Secunia's Software Inspector. Secunia keeps most everything up to date. This includes Windows, your browsers, Flash, iTunes and more.

Secunia is a Web application. You run it right from your browser. A system check can take a few minutes. Or it can take a lot longer, if you have it check everything. When it’s finished, you’ll get a rundown of your programs. It will let you know what needs updates.

It won’t update the programs for you. Instead, it will provide a link to the appropriate place. You can also read about why the update is necessary.

I’m careful to keep my programs updated. But Secunia still found a problem. A patch had been released for the Opera browser. I didn't know about it. But Secunia did, and it let me know. Soon, I was all patched up and ready to go.

You may see multiple versions of a program in the report. Some programs, like Java, don’t remove previous versions after an update. Secunia won’t remove these duplicate programs. But you can remove them through the Control Panel.

Secunia is compatible with both Windows XP and Vista.

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

This program does an in-depth check of your Windows software and settings. There is some overlap with Secunia. Both will make sure your operating system is up to date. But MBSA can find security problems in areas you may not think about.

First, it will check all of your user account passwords. It will alert you if any account has a weak or disabled password. Accounts with weak or disabled passwords can be easily broken into. A criminal could have easy access to your computer. If you need to make stronger passwords, read this tip.

It will also check many of your account settings. Is your computer set up to get automatic updates? Do you have more than one administrator account on the computer? Is your Windows firewall configured correctly? MBSA also has guides to what settings are preferred and why. Just click the “What was scanned” or “Result details” links to read them.

Pay attention to your shared folders. This program will show you all of the folders set up for sharing. You may have opened up some private folders. Other people on a network can access files in shared folders. Refine your settings to only share what you want.

MBSA comes in two versions. Version 2.0.1 works with Windows XP. Version 2.1 adds Vista compatibility. But it’s still in beta testing. So, Vista users may experience some quirks or errors. For example, it didn’t detect my copy of Office 2007 on Vista.

Now, remember these programs will not check your antivirus or anti-spyware programs. They also won’t check a third-party firewall. These security programs will often update themselves. But make sure automatic updates are set up for each program. Or you can do regular manual updates.