The Security header lists important security-related issues.

The Windows Vista & Windows 7 Action Center is a feature you really shouldn’t take for granted. The Action Center is where urgent messages regarding the security and maintenance of your PC are communicated to you. The Action Center also uses color-coded messages to signify the level of the message’s importance. For example, red items need to be addressed immediately, like an expired antivirus application. Yellow items, on the other hand, are recommendations that need your attention as well, but are not as urgent as the red ones. An example of this is system-scheduled maintenance that you’ve recently missed.

To open the Action Center:

1. Click Start
2. Click Control Panel
3. Click System and Security
4. Click the arrow on the right of the Security or Maintenance headers to view your messages and the suggested actions that need to be taken. If there is a problem, click View Solution and follow the instructions on the next page of the same screen, or from a new window.

Keeping track of this feature is a convenient way of ensuring that your computer remains secure and performs well.