Microsoft will be issuing an "out of band" -- meaning out-of-cycle -- patch for a dangerous flaw I previously reported on, involving the way Windows handles program shortcuts.

Microsoft announced the forthcoming patch on a security blog. The patch will be released Monday, Aug. 2. Normally, Microsoft rolls out its patches on "Patch Tuesday," the second Tuesday of each month. But this fix couldn't wait. One reason, as Microsoft noted, is that it has "seen an increase in attempts to exploit the vulnerability," which we also knew was coming.

The affected operating systems include Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. Microsoft said that "We firmly believe that releasing the update out of band is the best thing to do to help protect our customers." I agree wholeheartedly. This is something that couldn't wait, and Microsoft did a good job getting this fix ready so quickly, and not waiting even an extra week to release it.

The best way to get the fix is to set your computer to get Windows Automatic Updates. Otherwise, you'll need to grab the patch and fix the hole yourself.

In my recent Guide to the Windows 7 desktop, I showed you a number of ways to use the Aero Interface to quickly move and re-size open windows. Most of them involve grabbing and manipulating the window.

There are keyboard shortcuts that can help you do the same. It's the "Windows" key -- the little flag that, for most, is near the bottom left on a keyboard, plus one of the four "arrow" keys, normally found on the bottom right.

To move an active window (the one you're currently working in) to the right (and fill the right half of the screen), press the Windows key and right arrow simultaneously. As you may have guessed, do the same with the Windows key and left arrow key to move a window to the left. Windows key plus the up arrow moves the window to the top of the screen and makes it full screen, and Windows plus the down arrow minimizes the window.

Using shortcut keys is one of the easiest, and best, ways to increase your speed on your computer.

In case you missed it: I've posted a new guide to making your computer faster. It's got some of the best tips and tricks around for getting more speed out of your PC. Some cost money, some don't.

One that I didn't mention: buy a new PC. If your computer is more than five years old, it's definitely time to throw out the old, and ring in the new. I think you'll be surprised at how quickly a new computer runs. If you're shopping for a new Windows computer, you can't do better than checking out our PC Hardware and Reviews site. Guide Mark Kyrnin loves doing this stuff, and I find his reviews to be spot-on.

And, since About.com exists to serve you the reader, and not a particular advertiser or sponsor, you can be assured of getting an unbiased review. It's well worth your time to see what he's reviewing.

And you thought selling seven copies of Windows 7 every second was a lot.

Microsoft's latest figures show that Windows 7 is now selling at a rate of about 10 copies every second. Whew. Microsoft is also reporting that Windows 7 is now on 16 percent of all PCs worldwide. That's pretty astonishing, considering that it hasn't even been out a year yet.

That's what happens when you build a great operating system. It also doesn't hurt, of course, that Windows Vista had problems out of the gate, and never caught on. That's the information you won't hear from Microsoft -- that Vista was poor enough to keep folks using Windows XP for eight or nine years in many cases, and surely helped spur some of Windows 7's amazing adoption.

Still, Microsoft deserves kudos for doing such a good job with Windows 7; they're well earned.