Keep your PC from becoming infected
Patch your computer’s operating system. Many people get the idea that operating system manufacturers are only there to cause hassle. In fact they are there as a safeguard. Take the time to look at the patches that are being downloaded. The vast majority are there to improve security. It is in your best interests to close any security or virus holes and keep your computer and its data safe.
Turn on your firewall. It sounds so simple but with Windows XP there is a firewall so turn it on. In Windows Vista there is Windows Defender to stop spyware and Windows Firewall to prevent unauthorized access to your computer. Remember that as these Microsoft Windows tools are so common they are often the first to be targeted by those seeking to gain access to your computer.
Browser settings set for maximum security. This seems like common sense but it adds to your work. You will need to authorize when a site can be accessed and so it will slow down the speed of your surfing at times. Protect yourself and your work by checking these security settings. You can also protect yourself by choosing another Internet browser. There are many free ones to choose from Opera, Mozilla and Mozilla Firefox, are some that come to mind. If you wish to amend Internet sites then you may want to consider Mozilla Seamonkey. Try them out and see what you prefer. It is often down to personal preference.
Install anti virus and set for auto update. Most computers will come with an anti-virus or a complete package such as Norton Internet Security. It is good to try out the package you have there. Make sure that when your trial period runs out that you have selected a new anti-virus or Internet security. Take a look at Norton, McAfee or Kaspersky and surf the web for other options. Always take advice from computer magazines and friends as to the packages they use so that you will not be caught by a site offering anti-virus software that really infects your machine instead.
Do not open unknown e-mail attachments. It may be a beautiful picture on the outside and a whole heap of trouble on the inside. If you do not recognize who this is from then bin it.
Do not run programs from unknown origins. There are literally millions of programs and scripts on the Internet. You could say that most of them are harmless to your computer but that can still mean hundreds of thousands of programs that will cause harm either to you, or your computer or both.
Disconnect your computer from the Internet when not using it. That is easy for me to say sitting on a portable with easy access to the LAN cable and a switch to turn off the wireless LAN. It may be a different matter as you sit with your computer linked to a LAN and the local printers and file servers are attached to that and the link to the Internet is simply another path to it. If you have some sort of system responsibility for the LAN then consider the positioning of firewalls and defenses both inside the LAN and at the junction of the LAN and the Internet. It may be that you have a single computer linked directly to the LAN via a modem but everything has been neatly installed so you cannot physically get access to the LAN cable or the modem to break the link, then spend the time learning to use the icons in the notification area of your computer to programmatically turn off the Internet while you are doing other things.
Turn off your computer if you are not going to use it for a while. Note that this is a trade-off. If you are stopping long enough to make a drink and a toilet break then leave the computer on as the process of starting and stopping the computer are the most dangerous times. Some companies that I have worked for insisted that their employees and consultants leave the personal computers running all the time and only turn off the screen. This is impractical in these days when your computer network links to the Internet and many threats come from that direction. The point I want to make is that if you are leaving your computer for a number of hours consider turning it off. If you leave it for a few minutes check to see if anything has been running while you were away.
