PC Security
Just as one has to change the oil in your car to keep it
working, your PC requires some basic maintenance to insure that it
works properly. And with all the new virus's, which can destroy
the data on your computer, it is in your best interest to spend a
little time maintaining your computer to avoid becoming infected with
computer virus's.
The following information should provide you with the resources you need to keep your PC operating properly.
Virus Software
The simplest and most important thing you can do for your
PC is to install and properly configure virus software. There are
a number of packages available. The links below are for three
that we know work well.
- Norton AntiVirus for Windows - Norton is our recommended product!
Once you have the software installed, make sure to configure the package to automatically download and install updates !
Windows and Office Updates
If you have a Windows based PC, make sure that you
regularly install the necessary Windows updates. Microsoft has a
web site that will automatically analyze your PC and apply the proper
updates http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com.
You can also configure your PC to automatically check Microsoft and download these updates.
- How to Configure and Use Automatic Updates for Windows XP
- How to Configure and Use Automatic Updates for Windows 2000
Personal Firewall
Another great tool that you can use to better protect your
PC from current and future worm type virus's is a personal
firewall. A personal firewall limits network communications to
only those communications you specify. By default, Microsoft
Windows has a number of open communication ports and a personal
firewall can shut down those ports and further protect your PC from
virus's as well as hackers.
-
Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall (Free if you have Windows XP) - Our recommended solution!
- ZoneAlarm ( free version, Pro Version )
Backups
Do you backup your PC ? If not, you better !!
Here are some links for help on how to backup your computer.
SpyWare
One of the more irritating feature of the Internet today is
SpyWare. SpyWare are small software programs installed on your PC
by various packages and web sites that monitors what your PC is
doing. This monitoring not only is an invasion of your privacy,
but when the SpyWare collects the data and sends it back to a storage
location, your PC performance is degraded. We've seen instances
where SpyWare is using 50% of the cpu utilization on the PC.
SpyWare elimination software we recommend:
