A Beginner's Guide to Computer Protection
By Adam Eastman

If you're like me you probably spent a great deal of time and effort to decide upon which home computer would be the best fit for you and your family. You probably shopped around and compared prices and performances, finally finding a PC that fit your budget and would serve your entertainment and professional/academic needs. So you get the thing home, spend the time getting it hooked up and just like that, you're ready to go. Off to surf the web, do research, pay bills, anything you desire. You're just glad that you got the whole ordeal over with and now you get to reap the rewards. But hold on for a second. There are a few important things that you need to know about protecting yourself and that precious investment you just forked over hard earned cash for.

First of all, most PCs that you buy today will come with Microsoft's Internet Explorer preset as your web browser. Personally, I stopped using this browser long ago and it was one of the best decisions I have made. Download and install Mozilla Firefox as your web browser and you will save yourself a lot of trouble. The download is available for free from Mozilla's main site and I have found it to be an excellent alternative to Internet Explorer. It has a built in pop-up stopper and since many of the viruses and malignant software out there are targeted at Explorer, browsing the web with Firefox can save you some serious problems.

Secondly, you may or may not have let the salesman at the computer store talk you into buying their overpriced Virus protection software. I know I did, and I was disappointed when I found out I had been overcharged for a service that would expire in 6 months to a year anyway. I could have just as easily found a cheaper service online that would perform just as well. That being said, you DO need to have a virus protection program, as well as a Spyware/Adware program to protect your PC from unwanted intruders. These can be found online for very reasonable prices.

Lastly, once you've taken the time to protect your computer, you need to make sure you perform routine maintenance to keep it running smoothly. Regularly check for updates through Microsoft, your Anti-Virus, and your Anti-Spyware/Adware provider. This will ensure that you're constantly protected from the ever-evolving list of harmful agents attempting to penetrate and attack your PC. Also make sure to run the Disk-Cleanup and Disk Defragment programs which can be found by going to your Control Panel on the Start Menu, clicking on System and Maintenance and then Administrative tools.

I hope I have provided some helpful guidance that will ensure you a pleasurable computing experience. Unfortunately, I learned some of these lessons the hard way. With the ever-rising cost of home PC's, it's better to be informed and take a few simple steps to ensure your PC's safety, than to find out you just forked over a lot of hard-earned cash for a computer that gives you nothing in return but headaches.

Adam Eastman writes on Computer and Technology related issues. You can learn more by visiting my blog, Protecting Your PC. http://protectyourpc-adam.blogspot.com/

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