Lets face it, the Internet is a dangerous place. Like any public place, there are viruses and diseases to catch. But what can you do to stay safe and keep your system running at peak performance?
Tip #1: Stay away from cracks and serials sites. If you know some of these sites, avoid them. Most have all kinds of bad things on them that Install without your knowledge
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Tip #2: Just say “no”. If you get a pop up of any kind that you weren’t expecting, say no, or disallow. Only say “Yes” if you know what it is you are installing. When in doubt, type the name of the program trying to install itself into a google search and see what comes up.
Tip #3: Anti virus protection!!!! I can’t stress this enough. EVERY computer on the Internet needs AT LEAST anti-Virus Protection. There are dozens to choose from, however, if you can’t afford one, AVG is a good option. Install one of these. A bonus for AVG and McAfee. They both come with browser plug ins that warn you when you are visiting dangerous sites
Tip #4: Install Mozilla Firefox. This browser is still one of the safest on the market. While Internet Explorer is improving, Firefox is constantly being updated to deal with new threats. You can download it from the Mozilla site http://www.getfirefox.com
Tip #5: System tray pop ups that you don’t recognize, DON’T click on. If it asks you to buy something that you don’t recognize, don’t do it. Refer to Tip #6
Tip #6: Install Spybot AND AdAware to combat these threats. Make sure you use the immunize function in Spybot for a little preventative maintenance.
Tip #7: Keep your firewall up. As tempting as it might be sometimes due to incompatibilities and ports being blocked, don’t drop your firewall. Instead research your firewall and learn how to configure it. Only open ports that you need to and (if the firewall supports it) map said ports to the specific application that needs it.
Tip #8: Ditch P2P applications. You’ve used Limewire or Kazaa or Shareazaa for ever, well sad to say that these networks are often riddled with viruses buy the Movie companies and such to discourage people from using them. Instead, make the move to Bittorrent. However, as with any Internet download, make sure your virus protection is current.
Tip #9: If you suspect anything, scan. If you system is being slow or has previously non-existent pop ups, restart your computer, right before you see the windows logo, press F8 on the keyboard and choose Safe Mode. Disconnect your network cord and scan your system with your Virus Scanner, Spybot and AdAware. Safe mode should allow you to clean just about anything.
