Keep Your Computer Safe

I'm not a computer expert by any means. I'm self taught through trial and error and sometimes a lot of error but in the end it has all been for the best as I've learned a great deal.

I've also spent a lot of time surfing the web and making friends with others with a lot more experience than myself.

For those of you like me who might not have a clue on some things that can help keep your computer safe, clean and running well, here are a few things that you might want to consider.

Anti Virus Protection
This is key to any PC that you must have software installed that will protect your computer from nasty viruses and programs that can damage your computer or steal information.

My personal choice for AV software is from a company called Eset and it's called NOD32.
It works great, is one of the most highly rated programs and it's easy on your computer's resources so it won't slow you down. It scans your email as it is downloading for added protection and it has never failed me yet.

Kaspersky AntiVirus is also an excellent product but I never learned to like it. Another highly rated AV software is BitDefender.

Programs to avoid in my opinion are Norton AntiVirus and McAfee AntiVirus. They will clog up your computer and once they are installed it's damn near impossible to get all traces of them uninstalled from your computer when the time comes.

Firewall
No computer should be without some kind of a Firewall to block unwanted attempts to access your PC. If you are running Windows XP or Vista then it came with a very basic firewall and it's better than nothing but just barely. You would be wise to get a stand alone firewall to keep your system safe.

My choice is called Look 'n' Stop Firewall. It's simple yet very effective and does a tremendous job. A good firewall will help to block spyware, keyloggers and make your computer invisible to hackers.

Other good Firewall's include Outpost Firewall Pro and Zone Alarm Pro.

Anti-Spyware Software
Many people feel spyware is more dangerous than a virus. Spyware can appear on your computer if you don't take precautions or do regular scans. Spyware can steal your identity information, monitor your internet use and in many ways take over your computer without your permission or knowledge. Quite simply, spyware might be your worst enemy.

The software I have chosen to combat the problem of spyware are SpySweeper and Ad-Aware SE Pro. These are both excellent programs and when used properly will keep you free of any intrusions.

Privacy Software
Your online activities are not private. Surfing records, downloaded files and some identifying data is stored on your computer. Privacy software will keep your private information just that—private. It can also remove old, unused and unwanted information that will build up over time on your computer and eat up hard drive space.

I have two programs that I use on a regular basis (daily). The first one is absolutely free to download from the internet and is called CCleaner which is short fro Crap Cleaner. That's exactly what it does. It cleans all of the crap left behind off your computer. Go and download this one right now if you haven't already. The other program I use is Window Washer. This one will cost you money so if that's an issue then CCleaner will do a good enough job to keep you happy.

Anti-Spam
Take control of your E-mail Inbox and lock unwanted spam and malicious content out. Spam scams are here to stay, so fight back with a powerful spam filter.

Once again I have come to favour one program over all others and that is MailWasher Pro. This program lets you safely preview and delete bad email before it gets to your computer - never download another spam email to your computer again!

There are others similar but I have found this one to work best for me.

So there you have it, the basics to keeping your computer safe and free of troublesome trojans and spyware. A few preventative measures can keep your computer safe and running trouble free.