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Click here if you want an easy way to send photos by email
If you use email and the internet there are many “nasties” out there to interfere with your enjoyment of this great technology. Some of them can stop your computer from working completely, but many just slowly show their presence by making your computer go slower, ask questions on startup that you haven’t seen before, bring up unwanted and unexpected adverts on screen, make programs crash, and spyware will send personal information about your computer usage, and sites visited, secretly to agencies who sell the information to advertisers. We all have a responsibility to keep our PCs clean so that we don't infect our friend's PCs via email. As an absolute minimum, any pc that connects to the internet must have a firewall and an anti-virus program which must be kept up to date.
Don't be tempted to use free virus scans that occasionally pop up on your screen when on the Internet. They will tell you that you have all sorts of problems and then want money to remove them. They are often rubbish and in many cases will actually install viruses or spyware on your PC.
For hassle free computing and to keep your computer running smoothly and free from viruses, spyware, popup adverts, unauthorized connection to your computer, etc, it is my opinion that all home computer users must be running at least the following programs on their computer. These are suitable for all modern versions of Windows ie XP, Vista, and Windows 7. On some sites mentioned below, the free version needs to be searched for as they try to lure you into clicking on the professional version, which you have to pay for of course.
1. An antivirus program – For the average home user I would recommend using one of the free products below, I use them on all my PCs
These free products get very good reviews when tested. They are not shown in any order of merit, they're all good.
1. Microsoft Security Essentials is available from www.microsoft.com/security_essentials This is currently the pick of the bunch and works well.
2. AVG which is available free from www.grisoft.com. The free version can be hard to find on their website so try this direct link AVG free version.
2. Avast which is available free from www.avast.com Again the free version can be hard to find, try this link Avast free version
3. Avira which is available free from www.free-av.com
Suitable products to purchase (all available from www.download.com) are:
1. eTrust EZ Antivirus (good price),
2. NOD32, a first class product
and there are many others but I am either not familiar with them or in some cases wouldn't touch them.
Updates and backups should be set to automatic or done manually at least once a week, preferably twice a week.
2. A firewall – ZoneAlarm is very good and free. Set it up to load at startup, and to automatically check for updates. If not set to automatic, then check for updates once a month. Available from www.download.com or for a more direct link Zonealarm free ZoneAlarm Pro and Plus are more professional versions and are not free, but could be worth considering if you have an ADSL connection. Note that Windows XP has a built in firewall but it gives much less protection than ZoneAlarm and should not be relied upon, particularly if you have an ADSL connection.
3. An Advert Find and Remove program – Ad-aware is very good and free. Manually run the program every 1 or 2 weeks and get it to remove any critical items it finds. You need to click on the box to the left of each item found and then click “next”. Check for updates once a month. Available from www.download.com Try here for a direct link
4. A Spyware Find and Remove program – Spybot Search and Destroy is good and free (but is slow). Manually run the program every 1 or 2 weeks and get it to remove anything found. You need to click on the box to the left of each item found and then click “fix selected problems”. Check for updates once a month. Available from www.download.com or try the direct link here
5. An Email previewer such as Mailwasher. Click on this and preview any mail waiting for you on your ISP, and delete or bounce any rubbish before it is downloaded onto your PC. A free version is available by clicking here.
6. A program that warns you if try to go to a site with known security issues. I use SiteHound. A free version was available at www.firetrust.com but is currently being re-written - available soon hopefully.
For more experienced computer users, the following should also be considered:
7. A Pop-up Advert Blocker – the Google Toolbar is good and free. Available from Google or from www.download.com
8. WinPatrol takes a snapshot of your critical system resources and alerts you to any changes, such as the installation of covert software, that occur without your knowledge. The free version is now available again after a re-write. It is available from Winpatrol-free or www.download.com,
In addition to the above, all users should once a week,
do a cleanup of unnecessary files on your PC. Click on Start (bottom left of desktop), then Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, then Disc Cleanup, and check your C drive. Delete all the files it finds. Any other drives you have should be checked occasionally as well.On a monthly basis check on any Windows updates that have been produced. Click on Start (bottom left of desktop), then Windows Update, if it isn't there then it will be near the top of your programs list. This will need a connection to the internet. If it wants to update your Windows Update software then say yes. When the program does connect click Scan for updates (it will appear halfway down the right-hand window) and update any “Critical Updates and Service Packs” and “Driver Updates” that it finds. If you haven’t done this for a long time then there may be a lot, so only do a few at a time, or you could tie up your phone line for an extended period.
Last updated: June 2010