Any one who uses a computer today
should be careful and keep up with
the latest safety and security
precautions. Computers are ideal
and they help us in many ways and
can do so many different things
for us, but you have to protect
yourself at all times.
The information on your computer
is often very personal in nature
and you do not want unwanted
people to have access to it. You
do not have to worry about having
problems and most of them can be
prevented from ever happening in
the first place. Most of it is
basic computer sense. You can
follow a few simple guidelines and
all of your sensitive data can be
protected.
Security Guidelines
Firewalls –
it does not matter what system you
have (Windows 95 or Windows
Vista), you should always use a
firewall. The newer versions of
Windows (Windows XP & Windows
Vista), do have some very nice
safety features including Windows
Defender, which is built in to
Vista and available for download
for XP, but some people disable
them and lose all of that
protection. Windows Defender is
not just a firewall, but also a
complete security center. Windows
XP has a built in firewall and it
also should never be turned off.
You should have your system do
automatic updates if it is
possible to set it up this way.
This will take the worry of having
to do them yourself and also
“one less task” you will need
to do. If you have an older
version then you should be sure to
get a firewall. You can easily
find them online by doing a search
or in your local software
retailer. There are many programs
available for free and if money is
a problem, you may want to check
into this type of firewall. The
only drawback on some of the free
ones is they cannot be set
automatically, but there are many
that will still give you this
feature. It may take some of your
time to research them to find the
one that is right for you, but it
will be worth it in the end. Your
safety is well worth the time
spent. If you cannot have it set
up to do automatic updates be sure
you do them manually.
When you first install your
firewall you will have to take the
time to set it up correctly. Many
times you will be asked on your
first visit to certain web pages
if you want to “allow” or
“deny” access to them. This
process can be a little bothersome
at first, but once you have the
pages set up you will not have to
do it again. A firewall will
prevent many intruders from
gaining access to your system and
causing you any troubles.
Anti Virus –
you should also never disable your
anti virus program. As with the
firewalls, there are many systems
that have this feature built in
and they can also be set to do
automatic updates and system scans
on a set schedule. If you are able
to do this by all means do. These
programs are also available from
your local stores or online and
can be many different prices
including “free”. There are
some very good applications
available to everything you need
to keep viruses or other unwanted
intrusions from your system.
Anti Spyware –
you can have additional protection
by using an anti spyware program
on your system. You should get one
of these if your computer does not
come with one. These programs may
have to be done manually, but some
of them do come with automatic
updates and scans like some of the
anti virus ones.
It does not matter where you get
your firewall, anti virus, and
anti spyware programs from or how
much they cost; what really
matters is that you have all of
them installed, updating and
working on your system at all
times. If you follow this simple
basic computer sense you will not
have to worry about your security.
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