How to Keep your Computer Secure

[Woody]

How to Keep your Computer Secure
By Woody

• 1.0 [Introduction]
• 2.0 [Where to Find software]
  • 2.1 [Anti Adware/Spyware]
  • 2.2 [Anti Virus]
  • 2.3 [Personal Firewall]
• 3.0 [Updating Files]
• 4.0 [Scanning your Computer]
• 5.0 [Miscellaneous Security]
• 6.0 [FAQ and Credits]

1.0 [Introduction]

As many of you know keeping your computer secure and safe is very important. Well I'm going to show you some freeware and some licensed software that you can use to keep your computer secure. Even if you have some of this stuff read on you might learn something.

2.0 [Where to Find software]

If you went to Google and typed in free anti-virus software odds are your not going to find anything but viruses themselves. This is why you need to know where your download your software from. A great place to start is Download.com, one of the best sites to find almost anything you want.
This is the Link to their Official Homepage for Anti Virus etc.

http://www.download.com/Antivirus-Firewall-Spyware/?tag=dir

2.1 [Anti Adware/Spyware]

First Off were going to pick a few choice Adware/Spyware programs. Lucky for you most of the top of the line programs in this set are free for personal use. Remember that you can always run multiple programs in this area because they all have the chance of missing something.
A few of my Favorites are:

Ad-Aware 2007:
One of the best Anti Spyware/Adware programs out there, completely free for personal use. More info can be found at the Download.com and Official homepage links found below.

http://www.download.com/3000-8022_4-10731194.html

http://www.lavasoft.de/

WinPatrol 2007:
Another great program for Anti Spyware/Adware. Has a free trial and then requires a $30 license fee. More info can be found at the Download.com and Official homepage links found below.

http://www.download.com/3000-8022_4-10740138.html

http://www.winpatrol.com/

2.2 [Anti Virus]

Ok now that you have seen a few Anti Spyware/Adware programs we can move onto Anti Virus. Anti Virus is a crucial program that you should always have on your computer. Many of the best require license's to run but are more than worth it unless you like reformatting your computer monthly. I'll start off with a few free ones and then move onto the payment required ones.

Avast Home Edition:
Completely free and a must if your not going to buy a pay Anti Virus. More info can be found at the Download.com and Official homepage links found below.

http://www.download.com/Avast-Home-Edition/3000-2239_4-10721010.html

http://www.avast.com/

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition:
Also a great Anti Virus program. This version is completely free making it very affordable for those with a low budget. More info can be found at the Download.com and Official homepage links found below.

http://www.download.com/3000-2239_4-10741647.html

http://www.grisoft.com/

McAfee VirusScan Plus 2007:
A decent Anti Virus but there are some downfalls. This product costs $40 but it also includes many features not on other Anti Virus. This product is not recommended for low end computers as this can be a memory and CPU hog. More info can be found at the Download.com and Official homepage links found below.

http://www.download.com/McAfee-VirusScan-Plus/3000-2239_4-10582866.html

http://www.mcafee.com/

Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition:
This is my personal favorite and what I consider to be one of the best programs out there. The only drawback to using this software is it requires the purchase of at least 5 licenses so it can get a bit pricey but it is worth it. More info can be found at the Official homepage below.

http://www.symantec.com/smb/products/overview.jsp?pcid=vir_prot&pvid=av_corp

2.3 [Personal Firewall]

Now to move onto Personal Firewalls, these are a very important part of your computer security suite. Firewalls are the programs that make sure only the applications you want to access the internet do. There really is only one free firewall that you should consider getting but if you happen to get one bundled with your choice of Anti Virus that is also a good option.

ZoneAlarm Firewall:
The best Free firewall that your going to get. With over 42 million downloads for the current version it is also the most popular firewall out there. More info can be found at the Download.com and Official homepage links found below.

http://www.download.com/ZoneAlarm-Firewall-Windows-2000-XP-/3000-10435_4-10698360.html

http://www.zonelabs.com/

Other Firewalls:
Most Anti Virus providers also have Firewalls that they will sell usage licenses to. Pick your favorite provider or shop around, many will also offer bundle packages with the Anti Virus service they provide.

3.0 [Updating Files]

Now just having a piece of software will not stop your computer from getting infected, you have to constantly be updating your definition files for the latest threats. Many of these programs will auto update so you don't need to check daily but around once a week. Below is a list of when you should check for updates on your various programs.

• Anti Virus - Every 1-2 days
• Anti Spyware/Adware - Every week
• Firewall - Every 1-2 weeks
• Windows security update - Turn on Automatic updates

4.0 [Scanning your Computer]

Many Programs have Automatic scanning and can detect anything trying to get on your computer but there is always that chance they missed something and thats where scheduled scans come into play. Scheduled scans should be done at times when you normally are not on the computer but it is on, times when your normally are sleeping are best. Below is a list of how often you should schedule these scans.

• Anti Virus - Deep Scan 1-2 times a week
• Anti Virus - Low Scan daily
• Anti Spyware/Adware every 1-2 days

Another thing to keep in mind is try not to schedule multiple scans at the same time so they don't slow down your computer or interfere with each other.

5.0 [Miscellaneous Security]

Even after you install all that security software, run daily scans, and keep you definition files updated something can slip through. The list of software below should help you keep your computer safer.

Mozilla Firefox:
This is a really basic one, everyone should already be using this anyways. More info at the Official homepage.

http://www.mozilla.org/

CCleaner:
Useful for backing up your registry if something happens to it. More info at the Official homepage.

http://www.ccleaner.com/

6.0 [FAQ and Credits]

FAQ: None yet


Credits:
Woody
Richard - Idea for the guide
Download.com
Official Homepages

nice guide. ive had zone alarm since 2001. its worked good ever since

[Dirty]

Nice guide, very informative. +Rep'd

[Eskimo Bob]

Nice guide woody, like most of your other guides, very detailed