Some people are worried about Internet Scamming. People send false e-mails claiming they are from "Pay-Pal" or "Commonwealth Bank" and say things like "We need your account details to secure your account". BUT DON'T DO IT! It is a scam!

What they will do is open your account and steal all your money! Big business's like Pay-Pal would NEVER i repeat NEVER contact you via e-mail! If they would need to talk to, they would do it via telephone, or maybe over the website.

If you EVER get an e-mail like this. Just delete it.

Final Words

All these programs can make your life that little bit easier, and hopefull you will give them a shot, and see just how good these programs are. After all their all free, and they are all easy to uninstall should you decide that their just not right for you.

6. Download The Operative System's Actualizations

It is substantial, to get your protection to the maximum against eventual virus attacks, to download this actualizations; because what most worm Trojans seek are commonly found “security holes” in most Microsoft products. For these, the company constantly offers “critical” actualizations which we can download, and for those who are a bit lazy to look for them in the internet, Windows has an option for them to download automatically.

7. Be Careful With The Files You Receive In Your e-Mail

When we receive a new mail, it is highly recommended to virus scan it, even if you know the remittent. Most users do not even know that their computers are infected, and may be sending you a corrupted file by accident.

8. Another Entrance Gateway, Chat

In most chat rooms it's really common to send any kind of files, via a DDC system. If you get one you never requested, or from an unknown source, NEVER accept it, even if it seems really interesting.

9. Other Tips

Pay special attention to archives which may grow in size without any apparent reason. Or if you get strange Windows notes. Try not to download stuff from web pages you may consider unsafe.

10. And Of Course, Update Your Antivirus

Nowadays there are quite good either free or paid antivirus. In both cases they update automatically, so we all have the parches for the dangerous Mydoom y mentioned in the first part of the article.

If you haven't read the first part, brush up on tips one to five.

And publish 10 obvious but really important tips that everyone with a computer must follow. So if you haven't been infected yet, you should read the next:

1. Be Careful With VBS Archives

   Do not open files with the extension VBS (Visual Basic Script, a language which permits to execute routines in the PC) unless you are completely sure that that mail comes from a trustable person, who doesn't want to harm your computer.

2. Do Not Hide Program Extensions

   All Windows operative systems hide commonly known program extensions in windows explorer. This characteristic can be used by virus designers and hakers to hide a program as if it were one with a different extension.

3. Change Windows Explorer Security Form “Minimum” to “Medium”

   To change this you must go to “Tools”, “Internet Options”, and “Security”. After that you may choose the one you like. I recommend using the option to personalize and set it to mid or high, depending on the risk to which you consider you may stand up to.

4. Install a Good Firewall

   This is really important. You may download a free one from the internet, or just configure the one from your operative system (better if you have windows XP).

5. Make Security Copies

   A way is to upload most important archives to internet. There are web pages such as Rapidshare, Megaupload, or File Factory to which you may upload important stuff. In this way you may clear your hard disk without loosing info. Of course there are other ways, such as making backup copies in CDs, DVDs, ZIP drives or pen drives.

“I'm not worried about any hackers”, well you should be, because as more people start using the internet to pay bills, do banking and signup for services online, and all of that personal information that is needed to use these online services is recorded and stored on the computer's hard drive. More importantly, hackers know this and most of them realize that the majority of “Personal Computer” owners do not do enough to secure their computers and if the hacker can gain access to this personal information, then this information can be used to steal a person's identity.

The Good News is, there are 10 things that you can do to protect your computer's security and make your computer a less attractive target for hackers.

1. Install An Good Firewall

   Installing a good firewall is the first step to defending a personal computer's security and keeping out unwanted guest. No firewall is able to prevent 100% of hacker attempts, but many really good firewalls are able to block the majority of intruders attempting to gain access to the computer's hard drive and that's a pretty good start. I use Zone Alarm Firewall by ZoneLabs and in my opinion; it does a great job protecting my computer.

2. Install a Anti-Virus Program

   Computer viruses are infecting more and more computers around the world, because there are more people using the Internet and the majority of Internet users have not installed an anti-virus program into their computers. Installing a good anti-virus program is the second step of securing a personal computer and preventing harmful computer viruses from being able to wreak havoc on the computer's operating system. Some viruses can damage the hard drive, processor or in some extreme cases cause the computer to cease to work anymore. Viruses is a serious matter that all computer owners need to be aware of, and take steps to install a good anti-virus like AVG Anti-Virus.

3. Install An Up-to-Date Anti-Spyware Software

   Installing Anti-Spyware software into a computer will defend against the harmful affects that some spyware programs can cause to the overall security and condition of the computer system itself. Spyware is a program that is used to track Internet users when surfing the web, but some types of spyware are used to steal personal information that the Internet user has recently stored onto their computer's hard drive. Spyware can also slow the computer's operating system (Microsoft XP and Microsoft Vista are operating systems) down to a crawl making it more time-consuming to download games, watch movies online, and visit websites.

4. Install Any Software Patches (Microsoft Operating System Users Only)

   Regularly, Microsoft Corporation publishes security patches to close any backdoors found in their operating systems software on their website Microsoft.com and computer owners should check and install regularly for these most recent updates, so to better secure the computer's security integrity.

5. Use a Pop-up Blocker

   Pop-ups if anything is annoying, but when they continue to explode onto the computer screen with no end in sight, then they are downright intrusive and need to be blocked, and installing a pop-up blocker is the best line of defense for blocking pop-ups, while surfing the internet. Most Internet Service Providers (ISP) offer some type of pop-up blocker to their members as a benefit of the membership when using their service and most of these pop-up blockers are good programs to use for blocking these unwanted pop-up advertisements that appear when visiting some websites on the internet.

6. Most Importantly: Keep Your Security Software Updated

   Once you finish installing a good firewall, anti-virus software, and anti-spyware software it is very important to keep these programs updated or these programs will quickly become obsolete and will not be able to protect the computer's security as well as they were designed to do. Most software publishers will email software update alerts to inform you that there are new updates available for the software being used to protect your computer's security and a hyperlink that will direct where the software updates can be downloaded. Anytime a new software update becomes available it should be downloaded as soon as possible, so that the software can continue to operate the way it was designed to operate.

7. Delete Any E-Mails Sent To You From A Stranger

   Do not open any email that is sent to you by a stranger, because many times these emails will be infected with a virus that could be used to steal personal information or to damage the computer beyond fixing.

8. Avoid Opening E-Mail Attachments From Strangers or Unknown Companies

   Avoid opening any email attachments that was sent to you from a stranger or a company that you do not know, because viruses can be hidden within these types of attachments. Be sure to use your Anti-virus software to scan all emails and attachments for viruses, before opening any email that is sent to your mailbox, so to avoid getting a nasty computer virus or worm.

9. Stay Away From Adult Websites and Online Gambling Websites

   There are millions upon millions of good websites on the Internet that poses no threat to a computer's security, but there are some websites that can pose a great security threat to a computer's security integrity that should be avoided at all costs. Some online gambling and adult websites are infected with computer viruses and worms that can disrupt internet service and could open a backdoor in the operating system that a hacker could later use to steal personal information that is stored on the hard drive.
   
   To avoid the damaging effects of harmful computer viruses and worms be sure to run a virus and spyware scan on your computer at least once per day, so to remove these things before they have had the chance cause any real damage to the computer's security.

10. Install and Use a Computer Password To Protect The PC When You Are Away

    Install a personal password on your computer as soon as possible, so to prevent anyone from gaining access to your computer's operating system when you are away. Most Microsoft Operating Systems (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Microsoft XP and Microsoft Vista) are password capable and can add additional security to the computer when used.

In conclusion, the best way to protect your personal computer is to install software that will protect and defend against uninvited guests and viruses and to keep the software updated, so that the software will continue to do the job that it was designed to do.

COMPUTER SECURITY

3 years ago, worm “Blaster” hurt “Windows XP”. Whit so bad virus on the loose it was very dangerous to connect to the internet. We won't get in trouble having firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware installed on our computer.

Firewall - If we were living in a house, which would be surrounded by a big wall, nobody evil would come in. Firewall does the same thing. Doesn't let any hackers to break into our computer.

ZoneAlarm Free:

A free firewall, which is one of the best, is needed. Many tests have proved that this is the best free firewall. If ZoneAlarm Free sees that someone is trying to connect to our computer, program blocks it and tells us about it.

Outpost Firewall Pro:

This program was the best in 2006 and definitely is one of the best on 2007. Not only “Outpost Firewall Pro” guards our computer, but it also guards itself. Hackers can turn off firewalls, but Outpost won't let that happen. But don't forget that this firewall is not free.

Anti-virus - If our computer will get a virus and he won't get any help, we can lose many data. It won't happen if we will have an anti-virus.

Avira AntiVir PE Classic:

This anti-virus is very effective. Free fighter against viruses will kill all viruses. It is very easy to use this anti-virus. But this program is slow. It takes Avira AntiVir PE Classic to find out about a new virus about 5 hours.

Kaspersky:

Definitely the best anti-virus around. It was 1st on many tests and will be in the future so I recommend Kaspersky for all. Anti-Spyware - spies are very bad for us. They steal information from us and use it for bad deeds.

Ad-Aware SE Personal:

You can often see how spyware gets into our computer. Free anti-spyware like Ad-Aware SE Personal will detect all spies and delete them.

Webroot Spy Sweeper:

This is a not free anti-spyware but worth to buy. It is more effective than a free anti-spyware. Also it can block spies before they enter our computer.

MOVIES, PHOTOS AND MUSIC

We can watch movies, listen to music and look at photos with our computer. Without additional programs it is not easy to do it.

Listen to music - Many people have music in their computers. Our OS probably already has a music player, but I recommend other, better, free players.

Winamp:

You probably know about this music player. It is one of most popular and the best. We can also listen to radio with this player.

Foobar2000:

A free and easy to use music player. It easily plays all music formats. It is not well known, but it doesn't mean that this player is bad. I recommend this for those, who have not a powerful computer.

Watching movies and photos - Windows Xp has Windows Media Player, which can play movies, but it's not always recognizes a video. If that happens, you won't be able to watch movies. It will never happen if you install other video player.

BSPlayer:

One of the most popular video players. BSPlayer can make videos look better, show video subs and do other good things.

VLC Player:

This video player is not presentable like other players, but it has many good possibilities. One of the best, it can show videos trough LAN. But if we won't need this, we will still like it because it shows all movies.

Irfan View:

You will be able to not only look at photos, but and correct them with Irfan View. It can change size, remove red eyes. This free program should really be in our computer if we hold all our photos in computer.

Picasa:

This program is great because when you install it; all your photos automatically will be putted in folders by date. You can also edit photos with this great program.

FOR INTERNET

Computer without an internet - computer without a future. We often browse through many web pages. That's why you need a browser. Many people use “Internet Explorer 6” but this explorer is not the best. We also like to talk with our friends. That's why we need a messenger and e-mail.

Internet browsers - Don't use IE6! There are many better browser around.

Firefox 2:

This browser has become very popular. Firefox is very stable and has many possibilities. It has many add-ons. Like showing weather, downloading all videos from internet and other.

Opera:

Opera is not only a browser for a PC but it also can be used on mobile phones. The newest version has Speed Dial. It makes the fastest even faster.

Internet Explorer 7:

Newest IE version. It is much better than the old one, because it has many new possibilities and is much safer. If you want to continue to use IE, download IE7.

E-mail - Windows already has and e-mail program “Outlook Express”. But it is not so good. I recommend other e-mail programs.

The Bat:

It is a very powerful and easy to use e-mail. It won't let other to view our mail. The Bat also checks all incoming mail for spam. This way our computer is protected from viruses and spyware.

ThunderBird:

It is created by Firefox creators. It is also free and fast. It also has a good protection from spam.

Messengers - We all talk through the internet. For that we need a nice messenger.

Skype:

It is absolutely free. We can not only call to PC, we can also call to mobile phones, but we will have to pay for that. To talk to others, we will need a microphone and headphones. We also can see our friend through his webcam.

ICQ:

It is the most popular messenger. ICQ name is made from "I seek you”. We can not only chat, but also play little games. When we install this program, we will get our ICQ number. If we know our friends ICQ number, we can call him.

mIRC:

To use IRC you need a small program like mIRC. mIRC is a friendly IRC client that is well equipped with options and tools. mIRC is shareware, which means that you can download mIRC and try it out freely for 30 days to evaluate it. If during, or at the end of, the evaluation period you decide that you would like to continue using mIRC, you must register your copy.

OFFICE PROGRAMS

Having a PC means that sooner or later we will have to write a document. To do so we need one of the programs listed below.

Microsoft Office:

Writing a document with MS Office is very easy. Not long ago 2007 version was released. It is much better than 2003. It costs much, but it is worth it. Office 2007 also includes new applications and server-side tools.

OpenOffice:

OpenOffice is a free office suite of applications available for many different operating systems including Linux, Microsoft Windows, Solaris, OpenVMS, IRIX and Mac OS X. It supports the OpenDocument standard for data interchange.

ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE

We have many programs installed now, but it is not enough. We also need few thing.

Archives - With such program we can make one file out of many.

WinRAR:

WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. It can backup your data and reduce size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP and other files downloaded from Internet and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format. You may try WinRAR before buy, its trial version is available in http://www.rarlab.com/.

ZipGenius:

ZipGenius is the absolutely free software for Windows that lets you compress files to almost any kind of archive. ZipGenius supports more than 20 compressed archive formats, including CD/DVD-ROM image files in ISO9660 standard. This is the file compression suite you were searching for: it is free and easy to use, plus it supports more than 20 formats of compressed archives, including RAR, ARJ, ACE, CAB, SQX, OpenOffice.org documents and the excellent7-zip.ZipGenius now can precompress executable files going to be added to a ZIP archive through the UPXcompressor.

CD/ DVD BURNING

PC which has a Windwos XP can burn CD. But it is not very good solution.

Nero Burning ROM:

Nero delivers Multimedia Applications for capturing, editing, burning, managing, sharing as well as Audio/Video Compression Technologies. I used it, using it and will use it.

CDBurnerXp Pro:

It is free and a perfect burner. I tried it because many people say that this burner is one of the best. They were right! It is very good, but I prefer NERO because it has more features, but not everybody need all NERO features, that"s why I recommend CDBurnerXp Pro.

That's it! These are the programs, which is needed by everybody. Don't forget to update all software.