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Ten Ways to Protect your Computer |
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Wednesday, 26 July 2006 |
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Page 1 of 5  A recent survey by Consumer Reports WebWatch has found that nearly one-third of U.S. Internet users are cutting back on Web usage, and 25 per cent say they have stopped buying on-line, because of fears of identity theft and threats from virus', spyware and hackers.
These trends are sad because the vast majority of these computing threats can be mitigated by following some basic security precautions. To help consumers protect themselves Digital Home Canada presents ten ways you can protect yourself and your Windows XP computer.
Introduction - It's All or Nothing! Many people would never dream of buying a house, filling it with their most precious belongings and then go out and leave the doors open. No one would seriously put their $1,500 Snowblower and expensive tools in their garage and then leave the garage door open all night. Why, because we know that this would inevitably lead to your toys and equipment being stolen.
It's sad that thieves exist but rather than locking ourselves in our home, we take precautions to prevent being victimized. In the same vein, it's unfortunate that hackers and con artists exist on the internet but again, rather than shrinking from all the wonderful things that the internet has to offer, computer owners need to lock up their PC and institute safe computing practices.
In this article, we will list ten things that every computer owner must do if they wish to protect themselves. Digital Home Canada can't guarantee that these 10 steps to safety will protect your computer 100%, however, all the locks and security alarms in the world, can't guarantee that you'll never have your home, garage or car broken into or vandalized.
We can tell you that, if you implement all of these 10 steps, it is unlikely you will have problems. Typically hackers and con artists look for easy prey. If your computer is locked up tight, they'll simply move on to easier victims.
The following is a checklist of things you must do to protect yourself. We recommend that you implement ALL of these measures in a step by step fashion, in the order that we describe. Enacting only a portion of these security measures is not enough. You must follow all the steps if you want maximum protection.
Every one of these steps take only seconds or minutes and costs little or no money so there is no excuse for not implementing them.
Ten Required Steps to Protection The ten steps to protecting your Windows XP computer are:
- Update your Operating System
- Install a Firewall
- Install Anti-Virus Software
- Install Anti-Spyware Software
- Protect your Wireless and Wired Network
- Install a Pop-Up Blocker
- Back-Up your Computer
- Password Protect File and Print Sharing
- Set Anti-Virus software to scan email
- Use Secure Passwords
Update Windows XP Operating System The very first step in protecting your Windows XP computer is to update the operating system to Service Pack 2. Service Pack 2 (SP2) is a free update for your Windows XP operating system and can help protect your computer and personal information against viruses, hackers, pop-ups, and worms.  Windows XP Update With Windows XP Service Pack 2, Microsoft also added the Windows Security Center which will notify you when your computers firewall or anti-virus protection has been disabled or is out of date. You can update your software by visiting the Microsoft Update site at http://update.microsoft.com . We also recommend you turn automatic updates on so your Windows XP software installs the latest security patches. Related Link: For a very good video guide to Windows security click on this which explains how to update your system. Next: Install a Firewall |