Computer Security
Effectively protecting your computer on the internet requires commitments from you to avoiding the obvious traps that exist on the internet. Plainly speaking that means if the site contains illegal music, video or programs you must actively avoid these sites. There is "no free lunch" when it comes to the internet and if you download illegal content from the internet you will eventually fall victim to a virus attack. The following five tips will help in protecting your computer while on the internet.
1. Install a proven anti-virus program and ensure it has all the latest updates. The "free" anti-virus programs available cannot effectively protect your machine and are not recommended. Consult a computer technician before purchasing and installing an anti-virus program. On my website at http://www.reidyonline.com you will see comparisons of various anti-virus programs available and why I don’t recommend them.
2. Adjust Login Security Levels. By default most users have administrator rights on their computer. You don’t need this level of security under normal circumstances. Viruses take advantage of this fact and can easily infect your computer when you are logged in with administrator rights. Create an admin account on your pc, login to it and adjust down all other accounts to restricted user level. Seek technical help on this one if you are unsure.
3. Avoid downloading Junk Software Resist the temptation to download programs that have not been recommended to you by a qualified technician. The so called speedup cleanup tools that you find advertised are for the most part junk and in many cases lead to sites that will spyware infect your machine. If your machine is slow contact a qualified technician to get it corrected.
4. Think Before Your Google Virus writers will setup fake sites to trap the unsuspecting user. Once you click on these sites you are going to get infected. If you are prompted by a site that you need to install software to view it don’t!
5. Restrict Access To Your Computer. Activate the guest account on your computer and only allow guests to use this account. Do not allow others to browse the web with your login. If you do chances are you’ll regret it.
Oliver Reidy is a computer technician and has been in the industry since 1981.Locally he is a member of Mebo (Meath East Business Owners) Http://www.mebo.biz. You can view this article online at http://reidyonline.blogspot.com/ or via his facebook page at facebook.com/reidyonline
You can contact him via email at
