Kick Windows Media Player to the Curb! – Free GOM Media Player

Tired of Windows Media Player’s weaknesses? Fed up with its 24.5 MB bloated size? Are you unhappy with its outrageous overhead requirements? Then GOM Media Player, (the unusual name stands for Gretech Online Movie Player), may well be the tool you’ve been looking for.

GOM Media Player’s support for a diverse range of file formats, it’s built in Codecs, and its advanced playback capabilities, has made it one of the most downloaded of all Windows Media Player replacements. To date, over 5,380,000 downloads on CNET alone.

GOM Media Player is a relatively small (5.57MB) application that can play most encoded video formats including AVI, DAT, FLV, MPEG, DivX, XviD, and more, with its own built-in Codec system.

If you’re the impatient type, GOM Media Player can even play video files that are still in the process of being downloaded. As well, files that have been broken during the downloading process can still be played.

For audio/video files that GOM Media Player can not play due to a missing Codec, (I haven’t found one yet), GOM Media Player will attempt to find one using GUID; if you are interested in seeing how GUID works then go to GUID.org. http://www.guid.org/ Once it finds a match, you will be redirected to a download site from which you can download and install the required Codec/s.

A built-in Screen Capture utility allows you to take screenshots of your video directly from GOM Media Player. Using the Burst Capture feature, you can take up to 999 shots continuous screenshots. I love this feature!

This is my personal choice of media player, and I have yet to be disappointed with its performance. I highly recommend this really excellent application.

Quick facts:

• DVD-quality videos with 5.1 channel audio output.
• Supports most Codecs (AVI, DAT, MPEG, DivX, FLI using an embedded Codec system
• Plays incomplete or damaged AVI file by skipping the damaged frames
• Plays Locked Media Files while downloading or sharing
• Supports HTTP Streaming ASF/OGG/MP3/AAC/MPEG PS/MPEG TS
• Subtitle, Overlay Mixer features, Keys Remapping, Super speed/High Mode
• Play Audio CD
• Play Video CD/SVCD/XCD
• Enhanced Filter Rendering
• Drag-and-drop support
• Editable skins
• Real-time index rebuilding for AVI files
• Unicode support

Advanced Features:

• Customizable settings on the control panel
• Adjust image brightness, hue, and saturation
• Sharpen and add noise to your video
• Audio equalizer
• Fast forward/rewind using left/right keys
• Repeat a section of your video using A-B Repeat feature

System Requirements: Windows Me/2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista

Download at: Download.com

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Backup Image Hard Drives/Partitions with Free DriveImage XML

We all know how important it is to have a recent backup of critical data, system/hardware drivers (something many of us forget), and user operating system settings, in case of system or hardware failure.

Well with DriveImage XML, a free, easy to use, and reliable program, you can go one step further and image both hard drive partitions and logical drives.

The real benefit of course in imaging your full drives and partitions is you now have the ability to restore your complete operating system, as well as your installed applications, user settings, and the registry.

I was very impressed when just this past week, one of my colleagues copied a dying hard drive to a new drive in less than an hour, directly from Windows XP using this versatile free application.

DriveImage XML uses Microsoft’s Volume Shadow Services (VSS) to create images, allowing you to create safe “hot images” even from drives currently in use. Images are then stored in XML files, which allows you to process those files with third party tools.

If, or when it becomes necessary, you can now restore the image to the same or a replacement drive. You also have the option of copying the drive image directly to a new drive, just as my colleague did. An added feature of DriveImage XML is the included image explorer that permits access to previously created backup images and the extraction of individual files

Since this program is currently distributed as freeware, there is no technical support offered. Instead, refer to the program’s help file and documentation. If you need additional help you can refer to the program’s frequently asked questions (FAQ).

Quick facts:

• Backup logical drives and partitions to image files
• Browse these images, view and extract files
• Restore these images to the same, or a different drive
• Copy directly from drive to drive
• Schedule automatic backups with Task Scheduler
• Restore images to drives without rebooting

System Requirements: Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista

DriveImage XML will backup, image and restore drives formatted with FAT 12, 16, 32 and NTFS

Watch the DriveImage XML video tutorial at YouTube

Download the application at Download.com

If you think backing up has limited value checkout “You’ll Thank Me One Day” by TechPaul.

For another view on How to Install Backup on XP Home, checkout Tech for Everyone a great Blog chock full of great advice.

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Auslogics Disk Defrag – The Best Free Defragger

To paraphrase Shakespeare “To defrag or not to defrag; that is the question”. You wouldn’t think that defragging a hard drive would be an issue which is open to much discussion; but it is.

Fragmentation is caused by creating and deleting files and folders, installing new software, and downloading files from the Internet. When you delete files or folders, the first available empty spaces on the hard drive are filled in randomly when you create new files and folders, as you do when you save pics from your camera, install software, save emails, or create documents.

A fairly common point of view holds that defragging a hard drive is pointless and provides no measurable increase in system performance.

One example of this type of thinking taken from a forum I visit frequently is as follows: “Disk cleanup is pretty useless, and defragging should only really be done if you recently moved around very large files on your hard disk”. This point of view has some support in the tech community.

On the other hand there is also considerable support for the following point of view: “Disk fragmentation leads to system slowdowns, PC crashes, slow startups and shutdowns”.

So which point of view then is more likely to be accurate given that hard disk fragmentation makes the disk drive heads move more than necessary when reading files which leads to reduced performance in file input and output?

Despite the fact that it is difficult, if not impossible, to measure an increase in system performance following hard drive defragmentation, there is a slight leaning in the tech community toward defragmentation being a positive maintenance process. I support this point of view.

Personally, I defrag with Auslogics Disk Defrag a free disk defragger from Auslogics Software on a weekly basis. The program is extremely easy to use, does not require any analysis phase and is faster than most disk defragmentation software I’ve tested in the past, and it’s free. In my view, it’s one more maintenance process in helping me get the maximum performance out of my hardware.

Before you begin a defrag process it’s important to run a program such as CCleaner which will empty your Recycle Bin, Temporary Internet Files folder, and other locations where clutter tends to accumulate on your PC. As well, you might consider uninstalling any applications you no longer use.

Quick facts:

• Improve computer performance and stability
• Increase your productivity – no more waiting for files to open
• Defragment disks in minutes
• Disk fragmentation map and detailed fragmentation report

 

 

Two million downloads of this application from CNET, and an average user rating of 4.5 Stars speaks to the value of this small application.

System requirements: Vista/XP/2000/2003, 32-bit and 64-bit and dual-core CPU supported.

Download at: Download.com

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Adobe Photoshop Express Online Beta Launched

Photoshop Express Beta is a new, just launched, free online service from Adobe which combines 2GB of photo storage space with Adobe quality image editing. Since this an online service there is no need for you to download any software to your computer.

According to Doug Mack, vice president of Consumer and Hosted Solutions at Adobe “Photoshop Express is a convenient, single destination where you can store, edit and share photos whether you’re at home, school or on the road.”

I have used Adobe Photoshop in one flavor or another for 10-12 years, with one degree of success or another, and it has long been the tool of choice for professionals and high-end users, but with Photoshop Express Adobe has brought its digital image-editing expertise to the masses.

Although it carries the Adobe tag, Photoshop Express is distinctly unlike Adobe’s other editing software, thank goodness, in that it is simple for beginners to operate.

In keeping with its one-click approach, a range of standard edits can easily be performed such as cropping, resizing, muting background and removing blemishes and red-eye. One of the most attractive features of Photoshop Express is its easy to understand interface, but the real bonus is that 2GB of free storage.

“This is a consumer-oriented product,” said Geoff Baum, director of Express Products at Adobe. “It’s designed to be very easy to use, very self discoverable, so if I’m a new user and I’ve never had experience doing image editing it should be very quick to figure out how to use the tool.”

To begin using the service, you will first need to sign up and create an account.

Go to: Photoshop Express

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Slow Computer? – Free Software Solutions!

There may be multiple reasons why your computer behaves badly and is no longer the speed demon it once was. The most common problems that have impact on a computer’s speed and behavior are listed here, with the appropriate free software solution.

In most cases, since a slow computer is generally suffering from more than one problem, you will probably find that you will have to resolve the issue using more than a single solution.

A Cluttered Registry

The longer you use Windows, the more cluttered your registry can become, especially if you regularly install and uninstall software. Many applications, on being uninstalled, leave behind “orphan” registry entries. They don’t remove all traces of themselves; causing problems such as sluggish performance, system lockups, or a bloated registry that takes longer to load on startup. The easiest way to clean your registry is to use a free registry cleaner, such as Regseeker. With the click of a button, Regseeker will scan your registry for these fragmented files, and safely remove them.

Download: Regseeker

Full Hard Drive

A full hard drive will not function efficiently. You require at least 2 – 3MB of free space for programs to run smoothly. If you lack this much free space, you should uninstall unused programs on your primary drive. A superior program to uninstall programs from your computer is Revo Uninstaller. This free program with its advanced and fast algorithm scans before, and after you uninstall an application.

After the program’s regular uninstaller runs, you can remove additional unnecessary files, folders and registry keys that are usually left over (those “orphaned” registry entries we talked about earlier), on your computer. This feature is a definite plus.

Download: Revouninstaller

Not Enough Memory

It’s important to have enough memory on your computer to keep programs running smoothly. Current recommendations are that you have at least 512MB on your PC, although at this point, 1GB seems to be a safer bet (2 GB if you are running Vista). If you need to upgrade your RAM, check your local retail ads for sales. You can usually get a RAM upgrade at a great price.

Alternatively, you can run a free memory manager such as FreeRam XP Pro to free and optimize your computer’s RAM (Random Access Memory). The result is an increase in system performance and productivity. The application automatically configures itself for ease of use and also features advanced options and customizability. FreeRAM XP Pro has been designed to be easy to use yet highly customizable by computer novices and experts alike. I have been using this application for several years, and I am delighted with its performance.

Download: FreeRAM XP Pro

Too Many Start-Up Programs

When you boot your computer, there may be a number of programs that start automatically. These programs impact your computer’s available processing capacity and memory usage, and can slow it down dramatically. In all probability, you don’t need all of these programs to automatically start when you boot your computer.

AutoRuns is a free utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor and shows you what programs are configured to run during system boot up or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them.

These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure AutoRuns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Win logon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. AutoRuns goes considerably beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP.

Download: AutoRuns

Spyware and Malicious Programs

The most common complaint about spyware is it slows down the operating system. As spyware accumulates on a computer, performance can grind to a dismal halt. Combating spyware starts with learning to recognize its presence and understanding its impact on system resources.

Recognizing when spyware is installed on a computer system and removing it promptly is the best method of protecting computers from catastrophic problems caused by spyware. There are many free applications available to help you recognize, control and remove spyware, adware, Trojans, and other malicious malware/programs that can infect and slowdown your system.

Here are some free applications that are reliable and I feel confident in recommending.

SpyBot Search and Destroy

AdAware

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

ThreatFire 3

Comodo Firewall Pro

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Fake/Redirected Search Engine Results = Malware

For the past several months I’ve been watching closely, as more and more Blog discussions have been taking place around the topic of search engines results and malware.

Recent news on this issue from Panda Security’s Oxygen 3 E-bulletin on IT security, indicates that Cyber-crooks are unrelenting in their chase to infect web search results. According to Panda “there is a steady increase in the use of custom-built websites designed to drop malicious code on computers, or even the manipulation of legitimate pages in order to infect users with malware.”

PandaLabs maintains that cyber-crooks have begun to opt for a new technique: the manipulation of search engine results, or seeding websites among the top results returned by these engines. When a potential victim visits one of these sites the likelihood of the downloading of malicious code onto the computer by exploiting existing vulnerabilities is high.

There are several ways that this can occur. Cyber-crooks can exploit vulnerabilities on the server hosting the web page to insert an iFrame, (an HTML element which makes it possible to embed another HTML document inside the main document). The iFrame can then activate the download of malicious code by exploiting additional vulnerabilities on the visiting machine.

Alternatively, a new web page can be built, with iFrames inserted, that can lead to malware downloads. This new web page appears to be legitimate.

Another method is the insertion of false dialogue boxes, fake toolbars, and more on sites; all designed to load destructive malware which could include rootkits, password stealers, Trojan horses, and spam bots.

For more information on this, and other threats checkout Spyware Sucks, a great Blog that will keep you up to date on the latest risks to your online safety.

So what can you do to ensure you are protected, or to reduce the chances you will become a victim?

As I have pointed out in the past on this Blog, the following are actions you can take to protect your computer system:

• Don’t open unknown email attachments

• Don’t run programs of unknown origin

• Disable hidden filename extensions

• Keep all applications (including your operating system) patched

• Turn off your computer or disconnect from the network when not in use

• Disable Java, JavaScript, and ActiveX if possible

• Disable scripting features in email programs

• Make regular backups of critical data

• Make a boot disk in case your computer is damaged or compromised

• Turn off file and printer sharing on the computer.

• Install a personal firewall on the computer.

• Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software and ensure it is configured to automatically update when you are connected to the Internet.

• Ensure the anti-virus software scans all e-mail attachments.

Be proactive when it comes to your computer’s security; make sure you have adequate software based protection to reduce the chances that your machine will become infected.

The free software listed below, in my view, provides better than average malware protection.

avast! 4 Home Edition

www.avast.com

This anti virus app is a real fighter, scanning files on demand and on access, including email attachments. Let’s you know when it detects mal-ware through its shield function. An important feature is a boot-time scan option which removes mal-ware that can’t be removed any other way.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

www.free.grisoft.com

Similarly, this program scans files on access, on demand, and on schedule. Scans email; incoming and outgoing. For those on Vista, your in luck, it’s Vista-ready. I have been using this application since its release and it now forms part of my front line defenses. I recommend this one highly.

Ad-Aware 2007

www.lavasoftusa.com

In my view, Ad-Aware 2007 Free is the best free spyware and adware remover available. It does a relatively good job of protecting against known data-mining, Trojans, dialers, malware, browser hijackers and tracking components. The only downside with the free version; real-time protection is not included.

ThreatFire 3

www.threatfire.com

ThreatFire 3 blocks mal-ware, including zero-day threats, by analyzing program behavior and it does a stellar job. Again, this is one of the security applications that forms part of my front line defenses. I have found it to have high success rate at blocking mal-ware based on analysis of behavior. Highly recommend this one!

Comodo Firewall Pro

www.comodogroup.com

The definitive free firewall, Comodo Firewall protects your system by defeating hackers and restricting unauthorized programs from accessing the Internet. I have been using this application for 6 months and I continue to feel very secure. It resists being forcibly terminated and it works as well, or better, than any firewall I’ve paid for. This is one I highly recommend. Amazing that it’s free!

WinPatrol

www.winpatrol.com

Do you want to get a better understanding of what programs are being added to your computer? Then WinPatrol is the program for you. With WinPatrol, in your system tray, you can monitor system areas that are often changed by malicious programs. You can monitor your startup programs and services, cookies and current tasks. Should you need to, WinPatrol allows you to terminate processes and enable, or disable, startup programs. There are additional features that make WinPatrol a very powerful addition to your security applications.

Sandboxie

www.sandboxie.com

Surfing the Internet without using Sandboxie is, to me, like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. Deadly! This application creates a “Sandboxed” protected environment on your machine within which you browse the net. Data that is written to your hard drive is simply eliminated, (or not, your choice), when the sandbox is closed. Utilizing this application allows you to surf the web without the risk of infecting your system with mal-ware or other nasties. This is another security application I have been using for over 6 months and it has yet to let me down. Highly recommended.

Snoop Free Privacy Shield

www.snoopfree.com

Snoop Free Privacy Shield is a powerful application that guards your keyboard, screen and open windows from all spy software. I have been using this application for quite some time, and I have been amazed at the number of programs that have requested access to my keyboard and screen. Particularly, programs that I am in the process of installing. If you’re serious about privacy, this is a must have addition to your security toolbox.

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Free Spyware Doctor – Excellent Secondary On-Demand Malware Scanner

As I wrote recently, Spyware Terminator is my current application of choice for active real-time protection in the spyware wars that we, as computer users, are involved in any time we log onto the Internet.

Having tested virtually all of the major anti-spyware apps over the last year or more, I’ve settled, for now, on Spyware Terminator primarily due to this strong real-time protection against spyware, adware, Trojans, key-loggers, home page hijackers and other malware threats.

 

As we all know however, there is no one anti-malware tool that is likely to identify and remove all of the millions of rogue malware that infest the cyber world. So to ensure maximum safety, if that’s even possible, it’s important to have layered defenses in the ongoing fight against malware.

 

An excellent choice, as a secondary line of defense, is Spyware Doctor Starter Edition from PC Tools. http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/ This free version of the award winning program, with its easy to use interface, is used by millions of people worldwide to protect their computers; it’s reported there are a million+ additional downloads every week.

I have been able to establish through various forums and user groups, that the free version and the paid version have identical detection rates. However, the most important real-time protection functions are disabled in the free version.

 

File protection is the only real time protection that operates in the free version and unfortunately, this level of real-time protection is inadequate in the current Internet environment.

 

I would not recommend then, that you use this free version of Spyware Doctor as a stand alone security application because it simply will not offer you adequate protection. Instead, use it only as an on-demand scanner.

 

Despite this real-time protection shortcoming in the free version, Spyware Doctor has an excellent reputation as a first class security application, and I highly recommend that you add this free version to your security toolbox to be used as a secondary line of defense.

 

Quick Facts:

 

• Spyware protection
• Adware protection
• Scan and Remove
• Smart Updates
• Limited OnGuard Protection Note: Be particularly aware of this limitation.

 

You can download the free Spyware Doctor Starter Edition via Google Pack, or better yet download this application at Download.com and save yourself some hassle.

AbiWord – Free Multilingual Word Processor for Windows, Linux

Recently, I got a call from a friend who had saved his resume in Microsoft Word format, but who no longer had access to Microsoft Word. As a consequence, he could not update his resume. He wondered if, he could “borrow” my copy of Word to install on his computer so that he could revise his resume. It struck me that he, like many computer users, was unaware of the many free alternatives to Word that are available for download, most of which “save” and “open” in Word’s .doc format.

AbiWord is arguably the best of these in the class that I refer to as, light word processing applications. AbiWord has been designed to integrate perfectly with the operating system it runs on. It will take advantage of the functionality provided by the system, such as image loading, or printing capabilities.

As important, AbiWord is able to read and write all industry standard document types, such as OpenOffice documents, Microsoft Word documents, WordPerfect documents, Rich Text Format documents, HTML web pages and many more.

AbiWord has a quite small resource footprint, which allows full functionality on systems that are not considered “State of the Art”.

I find AbiWord with its surprising amount of features and simple straightforward interface, to be the appropriate word processor I need running in the background while I’m on the Internet. As stated earlier, its small memory footprint as opposed to memory hogging Microsoft Word, is ideal for most of my day to day work.

In fact, as you can see from the lead picture, this article was produced on AbiWord.

Quick facts:

• Multi Platform
• Internationalized
• Advanced document layout options
• Tables, bullets, lists, images, footnotes, endnotes and styles
• Available in most common, and many not-so-common languages
• Spell checker
• Dictionaries for over 30 languages
• Supports right-to-left, left-to-right, and mixed-mode text
• The above feature allows support for languages like Hebrew and Arabic
• Mail Merge capabilities

Download at: Abisource

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Clean and Optimize Your Windows Registry – Regseeker Freeware

A packed, cluttered registry is one of the major causes of computer slowdown and malfunction.  A messy registry can cause programs to stop working correctly, and frustrate you while you wait for the operating system to load at a snails pace.

Even with a new/newer computer, the loading of the operating system and application software can create redundant errors and leave unnecessary entries in the registry. This is where Regseeker, a multilingual registry cleaner/optimizer, can prove to be invaluable.

Regseeker’s primary function is to clean your registry, which it does easily, safely, and thoroughly. Just launch the program, click on “Clean the Registry”, and delete the listed unneeded registry entries. Congratulations, you now have a newly optimized computer!

Despite the fact Regseeker has an automatic registry backup feature, I strongly recommend that you analyze the search results very carefully, and then ensure you have in fact backed up before deleting any registry entries. After a previous review of this application, I received one comment in which the reader indicated he had suffered a complete meltdown of his computer after having run this application.

On the other hand I have been safely using this program on a daily basis for over two years, and I have not had to use this backup feature yet. However, as we all know there’s always a first time and that generally occurs when you least expect it. So my advice; err on the side of caution any time you are working with the registry and be sure to backup.

I download and test, 1-2 applications daily, so this program gets a real workout on my machines. As well, I use Revo Uninstaller, a powerful application uninstaller to uninstall applications which means less work for Regseeker.

Regseeker is multifunctional in that it also performs tweak operations. It can clean out your startup entries, Add/Remove program entries, adjust color schemes, change personal information entries, and it includes a general “Tweaks” menu option. I have found this tweaking ability to be relatively useful.

Regseeker is an extremely valuable tool for keeping your Registry in perfect running order, and its “Tweaks” editing options allow you to do more with the user interface than you might have previously thought was possible.

Highly recommended: 9/10.

Regseeker is FREE for personal use only.

Download at: Hoverdesk

The Unsecured Internet Super Highway – Are You Licensed to Drive?

Car drivers must be educated and licensed in order to drive a car. This legal requirement of course, does not stop drunk drivers from getting into a car and killing someone. And it certainly does not eliminate our exposure to the speeders, tailgaters, and the road ragers that seem to plague our highways. Licensing then, doesn’t seem to eliminate the risks we face on the road.

So would requiring a license to use the Internet make it a safer place for all of us? Would requiring a license from the Department of Computer Literacy, protect us from the ever increasing exposure we all face to Trojans, Spyware, Virus’, Phishing Scams, Identity Theft, ….. the list goes on.

I’m being facetious of course. Unfortunately however, these dangers on the Internet are not, in a sense, unlike the dangers and risks we face while driving on our streets and highways.

Unlike the need to be educated and practiced, in order to qualify for a driver’s license; to access the Internet all that is required is a modem attached to a computer. There’s no need to prove qualifications. There’s no need to prove an awareness of the very real dangers that the Internet presents.

Being involved in computer security, I am amazed and frankly frustrated, at the lack of knowledge exhibited by typical computer users, and most importantly, the lack of knowledge concerning the need to secure their machines against the ever increasing risks previously noted, on the Internet. I’m not talking about unintelligent people here. I am talking about people who are intelligent in every other aspect of life, but who view computers like cavemen who saw fire for the first time.

The problem, it seems, is multifaceted. Part of the problem is simply fear. People do not understand computers, so they are afraid of them in a sense. Secondly, people generally, are simply not interested in learning about computers sufficiently to make the fear go away. The question is, of course, should they need to know anything other than how to turn on a computer and a minimum knowledge of the applications they use? Well maybe not.

Many computer experts agree that it is primarily flawed computer software and not just inadequate user knowledge that is the biggest contributor to the proliferation of unsecured computer systems and cyber-crime, on the Internet.

It seems to me then, what is needed as a good first step, are machines that are designed with simple, but internally sophisticated operating systems, secure and easy to use for the majority of users; where no user interaction is required to maintain the security of the system.

We now live in the age of the “Interconnectedness of All Things” in which we are beginning to see the development and availability of large numbers of Internet connected devices. There is no doubt that this will lend new strength to computer-aided crime and in this new political environment we now live in, perhaps even terrorists.

Unless we develop a rational approach to the underlying security issues surrounding the Internet, and insist software companies’ stop rushing out new products with little regard for security, hackers will continue to flourish and successful attacks on computers over the internet will continue to proliferate.

There are steps you can take to decrease the likelihood you will be the victim of a successful attack on your computer. If you reduce your exposure to successful attacks on your machine, then downstream you are helping to protect my machine and those of others.

 

 

The following is a brief guide to the basic security issues you should be aware of on the Internet, followed by a guide to some of the steps you can take to secure your computer for Internet usage.

Security risks on the Internet you need to be aware of.

• Trojan horse programs
• Back door and remote administration programs
• Denial of service
• Being an intermediary for another attack
• Unprotected Windows shares
• Mobile code (Java, JavaScript, and ActiveX)
• Cross-site scripting
• Email spoofing
• Email-borne viruses
• Hidden file extensions
• Chat clients
• Packet sniffing

 

Security Checklist: Actions you can take to protect your computer system.

• Don’t open unknown email attachments
• Don’t run programs of unknown origin
• Disable hidden filename extensions
• Keep all applications (including your operating system) patched
• Turn off your computer or disconnect from the network when not in use
• Disable Java, JavaScript, and ActiveX if possible
• Disable scripting features in email programs
• Make regular backups of critical data
• Make a boot disk in case your computer is damaged or compromised
• Turn off file and printer sharing on the computer.
• Install a personal firewall on the computer.
• Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software and ensure it is configured to automatically update when you are connected to the Internet.
• Ensure the anti-virus software scans all e-mail attachments.

 

The following tutorials are offered free of charge on CNET, one of the most widely respected sites on the Internet. If you are unfamiliar with basic computer security issues, I highly recommend that you visit this site.

Quick Tutorials

In these interactive slideshows, CNET’s experts take you step by step through PC security best practices.

• Erase Data on an Old PC
• Eliminate Spyware for Free on your Windows PC

Online Courses

Join the discussion about spam, spyware and virus control with others in our free online classrooms.

• PC Protection 101
• Combat Spam and Phishing
• Combating Spyware and Adware

Quick Tips

• How not to get hacked
• How to use Ad-Aware
• Wi-Fi security on the road
• Protect your home network with your old PC
• Free security software
• Spyware Doctor: Speed up your start-up

 

Since this is Easter Sunday, this is a reposting, with minor editing, of a previously posted article.