Internet safety Information

1. Get and install a decent Antivirus program. Symantec is a good commercial one, but there are several FREE ones out on the Internet. Be careful, though, as there are some out there that are not good, or are fraudulent.

2. If your copy of Windows XP is genuine, you can go to microsoft.com and download their Windows Defender. This software can be configured to automatically update and scan your computer for adware and spyware. It may not be the best on the market, but it it readily available. Check out any other one you may be considering, as some FREE choices out there are actually spyware.

3. If you have a high-speed connection (DSL, Broadband), you need to have a firewall. This is a software that protects you from hackers trying to break into your system, or rogue software that you may inadvertently installed. The very least you can do is activate the free firewall that is provided in Windows XP (Service Pak 2).

4. For Windows XP, you should activate the "Windows Update" function, and configure it to "automatically download and install" updates. The updates are generally patches to the operating system to fix weaknesses that hackers and crooks try to take advantage of

5. You should turn your computer off at night when you're not using it. That would save power, wear and tear on the hard drive, and make it unavailable to crooks if your computer has been compromised

6. Use the resources available in your software. If you upgrade Internet Explorere to 7 or above, you can use the pop-up blocker option to reduce the number of pop-ups you get when you go to websites. You can also set it up to allow pop-ups from your favorite sites.