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Protect Your Computer - Make sure you have antivirus software installed at all times |
| What is antivirus - What is a virus - recognise a virus - Antivirus vendors - Do i have antivirus installed - Antivirus tips |
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| Safe Secrets! |
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Your Security - Privacy
It is said that the innocent have nothing to hide, but for anyone using a computer and the internet we do need some privacy.
Whether details of a surprise anniversary party, your household accounts, CV and job applications or even a mushy love letter, everyone has something to hide from prying eyes. Identity theft is in the news quite a lot for those that throw out papers, and old letters without shredding them and protecting their identity, but for those using computers and the internet the risk is just the same.
Privacy is something that should become second nature to anyone using a pc and the internet. It isn’t just a case of keeping things safe from thieves and criminals, but protecting other things like a surprise weekend away, or details of a present you have bought for a birthday or anniversary. With Windows XP and Windows Vista you can create user accounts which can be password protected, helping you to keep things private, do remember though, that the computer “Administrator” might still be able to view things.
On a PC there are different ways to protect your information and keep it secure, whether it is stopping someone from snooping through your hard drive, or attacks by viruses, and hackers trying to access your PC and get what ever information and data they can.
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Keep on top...
PC and internet privacy is not the last step in the process of protecting your information and your identity. If you print out receipts for things purchased online, or accounts, bank statements and other things make sure you dispose of them properly too. Its no good taking the time to protecting your privacy on your PC and the internet and then just throwing papers out, shred them, and recycle them. Shredders are cheap these days and anyone can afford them.
Before starting with protecting documents and folders and protecting yourself from prying eyes you must remember that you MUST have security software installed on your computer, and it must be up to date. It will be a complete waste of time trying ot protect yourself from prying eyes if you don’t have basic protection. Basic virus and spyware protection is essential, and if your on broadband you should make sure you have a tough, secure firewall installed.
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Are FREE firewall's any good? |
One question always asked is "Are FREE firewalls any good"? Free firewalls are fine and will do a fairly good job but that is as far as it goes. Basically free firewalls are "cut down" versions of the full, paid for versions, this means that features are not able to be used unless you have the paid version. We always recommend that you purchase a good solid firewall which means you have full control and support for the software. It is also a good idea to purchase a modem that has a hardware firewall too.
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Types of Firewall.
First Step...
The first thing you can do in Windows XP and Windows Vista is have your own “User Account” with your own name and password. This is not completely secure but it does stop some other members of the family from snooping at your things. The only preson that may be able to take a look is the computers “administrator”. The good thing about having your own user account is that you can have your own desktop theme, and have items set out as you like them, not only that, but you will also have your own “My Documents” folder, meaning you won’t have things in there from the rest of the family. You can only make private folders in the My Documents folder, or on your desktop: just create the folder, click with the right mouse button, choose `Sharing and security` and tick the box `make this folder private`.
To set up a new “user account” go to the Control Panel in the Start Menu. When the Control Panel opens up click on User Accounts to view the current setup. The first account is always the Administrators account. To set up a new user account click on “manage accounts” or “create a new account”. Once you have created an account, and given it a name you can create a password for it that only the new account holder should know.
Lock it up tight...
So what can you do about information you want to keep safe totally? The solution is encryption – as used by big business, spies and secret agents. There are lots of products out there that do a great job, and we could chooses some and explain, but you would be reading for ever to try and find out what would do the job you want. We suggest you look at some of the products listed below.
When it comes to keeping information safe on a PC, there is no single solution, but there are plenty of tools that needn’t cost a fortune that will help to make sure people don’t see things that they’re not supposed to, whether itt’s an email, a collection of private photos, or details of bank accounts. They are also simple to use. You might think lots of this isn’t necessary – who’s going ot want your data anyway? But it’s better to be safe than sorry – and if being safe is cheap and easy, isn’t that the best thing to do?
Take a look at Privacy and Encryption Software here |
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