FREE Computer Software For Easier, Safer Surfing
Whether you just got a new computer, or you have one that you have been using for a while, there a few basics that you should really have installed to make it safer to surf the internet and more user friendly. Aside from making sure you use Windows Update to make sure that your operating system and drivers are all up-to-date, here are my top software suggestions:
1 - ANTI-VIRUS
This should go without saying, but do not go to any unknown website without up-to-date anti-virus software running on your computer. If you are not going to pay for the anti-virus software that was included with your computer after the free trial is expired, you should just go ahead and uninstall it now & put a more permanent solution in place.
The FREE Anti-Virus Programs that I suggest are:
Avast Anti-Virus
AVG Anti-Virus
2 - ANTI-SPYWARE
This is just as important as anti-virus software, except you will need to have more than one program installed on your computer to really be covered. There are several different options available, most of which have a FREE version, some have an upgrade version that includes more features.
Spyware Blaster
Spyware Terminator
Ad-Aware
3- BACK-UP UTILITY
You never know when something bad could happen to your computer, and it is much better to have a remote backup of your important data, than to have to pay someone hundreds of dollars and hope they can recover your files.
Mozy Online Backup. 2GB Free or $4.95/mo for Unlimited Backup. It’s simple, automatic and secure!
4- “IN CASE OF SPYWARE EMERGENCY”
HijackThis is software that you should have on your computer in case some spyware slips through the cracks and you can’t remove it any other way. This is more advanced, so you have to be careful not to delete anything that you actually need on your computer. If you are able to access the internet, you can copy & paste the logfile that it generates into a HijackThis Log Analyser to help you decipher what should be there and what you should probably delete. If you are not comfortable doing this yourself, have someone with experience using this program handle it for you, this program will make their task A LOT easier.
HijackThis
5- INTERNET BROWSER
If you are surfing the internet using Internet Explorer, you are more exposed to threats to your computer than if you use Firefox. It also has lots of extensions available so that you can really customize the look and features to suit your needs.
Highly Recommended Firefox Extensions:
No Script
Download Status Bar