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How do you keep your computer safe from virus, spyware, spam, and other system intrusions. There is no one way to protect your computer 100%, but with a combination of resources you can minimize the impact.
There are a variety of tools that you should have installed on your home computer to help protect you from hackers and attacks. You should install
- Virus protection and keep it current,
- Anti Spyware/Malware protection,
- Personal Firewall - especially if you have a DSL or Cable internet connection, and
- Also recommended - the Google Toolbar for additional protection from popups.
Many of these tools come standard from your Internet Service Provider, but be sure to ask about them and if they do not come standard, be sure to install them yourself.
For WINDOWS
Be sure to download operating system updates on a weekly basis. There should be a link off of your START button to the microsoft updates site. You can set up your updates to be manual or automatic. Whichever, be sure to apply your updates at least once a week.
For Apple OS
Once a week, you should go out to the apple site to see if there are any patches for your apple computer OS. An apple computer may seem not to be as vulnerable to attacks as a windows computers, but none the less, it pays to be prudent. So, stay up to date with any patches released by Apple.
There are a number of free packages on the
market. Do an internet search on "personal firewalls" to find
the one right for you.
A Browser toolbar, such as the Google toolbar, is another helpful tool. It is another layer that will help control pop ads. We recommend the Google toolbar since it works better with Campus Pipeline.
Do you have important information on your computer that you do NOT want
to lose? Then backup the data you want to keep. You can backup data
to a CD, DVD, or other external drive. If you have a large amount of
data such as music, videos, or pictures, then you may want to invest
in an external hard drive. Remember, if you don't back it up, you may
lose it!
When files are created, deleted, or modified your hard drive will probably become fragmented. As these files become fragmented, where different pieces of the file are scattered across the hard disk, performance and disk reliability drop. You may see your computer begin to slow down and experience other performance problems. The Disk Defragmenter Utility is designed to reorganize noncontiguous files into contiguous files and optimize their placement on the hard drive.
Some may run this process weekly, but for others, monthly is sufficient.
To access the Disk Defragmenter, go to
Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter
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