If you are connected to the Internet without a firewall, your computer can be hijacked and added to a harmful network in a very short amount of time. A firewall can block malware that could scan your computer for vulnerabilities and try to break in at a discovered weakness. The only way to make a computer 100% secure is to turn it off or disconnect it from the Internet. As that is not realistic, the next best thing is to make your computer as safe as possible when it is connected to the Internet.

Windows XP & Vista come with a firewall that works quite well at protecting you from incomming threats, but does nothing to protect you from outgoing unsuspected traffic. Microsoft's school of thought is that if you use their firewall and have adequate virus and malware (adware/spyware) protection there is no need to filter outgoing messages. We tend to agree with Microsoft. For years we have relied just on their firewall and never had a problem.

In order to provide you with alternatives, we installed and tested over 20 different personal firewalls. We concluded there are many drawbacks, mainly that they allow or block access to vital programs you may not recognize that are important for the proper functioning of your PC. If you mess up, it could take hours to figure out why some program/function on your PC is not working right. Some firewalls will actually slow your PC down and that is NOT good. Most of the user interfaces were designed for technicians rather than your normal PC user.

If you absolutely feel you must have a personal firewall, we recommend you get Norton Internet Security. Not only is the interface easy to use, it installs easily and is the most intuitive of them all. In addition to the personal firewall, Norton Internet Security has Norton AntiVirus built in as well as some other nice security features. We really feel this is overkill but if it makes you feel safe, please get it. Always buy boxed versions of software and we recommend purchasing it through amazon.com where you can get free shipping and pay no sales tax.

Click Here for Norton's Internet Security

Viruses, worms and Trojan horses are software programs created to impede performance or seriously harm personal computers and networks. Chances of your computer becoming infected with one of these viruses via the Internet is almost a certainty, unless you run anti-virus software. Viruses are transmitted by infected e-mail attachments, infected files sent through an instant messenger program or even through a memory stick that was used on an infected computer.

Some warning signs your computer may be infected are:

• Your computer starts running sluggishly.
• Frequent or unexpected crashes.
• It experiences memory problems or runs out of disk space.
• Odd files or directories appear on your system.
• Strange messages appear on your screen.

There are two things you can do to safeguard your computer.

1. Always be on guard.
2. Get virus protection software.

Always Be On Guard

Do not open email attachments you are not expecting, especially from anyone you do not know well. Never open any attachment that has a file suffix other than jpg or gif. Do not download screensavers. Only download music/video files you have paid for. Do not accept files from anyone sending them through an instant messenger program, unless you know they have virus protection. Clear your email trash daily. Remember, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Virus Protection Software

This is absolutely the most important piece of software your Windows PC needs. There are many companies marketing anti-virus software and internet security. Which one do you pick? That's easy, pick one that offers you anti-virus protection and only anti-virus protection. There is no need to pay more for one that has a firewall because you already have one. There is no one product that will do it all and do it perfectly. Norton's is hands down the best anti-virus software. They too will try to sell you upgrades to things you already have but we advise you to just get the anti-virus program. What about McAffee? It's bloated, has difficult to understand interfaces and has been known to have problems with some software programs. In the 12 years since your PC Doctor has been on the Internet, he has not gotten a single virus, worm or trojan all thanks to Norton Anti-Virus software. We can't say enough good things about Norton's; it's just simply the best and easiest to use. Buy it from Amazon.com and get free shipping and no sales tax. Always purchase the boxed version. Do not get Norton 360 or Norton Internet Security; just buy Norton Anti-Virus 2008. If you have more than one computer, look for the 3 License pack; protect all your computers and save BIG!

Click Here for Norton Antivirus 2008

Did your new PC come with McAfee? If so, it's a trial period, get Norton's and when McAfee expires, remove it and install Norton's. Did you already pay for McAfee? If so, when it comes up for renewal next time, strongly consider replacing it with Norton's.

If you have no virus protection on your PC right now, we strongly recommend the free version of AVG Anti-Virus until your get your Norton's. AVG will work, but because it is free, you have to manualy get the virus updates and run it. This is only a stop gap measure. At the following page, just get the Anti-Virus program.

Click Here for AVG Anti-Virus Free

While virus protection is the most important, Please read the following sections on Adware/Spyware Removal and Regiistry Cleaning. These three will keep your PC running like new for years to come.

Adware is a software application in which advertising banners are displayed while the program is running. Developers of these free applications include additional code that delivers the ads, which can be viewed through pop-up windows or through a bar appearing on a computer screen. Developers justify the inclusion of adware into their products to help recover programming development cost and hold down the cost for the user.

Spyware is similar to adware but much more invasive and dangerous as it is installed on your computer to secretly gather information about you and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. The worst spyware will record and report all of your keystrokes putting such critical information as your credit card and social security numbers at risk.

Adware and spyware use resources on your computer that you are not even aware of. They can cause your computer to run slower than normal and, in many cases, prevent other programs from functioning correctly. You get this unwanted software from downloading (free) programs from the Internet mostly at such places that offer P2P file sharing and free toolbars, such as HotBar. Here's an exercise for you to see how bad this really is.

Bring up Google.com and search on any or all of the following names. Add spyware after the name. For example, type in "Imesh spyware".

Audiogalaxy, Bearshare, Blubster, E-Mule, Gnucleus, Grokster, Imesh, KaZaa, KaZaa Lite, Limewire, Morpheus, Shareaza, WeatherBug, WinMX and Xolox.

Hundreds of thousands of hits will appear for each search. Is this software what you want on your computer? Before you download anything on the net, go to google and search for its name, followed by spyware or adware.

So, now you know what it is, how you caught it and who gave it to you. Now it's time to get it off your computer. But "wait," you say "I have a spyware removal program already." That may be but did you know that many of the companies that infected your computer with adware and spyware also authored these removal tools? Oh yes, they will remove adware and spyware; then they will install their own malware giving you a false sense of security.

Windows Defender is the easiest to use. You can select how often to scan and even at what time of day. Updates are automatically delivered via regular Windows updates. It's FREE! If you are running Vista, you already have this.

Click Here for Windows Defender

Ad-Aware, while very effective, requires you to manually connect to their database for updates and upgrades. One annoyance is: once detected, you have to click each individual item to remove it. These issues can be avoided by buying an upgrade which is not necessarily worth the cost. NOTE: The first time you run this program, you'll be prompted for registration information, just click on "Cancel" to bypass registration.

Click Here for Ad-Aware by Lavasoft (Free Version)

Depending on how much you or other users of your computer download files/programs from the internet, you should scan at least weekly. If a lot of downloading is going on, you should scan daily.

The Windows registry is a database which stores settings and options for the operating system for Microsoft Windows 32-bit versions, 64-bit versions and Windows Mobile. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, operating system software, most non-operating system software, users, preferences of the PC, etc. Whenever a user makes changes to Control Panel settings, file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in the registry. The Windows registry was introduced in the Win/95 operating system.

Your system's registry (a database) grows and grows as software, hardware and drivers are added and removed from your computer. With all of these additions and deletions, your Windows registry can become corrupted and/or filled with errors and empty destinations. Over time, registry issues can severely affect the overall performance of your system. Just like any other database, your system's registry needs regular maintenance to correct links, remove unused or redundant information and defrag its space on the hard drive.

This is definitely one time when you do NOT want to use any free software. There are many, many Registry cleaners/fixers on the market. Which one do you choose? Which one is reputable & safe? Having done extensive research into many of today's products, we highly recommend "Registry First Aid," developed by Rose City Software. We are recommending this because it works, is easy to install and use, has a great reputation and has earned more awards than any other product of its kind.

You can read more about this product, download it and purchase a registration all from the following link...

Click Here for Registry First Aid

After you install and purchase "Registry First Aid", take time to read the "Help". As a rule, when you run this program and it finds error, always chose to fix ALL errors.

Your hard disk drive is one of the most important parts of your PC. It's where all your system files, applications and user data reside. Few people appreciate the importance of having a regular hard disk maintenance regime to keep it in good working order. If you don't think this is important, imagine your reaction if you powered up your computer and NOTHING happened. Now that your interest is piqued....

Disk maintenance should be performed on a monthly basis. The tools to accomplish this are already installed on your PC. By following the steps below, you can add life to your hard drives and help keep your computer running efficiently.

IMPORTANT: Close ALL programs running, including messengers.

Step 1: Reduce bloat; remove unused/unnecessary programs

Click Windows start button (lower left of your screen)
Click on Control Panel
Click Add/Remove Programs

Scroll down the list looking at each entry. Is this something you installed and no longer need? If so, right click on it, then click remove. You only need 1 Java, so if you have more than one, remove all but the latest. Get rid of toolbars, they are not needed and can cause browser problems. Never remove anything starting with Microsoft or Windows. If you are unsure what something is, open a browser, do a search and read up on it. When in doubt, leave it.

After removing some programs, you may be prompted to restart your computer. Always click No. But remember to restart your computer after you have completed this step and before you continue with the next step.

Step 2: Error Checking, Disk Cleanup & Defrag

Click Windows start button (lower left of your screen)
Click My Computer

For each Hard Drive on your system, do the following:

Right Click on the drive, then click Properties
On the properties panel (General Tab), click Disk CleanUp
On the CleanUp panel, click OK
On the properties panel, click the Tools tab
On the Tools panel, click Check Now
On the Check for Errors panel click in the box to automatically fix errors, then click ok On the Tools panel, click Defragment Now (this can take awhile)

Note: If one or more of the files on a hard disk are open, you will receive the following message: The disk check could not be performed because the disk check utility needs exclusive access to some Windows files on the disk. These files can be accessed by restarting Windows. Do you want to schedule the disk check to occur the next time you restart the computer?

Click Yes to schedule the disk check, and then restart your computer to start the disk check.

As this process could take a couple of hours, we advise you to adjust your schedule on maintenance day, accordingly.

Hard drives fail; it's a fact of life. Most hard drives have a life span of 3-5 years. Just because yours might be only a year old does not mean you can think, "oh, I have 2 more years." A hard drive can fail at any time. Recovering data from a failed hard drive is VERY, VERY expensive and there's no guarantee data can be recovered.

Depending on how you use your PC, you may or may not want/need to do backups. If you only use your PC to browse the web, you use web based email services exclusively (AOL, Hotmail, GMail etc), you don't save any photos, video/music files, and you store data that can be easily recreated, then you can skip this whole section as you are in a very small minority of PC users. For the rest of us, backing up is ESSENTIAL!

Previously, we have mentioned to always buy the boxed version of software. Sometimes that is not possible and in some cases you can save 25% by purchasing the downloadable version, which makes good sense. When you download software you have purchased, you should save it in the "My Downloads" folder and make your own boxed version. First, take a piece of paper (slightly smaller that the CD/DVD case). Write the name of the software, the web address of the site, the price, and most importantly, the product key. Now, grab a new formatted CD/DVD. Insert the paper between the plastic cover and the backing, so you can easily read it. Next, insert a new formatted writeable CD or DVD into your drive and copy that file to the CD/DVD. Store in a safe dry place. Try to keep all software for your PC in one place so you can easily access it.

Please take a few minutes to read up on "PC Backups." Don't skip this; it is important information. When you click the following link, it will open in a new browser so you won't lose your place here. Read the entire article; it's not all that long, but it's oh so important.

http://www.pcmech.com/show/internal/855/

After reading that article, you should have an idea of what medium you will need to back up your data. If you have selected a removable hard drive (best choice), then you will be faced with the decision of which brand to obtain. You can do the research yourself or take my advice and get an IOMEGA device. We have used these for years and have found them to be the best priced, most reliable and easiest to set up and use.

If you require 160GB or less, check out IOMEGA's new eGo drive; no external power supply needed, USB 2.0 connectivity and ultra portable. If you require more than 160GB, look into their Silver Series. IOMEGA drives come with their award winning software. Here's the link....

http://www.iomega.com

What would your house look like if you didn't dust or clean it for 6 months? There would be dust bunnies and cobwebs everywhere. Think of the inside of your computer as a home of electronics. Starting to catch on? Electronic equipment is a dust magnet. Dust collects on in-take/exhaust vents and fans, slowing them down resulting in inadequate air flow to keep your PC's main components cool. Hot components burn out and can result in expensive replacements, leaving you without your PC for days.

Avoid this scenario; learn how to clean your entire PC. There are hundreds of articles on the net covering this issue, some good, some bad. We found one, in particular, that stands way out from the rest. Not only does it discuss cleaning the case and the inside but it also mentions the most used peripherals on today's systems. It is the information we use to regularly clean our PCs.

http://www.computerhope.com/cleaning.htm

The purchase of your PC was quite an investment. If you take care of it and follow our guide, you should be able to get at least 4 to 5 good years out of your PC. After 4 years, think seriously about replacing it or upgrading your components to keep up with the rapidly growing changes in technology.