Disclaimer:   The software recommendation information was written primarily for those who use WindowsXP.  Most of the programs given will work well with other operating systems, however, there may be issues with other versions of Windows that need to be addressed individually.  WindowsME, in particular, has stability issues that can cause conflicts with certain software.  Everyone should read the FAQ for each recommended program before installation in order to determine if you can successfully use them.

The internet is a wonderful, vast repository of information and fun.  People from around the world can gather to share information, form relationships, play games….the possibilities are endless.  Unfortunately, the internet also attracts those elements of society that we go out of our way to avoid in real life.  The anonymity of the internet does not allow for the sights, sounds and smells that can send out warning signals.  The best we can do is take the necessary steps to protect our computers to keep them from becoming expensive paperweights.  We will also cover internet safety, and the steps everyone should take in maintaining their privacy online.

Viruses, Trojans and Spyware

By definition, a computer virus is a computer program that can reproduce by changing other programs to include a copy of itself. It is a parasite program, needing another program to survive.  It can write itself to crucial hard drive files, replacing them with its code and rendering your computer useless.

By far, the most common method of computer virus transmission is via e-mail.  Someone sends you a letter with an attachment, you open the attachment, and kaboom!  The virus begins replicating and replacing crucial files and your computer becomes essentially useless.  Even more sinister are the viruses that are written as "time-bombs".  They will lurk on your system, not showing any signs of activity, and then, on the prearranged date, they begin their dirty work.  The number one line of defense is to remember this phrase:

Never open e-mail attachments or click on an embedded link in a letter from someone you do not know.

The number two phrase to remember is:

Never open e-mail attachments from even a friendly source without scanning them first.

Case in point, recently the MyDoom virus began making it's rounds.  My e-mail address happened to be in the address book of someone whose computer was infected.  This virus, like many others, went straight to the address book of the infected computer, and began sending itself out under all of the names in that address book.  I only became aware of this when my e-mail account began receiving bounced mail.  There was my name and e-mail address in the sender's line and attached was that virus.  There isn't anything you can do if this happens to you.  After all, if you have friends or business contacts, your address will be in someone's address book somewhere.  The best you can do is warn all of your address book contacts of the situation and wait until either the virus expires (MyDoom is set to expire on February 13th), or use another account if you have to send someone an attachment.

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