Bad things happen to good people -- especially when it comes to computers.
I could fill a legal pad with all the dangers that lurk: Hard disk crashes, viruses, spyware and adware, problems with the Windows Registry file, identity theft, software incompatibility and corrupt files.
In almost every case, these are disasters that can be prevented. And prevention is a lot easier than coming up with a cure. So t let's discuss ways to build a protective barrier between your computer and the cruel, cruel world.
Perhaps surprisingly, this barrier is easy and inexpensive to create. You don't need special technical skills to make your computer trouble-resistant. I use the word ‘resistant' since a trouble-proof computer doesn't exist, and probably never will. But if you follow each tip I can promise you'll vastly increase the odds of avoiding a computer disaster.
Let's start with a step that requires no fancy hardware or computer programs. It's the most important part of the protective barrier.
Protecting your PC from you
Most computer problems are created by the person behind the keyboard. In some cases that's because of something you failed to do. But many times we wreck our computers in a more active way. The Web is full of computer wrecking software from sites that offer free games, free software and browser add-ons that promise to make searching easier, even free programs that claim to tune up your computer.
In many cases what you are getting for free is a one-way ticket to computer disaster. While there is free software that works just fine, it's the exception these days, not the rule. Before you hit the download button for some miracle program, do a Google search to learn about it. Let's say you land on a Web page that offers an add-on to your regular Web browser that promises to find the best deals when you are shopping online. This add-on, for purposes of our example, is called Shoperama. Try a Google search like this: ‘remove Shoperama.' If it's a crooked or harmful program, you'll get hit after hit from other users seeking advice on how to get rid of the program. It’s a sure sign that you should avoid that program.
That's a good way to use a search engine to protect your computer. But home usersoften use a search engine to find advice that puts them in a fix. Let's say your computer seems to be running slow. So you bravely type the words "slow computer" into your search engine. Your search will return pages with good advice as well as hits from websites that offer programs that claim to turn your machine into a hotrod of a computer.
Trouble is that hotrod cars spend more time in the repair shop than on the track. It's the same with computers. Many if not most of these programs make things worse. You'll also find that they report finding a lot of problems that require you to pay for an upgraded version to fix them. Some programs are also difficult to remove from your computer and will continue to nag you for money until you finally find a way to delete it.
Turning the tables
Now let's discuss legitimate and sensible ways you can protect the computer.
There are basic programs that should be installed on any computer: Anti-virus, anti-spyware/adware and a firewall. Operating a computer without these programs is very much like going outside in an intense lightning storm, climbing up a tall hill, and then challenging the storm by holding up a long metal rod.
Most of the brand-name free and commercial programs for anti-virus and anti-spyware/adware work just fine. Or you can download and use a do-it-all free product like Microsoft Security Essentials (www.microsoft.com/en-us/security_essentials/default.aspx) to protect against everything. A comparable commercial program such as Norton's 360 will do the same thing a bit better. But either work just fine. There are also fine programs from AVG (www.avg.com) and -- for a program that just protects against adware/spyware and not viruses -- try the free version of Superantiwpyware (www.superantispyware.com/)
When it comes to a firewall, I think the free one that comes as part of Windows is just fine.
There are a couple of hardware devices that I also recommend as part of our protective barrier. One is a UPS -- an uninterruptable power supply. Not only will it provide emergency power that lets you smoothly shutdown your computer if the power goes out, it'll also filter out the bumps in ordinary household current during times the power is on. I also think a router -- the device many of us already have so that we can share an Internet connection with all our computers -- is an important part of our protective arsenal. Besides providing sharing, it creates a hardware firewall that gives you further protection from people and programs that try to invade your machines.
One last step
Let's add one final touch that allows for the fact that you can do everything right and still have things go wrong. That final step is backing up the data in your computer. It's crazy wrong not to do it. Use an external hard disk, or one of the online back-up services -- either is fine. Just do it.
If you've been around computers for a while, none of these tips will seem especially earthshaking. But there's something wonderful about having a computer that operates in a way that's boringly predictable, with no glitches, freezes or disasters.
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