by Jim Hill

Created on: July 01, 2009   Last Updated: July 13, 2009

Almost everyone wants to be safe when using or surfing the Internet. At one time or another in our world, we were ignorant of the computer technology. I was a little slow in embracing what the Internet was all about. I figured I've lived most of my life without a computer, why would I need one now. Since then, I couldn't believe how anyone could live without the Internet. I was married and my other half wanted to become involved with this new technology, so I was put in a position of I had better learn what this was all about. Am I glad I made that effort! It seems now, that the new wave of crime involves the Internet and anything using it, and that includes you and me. Normally you access the Internet with a computer, although there are other ways that can get you on. With computers there are several choices that are offered to you. The most common is the Windows operating system (OS.) It is estimated that about 95% of the computers on the Internet are this OS. Because of this high number, it is a prime object for anyone to use to gain any advantage for their benefit. We are left with only a few options to counter this threat. One is to use the vast array of software available to Windows OS to combat the problem. Or, the most obvious is to use another OS, which would be Linux, Apple, or UNIX. Linux is a magnet for the geeks. There are many versions of Linux to keep those masses content; it is mostly free, and the only downfall is learning a new language as well as a new style of computing. Gaining fairly fast in the world is the Apple OS. A bit pricier and not as easy to find dealers, it is a definite step up in graphic quality, as well as very stable. What keeps Windows so popular is the amount of software written for it, and not all was written for our benefit. That brings us to the subject of safety with Windows.

When we get that brand spanking new computer hooked up and running on the Internet; the first thing we should do is get an update on our Windows OS. For those not aware of how to get that, it is click on Start > All Programs > find Windows Update and click it. When that window opens, we have to wait for it to check for an active x program that the site uses. Click yes to install it, and while there, on the right side of the window that's open, is the ability to enable automatic updates. I recommend enabling that, as it will keep you up-to-date with updates. I recommend that all important software be automatically updated. The only downfall

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