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We often hear talking about home computer security but do you really need it or is it just an investment you can avoid? There is no doubt: the answer is "yes" and especially if your home computer has access to the Internet.

No matter if your connection is through broadband, ADSL or a traditional dial up you need to set up a good Internet safety system. Even if your computer is not connected with the outside world a minimum of security software is necessary because if you load a CD or a DVD into your computer an infected file on the disk can damage your system. In this case anti-virus software is enough to protect you against these problems.

Setting up a home computer security system for a computer which has access to the Internet requires more actions. Before you start with installing software it is necessary that you are aware how the Internet works, how files can be infected and how to deal with the problems which come up.

What are the basics for your home computer security system?

1) INSTALL ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

This kind of software checks to see if the files on your computer are infected. If you open a website or download a file your anti-virus program will automatically scan the file. Also in emails the files are checked and many of them are blocked or the program asks if you want to mark the file as safe or not. If you receive an email from an unknown sender it's better to be careful and delete the email. Personally I have the best experience with the anti-virus program "Avast" which you can download for free.

2) INSTALL ANTI-SPYWARE SOFTWARE

This kind of software protects you against spyware; spyware is unwanted software which can penetrate in your computer when you download files, software or by visiting some sites. Spyware makes your computer slower and has a purpose to collect information about the user and to spread to advertisers or other people. I can recommend you Windows Defender and Spybot to protect you against spyware.

3) INSTALL A FIREWALL

When you make use of the operating system Windows Vista or Windows XP with service pack 2 there is automatically a firewall integrated in this operating system. If you prefer to use another kind of firewall there are a lot of choices and many of them you can download for free. Zone Alarm is a popular firewall which you can also download for free but there is also a paid pro-version. Some people will tell you this version offers you more possibilities but I am not a fan of this version because it often gives problems

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