You Can Keep Your Computer Safe

Having your computer be safe on the internet is a personal responsibility. There are so many nasty malware infections that are possible that it takes regular effort to keep your system top notch. Just like we take preventative steps to keep our cars safely on the road, like having our oil changed and checking our tires, we need to responsibly operate our technology in the public cloud of the internet. It is vital that you have any wireless network you are broadcasting secured. Be aware that on social networking sites like Facebook  you are presenting a public image and the things you share may not be private. Use passwords that are number, letters, and symbols combined and don't let browsers and sites remember your passwords and payment info. If you need help to learn how to do these things on a regular basis or prefer to have them done for you, we will be glad to set up an appointment.

Keep your operating systen updated. This means letting your Windows Update do its job by leaving your computer on overnight. But that isn’t always enough. Regular maintenance includes pushing the Windows Update occasionally to make sure that nothing got stuck behind a single update. Check the Optional updates for helpful updates from manufacturers that apply to your system. Always click and install updates when they are waiting. You will be notified that action is required by a small yellow shield in the icons at the bottom right on XP and a blue-ish box same place on Vista/Windows 7. They are waiting for you to do something, so don’t ignore them. Have the latest Service Packs applied. If you are on WinXP you should have SP3 installed and on Vista you should have SP2 installed for 32 bit or SP2 for 64 bit. Click Start. You can check which you have by right clicking on the Computer or My Computer and left clicking Properties. That displays your Windows version with which service pack is installed.

Windows Live Essentials Beta (Win 7 and Vista users only)  is doing regular updates that are important since it is a beta version.  This has sometimes removed the task bar and desktop icons.  You can find them under programs - right click and then pin to task bar or send to desktop.

Keep your antivirus program up to date.  Over the years, the best solutions for this function change. AVG is a product that many of us have installed for free and it has done a great job. Recently, they have been pushing a bit too much, in my opinion, for us to upgrade to a paid version. Many of my clients have gotten confused by the messages popping up. If you are using AVG Free version 9.x and happy with it, wonderful. However, I am switching many clients to Microsoft Security Essentials. This is a free product that has gotten great reviews.  In my experience, it has been easy to install and it runs very quietly in the background. If you want to switch, you will need to uninstall any antivirus program already running and then download this new program by clicking here.

Keep your Adobe Acrobat Reader up to date. Versions change rapidly, especially when there are threats in the wild for them to protect against. You should be on the latest version of Reader 9.3.x and you can check for updates by opening the program (red icon). With the reader open, click "help", then "check for updates," and install. If you haven't done this for a while, do it again until you get "no updates available." If you have an older number version than Reader 9, un-install it and then get the new version here. Always say NO! (un-check the box) to any free toolbars.

Keep your Flash up to date. Again, updates can happen often in spurts. Visit the Adobe site and let the installation program run online. There are very good and specific directions on their site with pictures to follow on installing Flash. Again, un-check any boxes allowing free toolbars to install. Follow the picture directions and when you get the video of the twirling red F, you will know it is all done.  The newest version of Flash is 10.x and you should install it when asked.

Keep your Java program up to date. The current versions are 6.15 or 6.16 and it is important for scripting on web pages that you have the latest for your system. When you visit the Java site, it will verify your system and tell you that you have the latest or suggest you download the newest version with a blue button. You will only see the blue button if you need an update. If you have older versions of Java installed, they should be uninstalled because they can pose a security risk.

Clients with 64 bit systems...Currently Java, Flash, and some other programs install only on the IE 32bit browser or have different versions for the 64bit and 32bit. If you have Vista or Windows 7 64bit, you may have to keep both browsers updated and in general be careful of which drivers you install for things like printers and other devices.  We will be happy to check your system and make sure that everything is installed properly for the 64bit environment.

Char Berbig says:
Thank you sooooo much for all your knowledge and help with my computer.  I thought it was dead for sure.  But you were right there when I needed you.  Now I am back online and learning all my new stuff.  When I have questions, you have all my answers. I will recommend you to all my friends and family.