How To Make your PC secure on the Net

Whilst surfing the Internet, you are potentially exposing your PC to all sorts of malicious code that can invade your computer, seriously harming your system and data while also hogging system resources or reducing PC performance and Internet bandwidth. Here are seven ways to protect yourself against malware.

1. Update your operating system regularly

The first step in protecting your PC, and your valuable data, is to ensure that the operating system (OS) is updated with the latest security patches. This is critical as OS manufacturers, such as Microsoft Windows, update the security features of their products continuously to cover any potential and actual loopholes.

2. Buy good anti-virus software

Secondly you should have updated anti-virus software running on your system. This software must be able to scan email and files, as they are downloaded from the Internet, to help prevent malware reaching your system. It is also important to make sure that this anti-virus software is updated frequently, with fixes to the actual engine and to the database files, ensuring they contain the latest cures against new viruses, worms and Trojans.

3. Know your processes

Knowing what is running on your computer will increase your ability to identify potentially harmful processes. Call up the Windows Task Manager (press CTRL+ALT+DEL) and familiarize yourself with the processes running at any point in time. You can use a handy free tool - ProcessScanner (http://www.processlibrary.com/processscan) which tells you exactly what’s running on your PC, what each process does and what program it’s associated with. Alternatively, ProcessLibrary.com includes a free download: ProcessQuicklink. This plug-in makes detailed information, about each process running on your PC, available with a single click from within the Windows Task Manager.

4. Use firewalls on the Internet

You should also remember to install firewall software or use the native Windows firewall. A good firewall prevents unauthorized use of, and access to, your computer from external sources (eg hackers or hijackers) while also giving you additional protection against the more common Trojans and worms. A firewall, on its own, will not get rid of the virus problem but, when used in conjunction with other measures, will give you deeper system security and protection.

5. Know your registry

Residual files, unused or undeleted drivers, and corrupt or bad entries in registry settings will quickly litter even the newest of computers causing a loss of performance and general PC instability. If you keep your registry clean and know what is inside, you will be in a better position to realize immediately when performance has taken a downturn. Therefore it is advisable to invest in a good registry cleaner: one that allows you to scan your registry thoroughly and fix all errors. Moreover, the cleaner must be able to backup your registry.

6. Invest in anti-spyware software

You should install an anti-spyware software package. In fact many experts go as far as suggesting installing two or three solutions since any single package may not be powerful enough to find all the entries and changes to your registry, and other files, made by spyware. This may be going a little far, however spyware is a dangerous threat and protecting yourself is important.

7. And, for when the unimaginable happens… backup your data

Prevention is better than cure. However you may still catch a virus no matter how tight your security is. It is always advisable to backup all your data regularly (at least once a week). And, if you are a frequent PC user, you should backup your data on a daily basis.