Check My Sidebar For New Links To Secure Your PC

dgosling — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Please have a look at the new links I have added to the sidebar of my blog, to decide if the websites and programs may be useful to you, my readers.I am hopeful that these quick links to online information will help you keep your computers safe and healthy:

There is a new section “News” where I have added several links including my favourite site to help children surf safely on the internet. The theme and title are “Be Web Aware” and you can rely on it for safe topics and links appealing to children. There are many sites online that are setup to attract children and teenagers that you should be aware of. Know what your children are finding on the internet. Drop by and check it out, Web Aware will help your child/children remain safe online. Every computer a child uses should have parental controls activated, as there are many inappropriate websites that children find when they are surfing. If you have Windows XP on your system you can find Parental Control software that can be downloaded and installed at . If you have Windows Vista there are built-in Parental Controls for you to use. There are criminals on the internet looking for children they can exploit and you need to know if your child/children have come in contact with them, before they are exploited by the criminal element.

Another item in the “News” gives you a list of Anti-Spyware forums where you can get help with your PC, infected or not. Also included is a link to a forum where you can Stand-Up and Be Counted among those who want to fight back against the malware writers, and have changes made to the laws in their country that allow them to write malware with impunity. I have added a few new categories that include Security Information, Free AV Products, Free Firewalls, Free AntiSpyware Products, Free Rootkit and Trojan Scanners, Online Scanners and Anti-Trojan products and Free Security Tools that you can install on your system, as well as links to the original sites and blogs.

“Security Information” contains several sites where you can read reviews on the features and effectiveness of different AV products, AS products, and Firewalls. Also included are links to sites with information such as Rogue Software products that you should avoid, Steve Gibson’s site that is full of information about Securing your PC, as well as a link to a product called “Belarc Advisor” that will inventory all of your hardware and software.

The Free product sections include links to approved Free Antivirus, AntiSpyware, Firewalls and other security software products that can be used if you are unable to purchase the software. You require all of these products in this day and age, to keep your computer and yourself safe online. If you are able to afford one but not the others, then please download and install the free products so that you have one of each type of software. However, please remember that you should never have more than one Antivirus product or Firewall protecting your system because more than one will conflict with the other, causing them to be ineffective. You can have more than one AntiSpyware program as long as only one is setup as a resident program and the others used to scan your PC on a regular basis for malware. A regular schedule is recommended for a full scan of your hard drive(s) by each of the products you have. The reason that more than one AntiSpyware program is recommended is that they often have definitions for different infections. Online Scanners including Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Anti-Trojan, and Anti-Dialer, become very useful if you are questioning whether something has taken up residence on your system through email or other download. Often when a PC is infected, the onboard programs on your hard drive (antivirus and/or firewall) are unable to find the infection because those programs which you have relied on to keep your PC safe, have been compromised and no longer protect your system. If you think you have been infected an Online Scanner is needed to find and remove the infection. It is wise to run one or more Online Scans on a regular basis because the malware today is insidious and embeds itself in your system, often for a period of time before you become aware of it.

I always recommend that anyone who suspects they have a Malware infection, should visit one of the Anti-Spyware Forums and get help from the trained volunteers. Many of the malware infections we see today are very invasive, requiring sophisticated tools and the help of someone who has been trained in the removal of that specific malware so that permanent damage is not done to your files. Many of the removal tools used now, unlike the tools we used a few years ago, can damage your PC if not used properly, by someone who has been trained in their use.

I hope you find the new sidebar links useful as they are now easier to get to than they were when included in my articles.

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Check My Sidebar For New Links To Secure Your PC