How To Protect Your Computer While Browsing

There are over 1 million computer viruses in circulation to date. It is very important to protect your computer from these viruses to protect your personal information and your files. 

Step 1

The first thing you need to do is make sure your computer's operating system

is up to date. That means if you are using Windows XP or Vista, you should do automatic updates. The reason this is important is because Microsoft generally releases security updates every month and these tend to be fixes of holes or flaws in the operating system.

Step 2

The second thing you should do is identify if you have an antivirus. If not, you should consider purchasing one or you can download AVG free. It is 100% free and won't cost you a dime. The only thing I dislike about it is that it updates every day and can get annoying as it might slow down your system. If you are willing to purchase one, I would suggest Norton Antivirus or McAfee. Both are suitable and will protect your computer from viruses.

Step 3

Lastly you should identify if you have an anti-spyware. If you have Windows XP or an older operating system without Norton or McAfee, you probably don't have one. If you have Windows Vista, you are in luck as Vista comes built in with an anti-spyware called Windows Defender. Now don't be confused between viruses and spyware because an anti-spyware helps protect your computer but DOES NOT protect against viruses. Most anti-virus software nowadays has some sort of anti-spyware built in, but you should double-check to make sure. There is a lot of free anti-spyware software out there. If you don't have Windows Vista, you can download Windows Defender or you can download a program called Ad-Aware personal. Both are free and will do the job.

I hope this helped you get a better understanding of how to protect your computer

against viruses and spyware. Hopefully, if you were unaware of these potential threats before, I have helped you become aware.