Basic tips for free security

Computer security is important for everyone. People often underestimate the cost of computer labour and think that when they buy a computer, there will be no other costs other than the purchase cost. Wrong!


But you can easily reduce the risk of needing computer specialists' services with a few tips (there is no cost associated with those).

Short version: get AVG anti-virus, free edition, and MS Anti-Spyware.

Long version:
  • Get a free anti-virus. I recommend AVG, Free Edition. Not really because it is the best... I haven't tested them all. However, it is the one I've been using at home for a long while and I'm pretty satisfied with it. It is also easier for me to help anyone who's using the same software as I use. Note: AVG Free Edition can not be used in a business context. It is only allowed for personal use at home. Please respect licences. WinClam is an open-source virus-scanner
  • Get a free anti-malware program. If you have a legal copy of Windows installed on your compuer, get Microsoft Anti-Spyware Beta. It is free, but subject to change. Its beta status means that they're still testing it. It is quite stable, though. There are also a few anti-malware programs around (Lavasoft Ad-Aware and others...). If you'd like to go with an open-source solution instead, you can get Winpooch with ClamWin. I'm still not too familiar with with Winpooch yet, but I'll keep you informed.
  • Keep all your components up-to-date
    • Operating system (Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, etc)
    • Office suites
    • Anti-virus
    • Anti-malware
  • Make backup frequently
If you need help with any of this, you can contact me... but I don't work for free ;).

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