It's really important to use Windows Update regularly now. Microsoft is usually releasing new security updates on the second Tuesday of each month.

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Viruses and privacy:

Two highly rated free antivirus programs are AVG and avast!. AVG seems a little simpler and more intuitive, but avast! is a very comprehensive program for someone who is technically inclined.

Comodo is a firewall that's been getting very good reviews. It won a PC magazine Editor's Choice award. There is a free version and a pay version. If you are using Windows XP, Comodo may be a better choice than the Windows XP firewall, which only blocks inbound traffic, not outbound. You can go into the settings and tell Windows to use Comodo, not Windows firewall.

Spybot Search & Destroy is one of the best free programs to remove spyware.

Google Pack is a compilation of some of the most trustworthy software downloads available. As far as security software, Norton Security Scan and Spyware Doctor are included. Spyware Doctor can use a lot of your PC system resources, so you may want to disable having it automatically start with Windows and just run it occasionally if it seems to slow down you r computer.

Shields UP! is a useful tool to help you test your internet connections security. Click on the "Probe My Ports!" button to begin the brief test. If you don't understand the results, you can print the results page and show them to the people at a computer store.

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