Some safety tips...
Do not just visit any website out there. Try to stick to sites that you know and trust. It is really difficult to do this 100% but try to be as narrow as possible.
And don't forget not to download attachments in your emails hardly at all as a general rule. And don't ever click on any links in your emails unless you are absolutely sure you know what you are doing!!! You might say I know what I am doing. All I need to do is click on the link to get to the site. But that is the problem you are trying to avoid in the first place. Many links you click on only lead you to a website that more than likely will result in viruses, spyware or stealing your password and other personal information. Save yourself the headache and find out exactly how to go about it. Simply contact us through this website or talk to someone you know and trust that they know what they are doing. You can also visit
http://www.google.com and do a search. Just use keywords like email phishing or some other keyword regarding email scam. When you find several website links in your search results, check for the ones that you know and trust and visit them.
Is your computer running very slowly? More than likely spyware, adware, malware, viruses, etc. sent through emails, strange websites, installing applications you don't really know much about etc.
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BROWSERS
Is a particular type of browser really necessary in order for you to surf the internet? No. But you do want to narrow down on the ones that are generally considered safest.
If you only use AOL, chances are you are not willing to launch an external browser to go surfing the internet. AOL by default use Internet Explorer so you have no choice there. Just make sure and take advantage of all the Pop Ups, Firewalls, Anti Virus and anything AOL has to offer for safer browsing. But if you really want to be even safer, use Mozilla Firefox.
Firefox
I recommend Mozilla Firefox for browsing. Get it here
www.mozilla.com After installation, sign into to your ISP and just launch Firefox and off you go! If you have an always on type Internet connection i.e cable, dsl or similar, simply run Firefox to browse.
Keep an eye out for Microsoft's browser improvements. We will try to post information here in the forums. If configured properly however, it can improve your online experience.
Netscape
http://browser.netscape.com/ns8/download/default.jspOpera
http://opera.com/Not a bad browser for security.
There are other new browsers on the rise so I will post info as it becomes available.
Keep your browser up-to-date!
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SPYWARE AND ANTIVIRUS
Next you should download a few good spyware/adware and antivirus programs. It is highly recommended that you run more than just one of each of these programs. But I highly recommend SpywareBlaster of the spyware bunch. You will never be 100% protected from anything. But taking these types of actions will guarantee you a much safer browsing experience.
Spyware Blaster
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/downloads.htmlSpybot Search and Destroy
http://www.spybot.info/en/index.html Spysweeper
http://www.webroot.com/ Spysweeper may only be a 30 day trial but check to be sure.
AVG Antivirus
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/5390/lng/us/tpl/v5#avg-freeIf you think you have a slowness problem or even a computer that's been locked out of the internet, get HiJack This ---
http://www.merijn.org/downloads.html It's a good troubleshooting application and can tell a lot to your technician. Don't attempt to fix these problems yourself or you might mess something up on your computer!
For more software you can visit here...
http://tips.littlehosting.com/Some of these items may already be repeated on this page however.
You should keep your spyware up-to-date on a weekly basis.
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FIREWALL
What is a Firewall anyway? Well to keep it short and simple, think of a firewall as software that blocks out intruders from accessing or reporting stuff back to their website about you. It is a good form of security.
Zone Alarm is a very good program for such an occasion but I must admit it can be very confusing to run and configure but well worth it. If you are using Windows 98, ME or 2000 you may want to upgrade to Windows XP. Especially try to get rid of Windows 98 if you get online.
Be sure that your Windows XP Firewall is turned on if you are not using Zone Alarm. Start/Program/Accessories/System Tools/Security Center. If you install Zone Alarm just keep watching the pop ups and you will soon discover all the activities that was going on behind your back! You won't believe it!!!
Zone Alarm
http://www.zonelabs.com/--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL CLIENT
Mozilla Thunderbird
http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/There are several reason you might want to install Thunderbird. First off, if you have several email accounts, Thunderbird could be your one stop spot to download all or most of your emails without ever having to sign into to check your email accounts individually. However, you still have to be connected to the internet.
It is also very good for filtering spam. Most of my spam go straight to my junk folder but you can also send them directly to the trash folder. Get in the habit of checking your junk and trash folders however. From time to time some of your important emails might end up there. No program is perfect!
Thunderbird is also very good for managing your emails, as you can label emails as important, to do, personal, etc. There are many more features as well.
I will admit that it takes a little tech know how to setup so before you even consider it, be sure you know a little more about computers than just average or contact someone for help.
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CLEARLY understand that NONE of these applications are complete solutions to any of your problems. But if you get Firefox browser and some of these applications, you will still be way ahead of the game.
