Temporary Files: Explanation: Over time Windows accumulates temporary files used by certain programs and the operating system. Once the program has closed, these files serve no further purpose. Removing these will free-up disk space and cause an increase in system performance. Recommendation: An excellent program designed for this is CCleaner, a freeware system cleanup and [...]

Explanation: A firewall is a device – hardware or software – that filters information being transferred through your Internet connection with your computer. If a packet of information is flagged by the filters, it is not allowed through. Simply, a firewall is a barrier to keep destructive forces away from your property. Recommendation: Unless you [...]

Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet that will guarantee the security of your computer 100 percent; however, what you can do to continue to improve your computer’s security and decrease the possibility of infection is use a firewall, keep your system up-to-date, and equip your computer with reputable antivirus software.

Many fear that anti-spyware laws will outlaw legitimate adware, which is a perfectly acceptable form of advertising and commerce is perfectly acceptable, that is, until it takes the form of spyware and tracks a user’s activity and generates reports on this that are sold for illegal activities.

Can someone really gain control of your computer? In a word, “YES!” Get this: The average machine is so poorly protected that someone (and a “bad” someone, at that) tries to enter several times every hour, using software that targets online computers.

I just ran across a staggering statistic. Did you know that Websense, a reputable network marketing firm, recently studied forms with more than 100 people (and their computers, of course) and found spyware on 92 percent of PCs? This means just 8 of the 100 computers were spyware free!

The first time the phrase “spyware” was used was in Oct. 1994. At that time, the phrase was used in a post and jokingly referenced Microsoft’s business model. After that, the term “spyware” generally referred to Spyware later came to allude to equipment used to spy, such as hidden cameras, small recoding devices, etc. The [...]

Spyware is best explained as software that infiltrates your computer and captures your personal information, including tracking where you have been online (to sell this information to advertisers), capturing your keystrokes (which gives away your valuable passwords) and more – all without your knowledge or consent. Spyware can also scour your computer’s hard drive for [...]

After you open and run an infected program or attachment on your computer, you might not realize that you’ve introduced a virus until you notice something isn’t quite right. By then, some damage is done, which explains why it is important to be proactive protect your computer by using anti-spyware. If you’re computer is left [...]