Useful Tips to Make your PC Secure

If you have just bought a new personal computer for your home and want to secure it various vulnerabilities (including protecting it from viruses and spyware). Internet hold dangers for the unwary computer user.

Without proper precautions, your data is at risk every minute when your system is connected to the web.

Here are some of the most useful handy tips to make your PC secure.

1. Vaccinate Your PC – Computer viruses are vile bits of code that can cause a lot of damage to your PC. To stay safe, your first line of defense should be a good antivirus suite from companies like Norton and McAfee, or download and install Microsoft Security Essentials from http://bit.ly/HCeRGz.

In fact you can download AVG Antivirus 2012 from http://free.avg.com/gb-en without paying any fee.

2. Check your Firewall – Firewall  can either be software-based or hardware-based that filters and monitors the data sent to and received from the internet. It stops anyone accessing your PC over the internet without permission. Windows gives you a built in firewall. You must ensure that your firewall is ON before you connect to the outer world through internet.

To check your, click Start -> Control Panel -> System -> Security -> Check Firewall Status. The firewall status should be “ON”.

3. Stay Upto Date – To protect your PC from vulnerabilities you can, or should, make sure your PC is kept up to date and has the necessary patches to keep it safe. Updates helps to cure bugs that cause crashes and add new features.

To update manually click Start -> type ‘Update’. Now click Updates Windows -> Check for Updates  to see any new updates. Click Install Updates to apply them. You can automate the process by configuring Automatic Updates in Windows.

4. Password - A password is a secret word that is used for authentication. Make sure all the user accounts on your PC should be protected by a password. To set passwords, lick Start -> Control Panel -> User Accounts and Family Safety -> change your Windows Password. In case if there is  no password cluck Create your Windows Password.

You must choose a strong password which is difficult to guess. You can visit to get some useful password creation tips by Microsoft Safety & Security Center Password Checker.

5. Get Early Warnings – Mostly our PC gets infected by visiting an infected website. To safe your PC from visiting such infected websites download McAfee SiteAdvisor tool or AVG tool.

6. Limit Admin Access – It’s a good idea to use your PC with a  standard user account, and use your Administrator account only when you need to make big changes. As if a hacker comes along, they will find it difficult to infiltrate your machine.

In Control Panel  select Add or Remove User Accounts -> Create new account. Select Standard User and provide an account name. Don’t forget to set password for account.