Compiled from The Star Intech, these are various programs that are free and available to download from the net.
Office suite
OpenOffice
www.openoffice.org
Contains Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw and Base.
Writer: word processor
Calc: spreadsheet program
Impress: Constructing presentations
Draw: Photo editor
Base: used to manipulate and monitor a database
Antivirus
AVG
www.avg.com
Best free antivirus around.
Multimedia players
Winamp
www.winamp.com
Plays music, videos, stream radio transmissions and organize pictures, an all-round multimedia hub that can even be used to sync your iPod.
VLC Media Player
www.videolan.org
A player that can play just about any media file.
Encryption tool
Flexcrypt Free
www.flexcrypt.com
Protect text, e-mail messages, files and instant messengers.
Password manager
Efficient Password Manager
www.efficientpasswordmanager.com
Keep track of passwords for applications and online sites, software registration codes and more. Random password generator available. You only need to remember one password.
Photo editing
Softwares to rival Photoshop
PhotoScape
www.photoscape.org
Paint.NET
www.getpaint.net
GIMP
www.gimp.org
Sticky notes
Hott Notes
www.hottnotes.com
GPS
EasyGPS
www.easygps.com
Recover Files
Recover Files
www.undeleteunerase.com
Recover files removed from Recycle Bin, network drive, Flash drives and portable drives via a DOS prompt or Windows Explorer.
File zip
7-Zip
www.7-zip.org
Zips and unzips 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2, TAR, RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ and many more formats. And also encrypt files.
P2P clients
uTorrent
www.utorrent.com
For all your torrent download needs.
Web Browser
Firefox
www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
Too many good points to list down. Just use it.
Google Chrome
www.google.com/chrome
Opera 9.6
www.opera.com/browser
Operating System
Ubuntu
www.ubuntu.com
Showing posts with label computer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label computer. Show all posts
Friday, February 13, 2009
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Windows Fix
Safe Mode
If Windows fails to load, restart the computer and just after the Bios finishes loading, keep pressing the F8 key until the Windows Advanced Options menu appears. Use the arrow keys to select Last Known Good Configuration. If Windows starts up properly, remove any programs you installed or undo any changes you made recently.
If it still won't start properly, reboot and go back to the Advanced Options menu again and choose Safe Mode. In Safe Mode, Windows will automatically skip loading programs and hardware components which in 99% of the cases should make it start.
System Restore
Next, if you have installed a program that has made your computer unstable, the best way to recover is to use System Restore. System will not delete your data files such as Word and Excel documents, e-mail messages, browser history and such. However, it will remove the programs that were installed at the time the restore point was created.
It's in Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. Select Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time. Click Next and follow the on-screen prompts to select a restore point. At the end your computer will auto reboot to complete the process.
Windows Repair
If even that doesn't solve the problem, your last resort is the Windows XP CD which has a very useful tool called Recovery Console. First insert the Windows XP CD and reboot the computer. When you come to the Welcome to the Setup menu, hit R to start up the Recovery Console and press the corresponding number to select the operating system (usually 1 if you only have a single operating system) you wish to repair. At this point you will be expected to enter the administrator password.
The partition boot sector and the master boot record are essential for Windows to boot. If they become damaged by virus or configuration changes, Windows won't start up. To fix it, type "fixboot" and press Enter and wait for the process to complete before you restart the system. This will help you write a new partition boot sector and overwrite the existing one.
If you suspect the master boot record is also damaged then you can also fix it through another command, "Fixmbr". If you only have one drive, type "Fixmbr\Device\HardDisk0". Hard Disk zero.
Reinstall Windows
If all fails, then you have no choice but to reinstall a fresh copy.Reinstall Windows back to the original folder should solve your problem but you will lose some settings and some programs may have to be reinstalled to work properly. However, all your personal data should remain untouched.
Just insert the Windows CD and repeat the process above to get to the SEtup screen. Press Enter to initiate Windows Setup and agree to the licence by pressing F8. Setup will detect an existing copy of Windows installed on your hard disk. Install a fresh copy of Windows to the same directory by pressing the Escape button.
Bad Start
If Windows crashes after you log on, then chances are a program that is automatically starting with the operating system is unstable. As soon as you type in your username and password, and hit Enter, hold down the Shift key. This should prevent programs from starting automatically and hopefully not crash Windows. The next thing to do is to find out which program is creating the problem and fix it.
Compiled from The Star, InTech, 29 April 2008
If Windows fails to load, restart the computer and just after the Bios finishes loading, keep pressing the F8 key until the Windows Advanced Options menu appears. Use the arrow keys to select Last Known Good Configuration. If Windows starts up properly, remove any programs you installed or undo any changes you made recently.
If it still won't start properly, reboot and go back to the Advanced Options menu again and choose Safe Mode. In Safe Mode, Windows will automatically skip loading programs and hardware components which in 99% of the cases should make it start.
System Restore
Next, if you have installed a program that has made your computer unstable, the best way to recover is to use System Restore. System will not delete your data files such as Word and Excel documents, e-mail messages, browser history and such. However, it will remove the programs that were installed at the time the restore point was created.
It's in Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. Select Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time. Click Next and follow the on-screen prompts to select a restore point. At the end your computer will auto reboot to complete the process.
Windows Repair
If even that doesn't solve the problem, your last resort is the Windows XP CD which has a very useful tool called Recovery Console. First insert the Windows XP CD and reboot the computer. When you come to the Welcome to the Setup menu, hit R to start up the Recovery Console and press the corresponding number to select the operating system (usually 1 if you only have a single operating system) you wish to repair. At this point you will be expected to enter the administrator password.
The partition boot sector and the master boot record are essential for Windows to boot. If they become damaged by virus or configuration changes, Windows won't start up. To fix it, type "fixboot" and press Enter and wait for the process to complete before you restart the system. This will help you write a new partition boot sector and overwrite the existing one.
If you suspect the master boot record is also damaged then you can also fix it through another command, "Fixmbr". If you only have one drive, type "Fixmbr\Device\HardDisk0". Hard Disk zero.
Reinstall Windows
If all fails, then you have no choice but to reinstall a fresh copy.Reinstall Windows back to the original folder should solve your problem but you will lose some settings and some programs may have to be reinstalled to work properly. However, all your personal data should remain untouched.
Just insert the Windows CD and repeat the process above to get to the SEtup screen. Press Enter to initiate Windows Setup and agree to the licence by pressing F8. Setup will detect an existing copy of Windows installed on your hard disk. Install a fresh copy of Windows to the same directory by pressing the Escape button.
Bad Start
If Windows crashes after you log on, then chances are a program that is automatically starting with the operating system is unstable. As soon as you type in your username and password, and hit Enter, hold down the Shift key. This should prevent programs from starting automatically and hopefully not crash Windows. The next thing to do is to find out which program is creating the problem and fix it.
Compiled from The Star, InTech, 29 April 2008
Hardware Fix
This is another of those computer-related articles that I read about, summarized, put up and edit from time to time. I shall name this article, "Hardware Fix" (pretty self-explanatory XD)
If the computer fails to start up normally and makes beeping sounds, then there is hardware problem. This website lists down the beeps and the explanation.
http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm
If it's memory or graphics card related, try removing them and then putting them back as they tend to become loose over time.
If there's no beep, then it's time for some detective work. If possible, find a working computer to swap the components and find out which is working and which is not. Remember to make sure you are free from static by grounding yourself.
1st scenario: You push the power button and nothing happens. No sound from the speakers, no fans spinning and nothing appears on the monitor.
1. Make sure the power cable is not loose and the fuse in the plug hasn't fried. (Surprisingly a lot of people tend to forget this step :P)
2. Make sure the power outlet is working by plugging something else to it.
3. Listen closely to the hard disk. If there's no spinning, chances are the power supply or motherboard is dead.
Borrow a power supply from a friend to check if this solves the problem.
4. If it doesn't, then the motherboard is probably not channelling the required power to the other hardware components.
If the computer is new, have it sent to the computer shop to fix it. If it's several years old, it's time for a new computer, whoo-hoo!
2nd scenario: The power supply is ok, fans are spinning, LEDs have lighted up or you hear your hard disk spinning but nothing appears on the monitor.
1. The graphics card, video cable or monitor has gone kaput.
Take out the graphics card then put it back again. It may have become loose.
2. Borrow a monitor and try again. If there's still nothing on the screen, then chances are the graphics card is dead. Check the monitor status light. Green or blue means the monitor is receiving signal from the video card and it is sufficiently powered. Orange means the monitor is on standby mode because it is unable to receive video signal. This should only happen when the computer is off.
3. If the monitor is powered on (check all cables and make sure the power button is on) and there is no status light, the monitor is dead. Just to be sure, try connecting the monitor to a different power outlet and switch it on to see if it goes into standby mode.
3rd scenario: The monitor is working but the image is garbled.
1. It's either a faulty graphics card or RAM.
If you have two sticks of RAM, remove one and restart. If it works, and you want to be really sure, restart again with only the other RAM (the one you took out earlier).
2. If it still doesn't work, then it's probably the graphics card.
4th scenario: The monitor is working, the Bios routine is running, but the computer still won't start.
1. Probably the hard disk has crashed. Or it could be due to software problem, which I will post in the article.
On a relevant topic, if you tweaked with the Bios and killed your computer, reset the settings again by pressing the appropriate key when the computer starts up, then choosing the default factory setting.
If you fubared it (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition - I love this word) that you can't even get into the Bios screen, it's time to perform some surgery.
First check from the manual to see if your motherboard comes with a special jumper setting that you can change or a button you can push to cause the Bios to reset automatically. If not, follow the next steps.
Turn off the computer and remove the power cable from the wall outlet. Remember to ground yourself to remove static. Open the PC case and locate the rechargeable battery on the motherboard, which is usually about the size of a 20 sen coin. Remove the battery carefully. Wait for an hour or so for the board to loose all trace of the Bios setting. Replace the battery and the case cover and power the computer up. The Bios setting would have automatically reset to the default setting.
Compiled from The Star, InTech, 29 April 2008
If the computer fails to start up normally and makes beeping sounds, then there is hardware problem. This website lists down the beeps and the explanation.
http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm
If it's memory or graphics card related, try removing them and then putting them back as they tend to become loose over time.
If there's no beep, then it's time for some detective work. If possible, find a working computer to swap the components and find out which is working and which is not. Remember to make sure you are free from static by grounding yourself.
1st scenario: You push the power button and nothing happens. No sound from the speakers, no fans spinning and nothing appears on the monitor.
1. Make sure the power cable is not loose and the fuse in the plug hasn't fried. (Surprisingly a lot of people tend to forget this step :P)
2. Make sure the power outlet is working by plugging something else to it.
3. Listen closely to the hard disk. If there's no spinning, chances are the power supply or motherboard is dead.
Borrow a power supply from a friend to check if this solves the problem.
4. If it doesn't, then the motherboard is probably not channelling the required power to the other hardware components.
If the computer is new, have it sent to the computer shop to fix it. If it's several years old, it's time for a new computer, whoo-hoo!
2nd scenario: The power supply is ok, fans are spinning, LEDs have lighted up or you hear your hard disk spinning but nothing appears on the monitor.
1. The graphics card, video cable or monitor has gone kaput.
Take out the graphics card then put it back again. It may have become loose.
2. Borrow a monitor and try again. If there's still nothing on the screen, then chances are the graphics card is dead. Check the monitor status light. Green or blue means the monitor is receiving signal from the video card and it is sufficiently powered. Orange means the monitor is on standby mode because it is unable to receive video signal. This should only happen when the computer is off.
3. If the monitor is powered on (check all cables and make sure the power button is on) and there is no status light, the monitor is dead. Just to be sure, try connecting the monitor to a different power outlet and switch it on to see if it goes into standby mode.
3rd scenario: The monitor is working but the image is garbled.
1. It's either a faulty graphics card or RAM.
If you have two sticks of RAM, remove one and restart. If it works, and you want to be really sure, restart again with only the other RAM (the one you took out earlier).
2. If it still doesn't work, then it's probably the graphics card.
4th scenario: The monitor is working, the Bios routine is running, but the computer still won't start.
1. Probably the hard disk has crashed. Or it could be due to software problem, which I will post in the article.
On a relevant topic, if you tweaked with the Bios and killed your computer, reset the settings again by pressing the appropriate key when the computer starts up, then choosing the default factory setting.
If you fubared it (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition - I love this word) that you can't even get into the Bios screen, it's time to perform some surgery.
First check from the manual to see if your motherboard comes with a special jumper setting that you can change or a button you can push to cause the Bios to reset automatically. If not, follow the next steps.
Turn off the computer and remove the power cable from the wall outlet. Remember to ground yourself to remove static. Open the PC case and locate the rechargeable battery on the motherboard, which is usually about the size of a 20 sen coin. Remove the battery carefully. Wait for an hour or so for the board to loose all trace of the Bios setting. Replace the battery and the case cover and power the computer up. The Bios setting would have automatically reset to the default setting.
Compiled from The Star, InTech, 29 April 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
What Newbies Should Know About Computers
Just thought I could list down several must-have programs for anyone's computer for everyone's benefit :) This list will be edited as much as I think it should. This is just VERY basic knowledge and recommendations, so as not to overwhelm starters. It is advised that you look them up on the internet to know them better. Note that I'm not a tech-wiz so there maybe some inaccurate stuff here too. If you see any, please tell me, thanks!
But first, a glossary for the newbies. Try to know each of them:
1. Virus: Small programs able to run on their own, wrecking havoc on your computer. Files get erased, changed, infected and then spread to more people.
2. Worms: Programs that let other malware come aboard for the wrecking-ride. Trojans are worms. See the connection? the Trojan horse let loose the invaders and destroyed Troy. BAD.
3. Malware: Malicious software. BAD stuff.
4. Adware: Programs that advertise on your computer. It shows you lots of bad ads whether you like it or not, forcefully and sometimes it gets so bad with huge amounts of ads showing up that it will cripple your computer.
5. Spyware: Spyware is worse, in my opinion. It spies on you, steals your information (ID theft) and if it could, steal everything from you, your money, your reputation (from doing illegal stuff using your ID) and anything. You have no idea how digitalised your life is. Wake up if you haven't noticed yet that ALMOST everything is digitalized by now. Apart from food, try naming me a few stuff that are not digitalised yet.
6. Firewalls: Firewalls prevent programs from sending information and receiving information without your permission.
7. Defragment: When you save information on your computer, it gets stored by fragmenting it into tiny pieces and shoved into any available space. So sometimes when you retrieve that info, your computer has to go through a huge area of your hard disk to get all of the information. The longer you don't defrag your computer, the slower it'll be.
8. Registry: In a nutshell, a registry is a file that your computer needs for that program to run. Most of the time when you uninstall a program, the registry stays put, thus accumulating as junk on your computer and if there are a lot of junk registry, your computer will lag tremendously.
Antivirus, antispyware, antiadware, antiwhateverbad:
1. AVG
official website: www.grisoft.com
or get it from: www.download.com, which is way easier to find and download.
Best antivirus software agreed by more than a million people. Plus it's free and not a memory resource hogger. And I don't think I need to explain more what antivirus programs do, do I?
2. Avast! 4
website: www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html
Another note-worthy free antivirus software I would consider if my first choice should fail.
3. ThreatFire 3
website: www.threatfire.com
A program I would seriously consider because it can work together with your current antivirus, firewall or antisypware without any conflicts. Best of all, it can detect the behaviour of malicious software and block threats before your antivirus even have an idea it's bad. Plus it's so easy to use and free too.
I did install it together with my Kaspersky Antivirus, but found my computer freezes with so many unnecessary pop-ups. Verdict: Kaspersky and Threatfire do not go together. Having Kaspersky is enough protection, this is what I read in tech forums.
4. Ad-Aware 2007
website: www.lavasoftusa.com
Now this is great stuff. Antiadware and antispyware. Highly applauded and free. No reason to not get it :)
5. Spybot Search & Destroy
website: www.safernetworking.org
Do you know that 1 antiadware/antispyware program can't catch ALL the malware on the web? It's because unlike antivirus, the information on malware are rarely swapped between different companies. That is why if possible, you should get a few more antiadware and antispyware programs working together. Spybot is reputed as another great program, but I'm having trouble using it to scan my computer. Still you should have it checked out, and if it works for you, do tell me :)
6. McAfee Site Advisor
website: www.siteadvisor.com
This is a must-have. It tells you which websites are safe and which are not. And it's free too. Don't you just love it when great stuff comes at no price at all? GO GET IT NOW.
7. Lab Zone Firewall
website: http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp
Actually the Windows firewall would be adequate (remember to enable it always), but if you're still very concerned about safety, get this highly-praised software. Firewalls prevent programs from sending information and receiving information without your permission.
Maintenance
1. Cleaner
TweakNow RegCleaner
website: www.tweaknow.com/RegCleaner.html
DoubleKiller
website: www.bigbangenterprises.de/en/doublekiller
CCleaner
website: www.ccleaner.com
Cleans out temporary files and unused files, and if you're feeling bold, a registry cleaner too. Registry cleaning should only be done if you know what you're doing, although I have done numerous times of registry cleaning using these kinds of programs (DO NOT do it by hand unless you're really, and I mean REALLY, an expert) and my computer is still working sweet. TweakNow RegCleaner cleans registries, DoubleKiller kills duplicate files, while CCleaner cleans registries and temp files.
2. Defragmenter
Auslogics' Disk Defrag
website:http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/download
or
Power Defragmenter
website: http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Hard-Disk-Utils/Power-Defragmenter.shtml
Windows' defragmenter does the job VERY slowly, sometimes hours, and you can't touch your computer during that time. Which is why it is recommended to do it while you are sleeping. But I know something stupid. Anytime your computer decides to do something in the middle of defragmenting (auto scans for viruses, pop-up some program registration reminder and other stupid stuff, and I suspect screensavers too, but I'm not sure), the defragmenting goes back to the start. Once I was so happy it finally reached 20% after hours of defragmenting, then I forgot what happened, then it jumped straight back at 0%. So you may think it's not worth it, but sadly defragmenting is a very important task, that's why you should invest in some good defragmenters, such as Power Defragmenter, which finishes the job in under an hour for on average.
Other tips:
1. Switch to Mozilla Firefox as your internet browser, as Internet Explorer is a favorite victim of malwares. Firefox is so much safer and I love the add-ons.
website: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
2. Don't click on any links send to you either by email or instant messenger. Instead copy the link, then google it to see if it's a safe website. Then only enter.
3. You should notice this by now, whenever the website asks for confidential information, or you're paying something online, the website url should be yellow, and is "https://..." instead of the usual "http://...". It means it's a secured website and only you and the website can see the information typed.
4. I know some people like to have stuff that is different than anyone else, such as a free music player other than Winamp or Windows Media Player, or free antivirus other than AVG and Avast. It's best not to do so. Stick to tried and tested programs to be sure there's no catch behind the free stuff.
5. Before you do anything major to your computer, like installing new stuff, make a new system restore point. That way if anything goes wrong you can just re-roll back to a time you are sure is safe, and don't worry, you won't lose any files. Only registries and some settings are changed. It's under accessories > system tools > system restore
But first, a glossary for the newbies. Try to know each of them:
1. Virus: Small programs able to run on their own, wrecking havoc on your computer. Files get erased, changed, infected and then spread to more people.
2. Worms: Programs that let other malware come aboard for the wrecking-ride. Trojans are worms. See the connection? the Trojan horse let loose the invaders and destroyed Troy. BAD.
3. Malware: Malicious software. BAD stuff.
4. Adware: Programs that advertise on your computer. It shows you lots of bad ads whether you like it or not, forcefully and sometimes it gets so bad with huge amounts of ads showing up that it will cripple your computer.
5. Spyware: Spyware is worse, in my opinion. It spies on you, steals your information (ID theft) and if it could, steal everything from you, your money, your reputation (from doing illegal stuff using your ID) and anything. You have no idea how digitalised your life is. Wake up if you haven't noticed yet that ALMOST everything is digitalized by now. Apart from food, try naming me a few stuff that are not digitalised yet.
6. Firewalls: Firewalls prevent programs from sending information and receiving information without your permission.
7. Defragment: When you save information on your computer, it gets stored by fragmenting it into tiny pieces and shoved into any available space. So sometimes when you retrieve that info, your computer has to go through a huge area of your hard disk to get all of the information. The longer you don't defrag your computer, the slower it'll be.
8. Registry: In a nutshell, a registry is a file that your computer needs for that program to run. Most of the time when you uninstall a program, the registry stays put, thus accumulating as junk on your computer and if there are a lot of junk registry, your computer will lag tremendously.
Antivirus, antispyware, antiadware, antiwhateverbad:
1. AVG
official website: www.grisoft.com
or get it from: www.download.com, which is way easier to find and download.
Best antivirus software agreed by more than a million people. Plus it's free and not a memory resource hogger. And I don't think I need to explain more what antivirus programs do, do I?
2. Avast! 4
website: www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html
Another note-worthy free antivirus software I would consider if my first choice should fail.
3. ThreatFire 3
website: www.threatfire.com
A program I would seriously consider because it can work together with your current antivirus, firewall or antisypware without any conflicts. Best of all, it can detect the behaviour of malicious software and block threats before your antivirus even have an idea it's bad. Plus it's so easy to use and free too.
I did install it together with my Kaspersky Antivirus, but found my computer freezes with so many unnecessary pop-ups. Verdict: Kaspersky and Threatfire do not go together. Having Kaspersky is enough protection, this is what I read in tech forums.
4. Ad-Aware 2007
website: www.lavasoftusa.com
Now this is great stuff. Antiadware and antispyware. Highly applauded and free. No reason to not get it :)
5. Spybot Search & Destroy
website: www.safernetworking.org
Do you know that 1 antiadware/antispyware program can't catch ALL the malware on the web? It's because unlike antivirus, the information on malware are rarely swapped between different companies. That is why if possible, you should get a few more antiadware and antispyware programs working together. Spybot is reputed as another great program, but I'm having trouble using it to scan my computer. Still you should have it checked out, and if it works for you, do tell me :)
6. McAfee Site Advisor
website: www.siteadvisor.com
This is a must-have. It tells you which websites are safe and which are not. And it's free too. Don't you just love it when great stuff comes at no price at all? GO GET IT NOW.
7. Lab Zone Firewall
website: http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp
Actually the Windows firewall would be adequate (remember to enable it always), but if you're still very concerned about safety, get this highly-praised software. Firewalls prevent programs from sending information and receiving information without your permission.
Maintenance
1. Cleaner
TweakNow RegCleaner
website: www.tweaknow.com/RegCleaner.html
DoubleKiller
website: www.bigbangenterprises.de/en/doublekiller
CCleaner
website: www.ccleaner.com
Cleans out temporary files and unused files, and if you're feeling bold, a registry cleaner too. Registry cleaning should only be done if you know what you're doing, although I have done numerous times of registry cleaning using these kinds of programs (DO NOT do it by hand unless you're really, and I mean REALLY, an expert) and my computer is still working sweet. TweakNow RegCleaner cleans registries, DoubleKiller kills duplicate files, while CCleaner cleans registries and temp files.
2. Defragmenter
Auslogics' Disk Defrag
website:http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/download
or
Power Defragmenter
website: http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Hard-Disk-Utils/Power-Defragmenter.shtml
Windows' defragmenter does the job VERY slowly, sometimes hours, and you can't touch your computer during that time. Which is why it is recommended to do it while you are sleeping. But I know something stupid. Anytime your computer decides to do something in the middle of defragmenting (auto scans for viruses, pop-up some program registration reminder and other stupid stuff, and I suspect screensavers too, but I'm not sure), the defragmenting goes back to the start. Once I was so happy it finally reached 20% after hours of defragmenting, then I forgot what happened, then it jumped straight back at 0%. So you may think it's not worth it, but sadly defragmenting is a very important task, that's why you should invest in some good defragmenters, such as Power Defragmenter, which finishes the job in under an hour for on average.
Other tips:
1. Switch to Mozilla Firefox as your internet browser, as Internet Explorer is a favorite victim of malwares. Firefox is so much safer and I love the add-ons.
website: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
2. Don't click on any links send to you either by email or instant messenger. Instead copy the link, then google it to see if it's a safe website. Then only enter.
3. You should notice this by now, whenever the website asks for confidential information, or you're paying something online, the website url should be yellow, and is "https://..." instead of the usual "http://...". It means it's a secured website and only you and the website can see the information typed.
4. I know some people like to have stuff that is different than anyone else, such as a free music player other than Winamp or Windows Media Player, or free antivirus other than AVG and Avast. It's best not to do so. Stick to tried and tested programs to be sure there's no catch behind the free stuff.
5. Before you do anything major to your computer, like installing new stuff, make a new system restore point. That way if anything goes wrong you can just re-roll back to a time you are sure is safe, and don't worry, you won't lose any files. Only registries and some settings are changed. It's under accessories > system tools > system restore
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