Security and Safety.  
Security is an important consideration now you are online. If you are to take advantages of all the possibilities the Internet has to offer, you will want to ensure that your computer and your personal details are protected at all times.

Anti Virus software.
We recomend that you install anti-virus software on your machine, and ensure that the software is updated regularly.

A computer virus is a malicious program which has the ability to copy itself to files on the host machine. When the virus runs, it may have the effect of damaging or erasing files, or making the operating system unstable - so windows will crash or not load when you turn your machine on.

Many modern machines come bundled with anti-virus software (such as Norton or McAffee.) If your machine came with antivirus software pre-loaded, you will probably need to update your software immediately. New viruses are found every week and manufacturers of the anti virus software release periodic updates to ensure you stay current and your machine is protected from the latest threats.

Anti virus software can be bought for around £30-£40, though there are some excellent quality FREE ANTIVIRUS products available. We recommend AVG antivirus software which can be downloaded for free from here.

Windows update.
Many computer virus and trojan horse attacks are designed to exploit vulnerabilities in the different wiindows operating sysdems (eg Windows 2000, Windows XP.)

As with anti virus software vendors, Microsoft release patches to harden your machine against such attacks. We recomend downloading all the necessary patches to keep your system up to date and protected. From the "tools" drop down menu in Internet Explorer, click the "windows update" option, or connect to the windows update page on the microsoft website and you will be presented with all the options available to you.

Firewall software.
A firewall presents a boundary between your computer and any other machine on the Internet which might be looking to break in and steal your personal information. Again, McAffee and Norton both produce home firewall solutions which retail for around £30, but we are happy to recomend Kerio home firewall software, which can be downloaded FOR FREE from their website kerio.com

For tips on general email safety, click here.

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