Take Care of Your Computer

Here's a real cheapout. Computers are expensive, so make sure you are protecting yours the best you can.  I saw notice of a new email virus that is going around, so I thought it was a good time to pull out the post I did about taking proper care of your computer.

• Link to the Here You Have virus article on pcworld.com.
• Link to the official Cheapout post on virus protection, including some awesome free services.
• And some reminders:  Don't open links in emails if you aren't expecting the item from someone. 
• Don't automatically click a link, even if the email looks official.  You can check out where the link really goes by hovering over it with your mouse before clicking.  The real link will show up in the bottom left corner of your browser window.
• If it seems to be from your bank, paypal, or ebay, go directly to the site to find the information they're supposedly sending.  These are the most common "phishing" scams.
• Whatever anti-virus program you are using, update it and scan regularly.  The only way that your program can protect your computer is if it knows the latest exploits to search for.  It can't detect and remove malicious programs if you stop the scan so it doesn't slow down your computer.
• Don't forget to do your Windows updates!  They regularly fix "backdoors" or holes that the hackers have discovered.  Patches are good.  If you aren't good at remembering, set it up to update automatically.  You can ask it to notify you first and put off the update for a little while, but get it done.