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If you’re using your computer to make money online then you need to be vigilant with your computer’s security. A down computer means loss of revenue.

Here are some recommendations in keeping your computer safe while you’re on the Internet.

If you like to use Internet Explorer 7, make sure your security settings in Internet Options are at it safest. Follow these steps:

Click on Tools then Internet Options
Click on the Security tab, then click on Custom Level

You will see: Active X Control and Plug-ins
The following should be Disabled

Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls
Binary and script behaviors
Download signed ActiveX controls
Download unsigned ActiveX controls
Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe

Scroll down to Downloads
Automatic prompting for file downloads – Disable

Enable Pop Up Blocker

Scroll down to Scripting
Allow paste operations via script – Disable

Click OK, when done to save the changes.

I recommend using Firefox for your browsing needs. It’s a great standalone and safer browser than Internet Explorer. There are different themes and extensions which you can use to customize it to your needs. You can even view sites in IE with Firefox by downloading the IE extension.

Some telecommuting companies specifically ask for Internet Explorer so make sure you don’t completely get rid of this browser.

Each time you visit a website, a cookie is installed on your computer. There’s nothing wrong with it, but there is a concern for Internet privacy since it can be used to track your browsing behaviour.

Here are my recommended and basic software to download. All are free.

CCleaner – It’s a quick click of a button to delete your online activities. It clears cookies, Internet history, temporary files and more.

Pop Up Stopper – For Internet Explorer you can use Panicware Pop Up Stopper. Although your computer already comes with a pop up blocker, it doesn’t hurt to use two. In Firefox, I recommend downloading the Ad Block Plus extension.

Spyware Blaster – Works like an anti-virus program, but it’s an anti-spyware program. It prevents the installation of spyware and other potentially unwanted software.

Zone Alarm Free or Pro – Depending on your needs. The free firewall version works very well.

AVG Free – Free antivirus program. Other popular free antivirus programs are Avast and Avira.

Some other recommended sites to bookmark are:

Trend Micro – It is a free online scan for viruses and spyware.

PC Pit Stop – Free computer checkup and diagnostics can help you detect and fix many common PC problems.

Shields Up! – Internet connection security for Windows users.

XP home networks are becoming more common. People want to be able to share a single broadband Internet connection to several computers in the house, as well as having access to one printer. There is a simple, yet powerful piece of equipment that does all of that for you. It is known as a home network router

The purpose of this device is to control how the network passes around information. This information is sent in the form of \”packets\”. It simply means the data that the network is transporting. One of the most common searches on the Internet is setting up home network. It\’s quite simple and I\’ll explain it to you.

The Home Network Router

A home network router is a device that has several Ethernet ports on the back of the device. One of these ports might be labeled \”Uplink\”. This port allows you to connect multiple home network routers together, if you run out of ports on your home network router. If you do not have an uplink port on your home network router, the router cannot be easily extended if you run out of ports. Unless you have a LOT of computers in your house, this is nothing to be concerned about.

If you DO have a lot of computers in your house, and they are not always accessing the Internet at the same time, one wireless home network router is a better choice than having two routers. Setting up home wireless networks is simpler and faster than setting up a wired home network router

A router is a device that attaches multiple computers on an Ethernet network. If you have a number of computers that you want to connect together, you could connect each to the home network router, either with cables or wirelessly. Any packet that is sent out by any computer on the network will immediately be transmitted to the Internet.

You COULD use your home network like a small business network, where information on other computers on the network is shared, but most people use the router to allow multiple home computers to use a single Internet connection.

There is most likely a port on the router labeled \”Internet\”. You run a cable from that port to your Internet connection, such as a cable modem, to provide Internet service to all the computers on your xp home network.

Some routers come with additional features installed. Most routers also include a firewall. Firewalls are discussed in the next section.

What is a Firewall?

A firewall controls traffic flow between your home network and the Internet. A firewall can be either hardware or software. Windows XP SP2 or higher includes a software firewall. A hardware firewall is included with most routers.

A firewall is a very good idea. It can protect you from inbound virus attempts. By inbound virus attempt I mean other computers that will connect to your computer and attempt to infect your computer. You do not want to run a computer directly connected to the Internet, without a firewall. There are just too many other computers out there that can connect and infect you without you even noticing, until disaster strikes.

The way the firewall protects you is really very straightforward. The only direct connection to the Internet is your home network router and it\’s firewall. It\’s not a computer, so it can\’t be infected with a virus.

WARNING!!!! NEVER rely on the router\’s firewall to provide 100% protection against computer viruses. ALWAYS have an anti-virus program installed on your computer. An excellent, and no cost anti-virus program can be downloaded at http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html

Conclusions

As you see, the process is very simple. You purchase a home network router, either wired or wireless, connect up your computers and printers using the router\’s easy and simple setup program, and plug the router into your Internet connection. For ease of setup and convenience, I suggest that you consider home wireless networks as the better choice.

Prior to trying the Avast 4.6 Home Edition, I was very much a Norton user. I knew there were a lot of free antivirus software out there but I wanted to be on the safe side and use something tried and true. However, with the increase of spyware and virus attacks, my computer was not always spared and there were times I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it. That’s when I thought that it was time to try something new – and free.

Installation is very easy. Just download the software from the Avast website, free of charge. The only catch – if you can consider it that – is that it is for personal, non-commercial use only. The installation process is mostly automatic. You can choose to register it after installation in order to access free updates for one year. If you do not choose to register it then you can use it for 60 days free. Since the registration is free as well, there is no reason not to do that.

The user interface is simple and easy to use. Some people might not find that it doesn’t suit their taste as it looks something like Winamp – it looks fun, not very serious. However, that doesn’t take away its functionality. It actually adds to the experience as you can change the skin if you want to.

It gives you the option to run 7 providers. You can choose which ones you want to run. I use the following shields: Instant Messaging, Internet Mail, Network Shield, P2P Shield, Standard Shield, and Web Shield. If you use Outlook then you can opt to use that provider as well. The above-mentioned shields pretty much cover everything you do on your computer, providing extensive protection. The Web Shield is by far the latest impressive addition to this release. It monitors all internet traffic including spyware. It is also compatible with most internet browsers. If you are worried about the effect on speed, your worries are unfounded.

A drawback of this software is that it takes too much time to load up when you first turn your computer on. It may take several minutes. In the meantime, it would be difficult for you to run applications.

I think that is a minor inconvenience you can put up with. For something that is free and works effectively, I wouldn’t mind waiting for a couple of minutes.

How to get rid of avast! Home Edition completely? I gave avast! Home Edition a trial a few months ago. But all I can say is that it was actually light on resources and had an easy to use guide, and the most favorable comment I can make is that it is not so easy to remove avast! Home Edition from your computer.
If due to any reason you want to remove avast! Home Edition，you can follow the below methods:
Method 1 Free but you may not conduct a clean avast! Home Edition removal by this method
Note that before you conduct this un-installation, please shut down all programs. And Uninstalling avast! Home Edition in Windows NT/2000/XP requires administrative privilege.
Step 1 Click Uninstall avast! Home Edition from Start-Programs-Quick Heal group.
Step 2 avast! Home Edition Uninstaller will prompt for the deletion of Reports, and then proceed by pressing OK.

Step 3 Uninstaller at last will prompt you to restart your system for changes to take effect

Method 2 A quick and safe way to completely uninstall and remove avast! Home Edition program in seconds
If you are unable to uninstall avast! Home Edition from your computer by using method as stated above, then you can try to download an automate removal tool to help you.
There is actually a fantastic removal tool that can help you fully uninstall and remove avast! Home Edition with great success and make sure all the now-defunct Registry entries and related files are eliminated automatically with a few clicks. Aside from this software, it can also completely remove other programs like Authentium, Norton, Trend Micro, Internet Explorer, or Microsoft Office, and similar programs.

If you have Windows xp home edition and you don’t have iis thsi is the video to watch. In this video I will show you how to host your own websie for free and how to convert your computer into to a server. The program I will be using is wamp server, the program is free and supports .php .html and other various website template. This means you can put wordpress on or joomla WAMP Server Download www.wampserver.com If you want to put wordpress or joomla on your site you’ll need a mysql database. Which you can download online free, the database will be hosted on your computer. MySQL download dev.mysql.com Wordpress download wordpress.org Free Wordpress Themes wordpress.org Joomla Download www.joomla.org Free Joomla Themes www.joomla-themes.co.uk joomla2u.net