Computer Health
Keeping your computer running smoothly is difficult. Here are some utilities and tips you can use to help keep your computer safe from trojans, spyware, and other craptastic things.
Stop Spyware
Spyware is software that... spies on you. It tracks your internet viewing habits, records keystrokes, gathers personal information, and does other annoying and invasive things. You often get spyware when you install free software, such as KaZaA, the Bonzi Buddy, and other similar software. Even AIM has some!
To combat spyware, I use Spybot S&D. It's free, but don't let that fool you. It was ranked the highest in a PC Magazine comparison. If you like the software, I also recommend you make a small donation.
Another program is Lavasoft Ad-Aware. The personal version is free. I haven't used it, but it is also supposed to be a good one.
Note: Some programs (such as KaZaA) will check if their accompanying software is still installed on startup, so using one of the above programs to remove spyware could disable the "host" program.
If you prefer to personally find and kill spyware, check out the library of information at DoxDesk. This site also has a free spyware finder (but it can only find some spyware, and works only with IE, due to ActiveX). Oh, I also enjoy his semi-frequent rants.
Use a Firewall
A firewall is a must if you have a broadband (cable or DSL) modem. Windows XP has a built-in firewall, but I recommend Zone Alarm, because it is more robust (blocking both incoming and outgoing traffic). It's also free.
Use an Alternate Web Browser
Get Firefox. Period. Why? Well, for several reasons. First, it's safer than Internet Explorer. It has fewer security holes and is less often the target of security threats. Even the US government recommends it.
Second, it has better features. It's built-in pop-up blocker is very nice, and I really enjoy the tab interface, which allows you to open several Web pages in one browser window. This also saves system resources. It also has searchable bookmarks and history, which helps you find what you're looking for.
Third: extensions. You can get all kinds of extensions to do all kinds of cool things.
Fourth, Firefox can resize any and all text. If you've ever come across a site where you tried to increase the size of its tiny, unreadable text, and were unable to, that's because of a bug in (or feature of) IE.
Of course, people like me also think that the fewer Microsoft products used, the better. Microsoft is actually holding back innovations in the Web, by distributing a truly inferior browser. IE conforms the least to Web standards, but since most people use it, cool features of Web design aren't implemented on most Web sites.
Don't worry; your Favorites are automatically imported when you install Firefox. My only gripe is the lack of Favicon support, but I think that's a minor issue.