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If you have recently come to the Internet, you’ll need information on how to navigate the Internet and understand the “why” and “how to.”  I’ll be writing small articles for the newsletter to educate and keep you informed.

New people coming to the Internet are quickly overwhelmed with information.  So many websites, videos, links – you hardly know where to go – what’s safe and what’s not?

The first thing you need to do is make sure your secure your computer.  Although the Internet is filled with sites that are actual businesses and resources for information that is safe to access, there are scams and unsafe websites.  Click on a link just because you are curious and you could end up on a site you never would have visited if you had known where the link was sending you.

Because you don’t know where the dangers are, it’s important to disable popups and install computer protection for Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Anti-Spam, Firewall and new web protection. You need this software to be able to identify and stop threats before they become a problem.

Popups are a nuisance used by some sites to give you no other option than to click on a popup that will trigger an action – an action that has been intentionally designed to install unwanted software on your computer or send you to another site.  To disable popups on your computer:

Internet Explorer

• Open a browser window to the Internet
• Click on Tools
• Click on Pop-Up Blocker; Turn on Popup Blocker

Mozilla FireFox

• Open a browser window to the Internet
• Click on Tools; Options
• Click on Content; make sure Clock Popup Windows is checked
• Click on OK to save the information

You can get security software with a 30-day free trial version From AVG Antivirus and Security Software: www.avg.com

• Click on Trial Versions
• Click on AVG Internet Security; Free Download
• Save the file to your desktop using Save File
• Double left click on the exe file you just downloaded and follow the
  directions to install the software on your computer

Most of the sites offering Internet security suites will have a free Internet security software that is available for a limited time or is free to use with limited abilities.  These are OK, but you should plan to invest in upgraded security that is updated frequently.  These can run anywhere from $35 – $75 as a one-time investment.

This software will block spam and viruses that attempt to invade your computer.  This is important because spam is an email nuisance and very often contains viruses.  Not only can a virus be inside
an email, but it can be downloaded to your computer without you even knowing it.  Never open an email or an attachment that comes into your email inbox unless you know who it is from.  If you
requested something from a business, a reputable business will also send you a confirmation email to get authorization to send whatever it was you requested.  As long a you did indeed submit the request, these confirmations are safe to authorize.

Sometimes they try to pass a virus to you by asking your permission to download the current version of Microsoft programs, such as .net software.  If you haven’t asked for the download, never click on OK to authorize the download.  Once a virus is on your computer, it grows and spreads like a virus, collecting your personal information and installing more software you are not aware of.

If your computer starts slowing down or you see an unfamiliar page when you log onto the Internet (start-up page), there’s a good chance you’re infected.  It’s important to immediately run a full
computer scan using your security software.  Depending on the size of the data on your computer, this scan could take up to 3 hours. Don’t interrupt the scan until it has finished and notifies you
of what it finds.  Follow the directions provided by the software to eliminate what it found.

Although you now have security software running on your computer, you will still need to run a full system scan periodically.  If you’re on the computer a lot – surfing sites and downloading files, plan on doing your scan every week.  If you’re not that busy, then run your scan monthly.

The Internet is an amazing tool for networking, meeting new people from all over the world and even discovering new opportunities.  Just make sure you protect yourself and your computer before you dive in!

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