The vast majority of people who have a computer are using the Microsoft Windows operating system, Microsoft Internet Explorer for browsing the web and Microsoft Outlook to send and receive emails. The first line of defence on your computer is to make sure that these are kept uptodate. Microsoft releases updates for Windows, Outlook and Internet Explorer on a regular basis. These updates are designed to "patch" a security loophole – sometimes called a vulnerability - or other fault that has been discovered. These loopholes and faults are used by hackers and virus-makers to gain control of your computer. Not a good thing to happen.

You can get these updates from the Microsoft website. Here is a link to the “Windows Update” page of the Microsoft website http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
You can also get to this web page by clicking on your PC's
"Start" button and choosing "Windows Update" from the Start menu.
When you get to the "Welcome to Windows Update" page click on "Scan for updates"
There will be a delay during which your system will be scanned to see whether your copy of Windows, Internet Explorer and Outlook is up to date.
If there are critical updates available you will be told how many there are.
Click on "Review and install updates"
The list of critical updates will now be displayed



You will also see that there is a brief description of what each update does. You have the option to remove unwanted updates, but unless you are fairly knowledgeable we suggest that you trust Microsoft and accept that all of the updates which are listed are needed
You may find that some of the updates are described as "exclusive". This simply means that they must be installed separately from the others on the list, and you will need to re-start your system after each exclusive item has been installed
Click the "Install now" button
If there are exclusive items that need to be downloaded, you will get a message-box like this

Click OK

Before downloading the updates you will be asked to accept the licence agreement; you do this either by choosing an "I accept" option and clicking "Next" or clicking an "Accept" button. You may also be asked if you want to keep an archive of the current system, to enable the un-installation of the update at a later stage. You can agree to this if you want. But it is not essential.
The next thing that you will see are the progress boxes as the updates are downloaded and installed. Don’t worry if the progress appears to come to a standstill for some time. Some of the critical updates can be quite large – particularly if you haven’t updated Windows on a regular basis – and can take some time to download
At the end of the update process you will be told that you have to re-start the computer. You must re-start the computer in order for the updates to take effect. You can either get Windows to restart automatically, or you can opt to shut down and restart in your own time.
If you have installed an exclusive item you will need to restart the computer and then go back to windowsupdate.microsft.com and start the process again
Go on installing and re-starting your computer when asked until all the critical updates have been installed.

You should go back to the “Windows Update” page on a regular basis. It’s worth getting into the habit of going there once a week.

SP2 is the latest Windows Service Pack2 for Windows XP users If your Operating System is Windows XP and you haven't already upgraded your software to Service Pack2 then do so right away http://www.windowsupdate.com This service pack contains the latest Windows securities and patches for Windows and Internet Explorer, it also includes a built in firewall, popup blockers, and virus protection. Though it is still adviseable to install other protection too. (You can only have one Anti-Virus software or Firewall running, but you can install a few other spyware or popup blockers, and filters, together with your own choice of Anti Virus software or Firewall).
Once you have installed the service pack you will see the Windows Security Centre, which will automatically warn you if your computer could be compromised. The centre is divided into three sections covering the updated Firewall, Automatic Updates for new security patches, and Virus Protection that will nag you reguarly if you have no anti virus software installed! Microsoft has also included the Popup Stopper as standard in IE6. For further information visit the Windows Website.

Please note, if you experience any problems after installing SP2, please seek Expert Advice from as some PCs are not compatible with the SP2 Upgrade. (ie 64bit Processors)

A Firewall is a must. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you don’t need one. A Firewall is the first line of defence to protect the security of your computer. Never, ever, think that you can get by without one installed on your computer

If you are using Windows XP, there is a firewall built into it. This can be found by going to Control Panel/Network Connections. Highlight the network connection and click on “Change settings of this connection”. You will then get a pop-up window. Click on the tab that says “Advanced”. If you want to use this built in firewall then click on the box next to “Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet”. If you don’t want to use this built in firewall then make sure that there is no tick in the box.

Admittedly, the original built in firewall in WindowsXP was very poor. But, it has been improved in Service Pack 2 which can be downloaded from the Microsoft website

But, and this is a very important “but”, if you decide not to use the built in WindowsXP firewall you MUST install and use another brand of firewall software.

Before installing any other firewall software on a Windows XP computer, be sure that the firewall built into Windows XP is turned off. Never use two software firewalls at the same time.

The main thing that a firewall does is to secure the “ports” on your computer. Now, don’t think of these “ports” as being bits of hardware. They are simply places in the operating system or other software on your computer that allow information to come in and out of your computer. What you don’t want is information coming into your computer without you knowing about it. So, you need to configure your firewall to only allow information that you know about to come into your computer and to stop any other information from getting into your computer. This is a very simple thing to do and the firewall software, like the ones listed in the Software section, have a step-by-step guide on how to do this.

In order to prevent Viruses, Trojans, Popups and Spyware, then you MUST keep these programs uptodate as well as your Windows Updates, to be on the safe side do these on a weekly basis.

You may find there are viruses within your Operating System and Registry. If you are not familiar with these programs. Please seek Expert advice to get them removed.

This is as good a time as any to see how well protected your computer is. Why not test it out at these websites:

McAfees Hackerwatch http://www.hackerwatch.org/probe

Audit My PC http://www.auditmypc.com/freescan/prefcan.asp

ShieldsUP https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Just follow the instructions and you should see how well – or not – your computer is protected.

By the way, don’t worry about these sites. They are highly respected websites and will NOT put any files on your computer or alter it in any way.

• If you are using Windows XP, have you upgraded to SP2?
• Have you got a Firewall installed?
• Have you got Anti-Virus installed and scanned for viruses?
• Have you updated your Anti-Virus definitions lately?
• Have you updated your Windows Critical Updates?
• Have you installed Anti-Spyware and Popup blockers software, and scanned for Spyware and Trojans?
• Change your passwords reguarly
• Keep your email address private
• Do not use your name in your email address.
• Create a second email address for online shopping and chat
• Make use of Filtering Software and online email accounts
• Never open unsolicited mail or attachments
• Have you deleted Temporary Internet files and Cookies?
• Anyone you meet online are "strangers", don't give anyone personal information.