How to Set Up a New Computer

You just got the new, or new-to-you, desktop or laptop of your dreams. You have your fingers and toes crossed wishing that you will not have any trouble with it. Here are a few suggestions to help make your wish come true.

Free Downloads

Avast Anti-Virus Program: BEFORE you do anything else, be sure to download an anti-virus program. Peoples' machines have contracted viruses, crashed, and fried during set-up because they forgot this simple step. There are several programs out there, but I recommend Avast. I have been using it for years and a virus has never entered my machine undetected when Avast has been running. However, I cannot say the same for Norton and McAfee as I have encountered problems with each one of them.

Lavasoft Ad-ware: Stop those nasty spies in their tracks. Ad-ware scans your RAM, registry, hard-drive and external storage devices for known threats. You will have a high degree of privacy while surfing the Internet.

Windows XP Service Pack 2: The added features with Windows XP Service Pack 2 are enhanced security, firewall protection, pop-up blocker and the ability to manage add-ons in Internet Explorer. If you are using Windows XP, you will want to download all of these updates to enhance your computer's performance. This is a great service that is absolutely free from Microsoft.com

Windows Security Updates: In order to use this feature you must have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed on your computer and this feature will only work with the Internet Explorer browser. At the website, Microsoft Windows Updates, you can download and install all the critical updates and security features for Windows XP, Internet Explorer and other optional software and hardware. The main drawback to Windows Updates is that it can be a rather long, though not grueling, process. It can take hours for all the updates to download and install even if you have a fast cable connection. However, if you can find the time it is well-worth the wait for it may save you from a lot of heartache and expense somewhere down the line.