How to Make Your Computer Secure: Start with Your Operating System

Last time we talked about how important computer security is and what are the effects of an unsafe machine. We have seen how a single machine can infect a thousand others and why each user should be concerned with protecting their own PC.

We are going to discuss tips on how you as an ordinary user will be able to protect or PC.

Tip No. 1 - Use a secure operating system or make your operating system secure

Majority of computer systems around the world are running Microsoft Windows, undoubtedly the world's de facto operating system. Most experts agree that most Windows based machine have a lot of security issues. In other words, the operating system's security has some flaws in it. Some Microsoft proponents argue that the only reason why Windows has some security issues is that majority of the hackers and virus makers attack only Windows base machine. While the argument seems logical it is not entirely true. It cannot be denied that there are flaws in the programming of Windows security features. More secure systems are Linux based systems. Again, it is not because they do not attacked by hackers more often; it is because of the excellence in systems design that makes Linux more secure than windows. If you are adventurous it is suggested that you study Linux and perhaps think about the possibility of switching to that operating system. However if you are Microsoft fan or you just love letting Bill Gates and his cohorts earn millions of dollars more then you can opt to update your windows based machine.

So why do you need to update your machine? Updating installs new features in your operating system making it more secure. It patches the security flaws that have not been discovered at the time the operating system was made. Some hackers deliberately hack into a windows machine to show that there are lots of flaw in its security features. When Microsoft learns about this they distribute a software program to patch that flaw. This is what updating is for.

Most modern windows operating system has a built in update feature. It's a matter of pointing and clicking and having the diligence and perseverance to wait for the updates to download and install. The problem with this is that Windows has a "support cycle" this means that Microsoft only support systems update for a certain period of time. You cannot make updates perpetually. For example, you cannot make Windows 98 updates today because it is not supported anymore. You will have to explore the World Wide Web to find an update for your windows driven machine.

Updating is easy. By default Windows XP has turned on its automatic updating feature, Windows automatically downloads security updates. It's just that it's very annoying to see that little yellow thing telling you that windows is installing update and that you have to restart your system. If ever you decide to turn off automatic updates, you can still update your operating system manually. On your windows machine click on start and you can see a "windows update" icon. Click that icon and internet explorer start to appear and connects you to the Microsoft Windows update website. You can either choose "Express" update or "Custom" update. Just choose express update if you are not sure what you are doing.

Updating does not only patch security problems. It also updates and installs new features in your operating system like the latest internet browser or the latest media player.