PC Security How-To: Windows Maintenance and Fixes Made Easy

Not too long ago, I found that my computer had been compromised by some ill-willed technology bug that I had no idea about - nor could I even get rid of it.

And in the end, I found myself reconfiguring my entire system setup from scratch, and starting over cold turkey on my computer - rejecting all my files and other information just to get things back in order.

So how would one go about setting things so that something like this doesn't happen to them? Easy: just make sure you keep your computer updated, and run some sort of security toolset to clean out any threats that attempt to get through your security defenses, while also keeping that up to date as well.

First, though, you should make sure that your computer's system files are up to date. Using Windows Internet Explorer, navigate to http://www.update.microsoft.com/ and configure the Microsoft Update service, under which all programs on your PC that Microsoft has jurisdiction over can be kept up to date. While you're there, set up the included automatic update tool included with the service to install the most prioritized updates to ensure any security glitches in the codebase of your system files can be resolved whenever necessary.

In addition to this, if you are running your system under the newer Windows Vista, you might want to keep your system configured so that any potentially hazardous tasks your programs might perform need to be confirmed at your discretion, using the new user account controls present in your system under the Vista environment. You can turn this off if you use another program to do this (such as a software firewall with it's own built-in security risk detection) but Vista's built-in equivalent catches many potential risks that you might not even think of, even if it does get annoying at times. XP users should at least ensire they're running Service Pack 2 on their systems so that they remain eligible for security updates, and they should also install IE7 to take advantage of some of the upgrades and fixes it provides. Additionally, if a Vista upgrade is possible, this should also be considered as it unlocks even more upgrades and fixes in IE7, such as a protected browsing mode that ensures more rigid compliance with internet standards than otherwise available.

Next, install the most fully-featured software-based security toolset you can afford. Although Windows includes starter tools in this category, they're very basic: XP's firewall, even under SP2, is inbound-only, and under Vista the new two-way firewall configuration needs to be set up in a configuration screen impossibly buried under several layers of configuration screens and seems tailored to corporate administrators or something, and not beginners. Even the Windows Defender spyware and rootkit cleaner comes off as cheap, and it doesn't even include virus protection! Thus, you should go with a more complete security toolset. These usually run about a good $45-$60 USD and up for some of the better-known toolsets; however, you might be able to install one at no charge if your ISP provides it as part of your monthly subscription, so try it first to see if it fits your needs. After installation, run the included security programs, starting with either the virus detection or the spyware remover, but do make sure to run them both. After the scan is complete, resolve any problems they find, and then set the toolsets to run as often as you believe necessary, but at least once a week for virus protection (while spyware cleaning may be configured once a day). I configured all of my security scans (both virus and spyware cleaning) to run several times a day as an extra precaution, but your security needs may vary.

These simple steps can go a long way to maintaining a secure and safe computing environment on your Windows-based PC.