Replies

Use Good Anti-Virus Software.

Use a good reg. monitor like Spybot Search and Destroy.

Use A good Firewall Product. Like ZoneAlarm Pro 4

If you are running a wireless network, use AIRSnare also.

Clean your caches regularly for best performance. There is a freebie called disk cleaner that works well, and supports Opera. Get it here. Disk Cleaner.

Defrag your drives once a week, or once every two weeks if you have minmal computer use.

DO NOT DOWNLOAD LOTS OF CRAP you don't really need. Don't load your 'puter with pirated software, half of it can have viruses, bots and trojans. Do not open attachments without scanning them first. Go to this site below if you want to learn just how secure (or not) your box is:

Steve Gibson Gibson Research Co.. Check out Shields Up! on his site, to test your security for free. Also has free security-related goodies.

Steve Gibson Gibson Research Co.. Check out Shields Up! on his site, to test your security for free. Also has free security-related goodies.

A very good "related goodie" is Gibson's section on Network Bondage - undoing the network bindings that Windows comes preconfigured with (everything in the "on" position). For Windows 98 users, this will enhance your systems security by shutting off many vulnerabilities. And it costs nothing but a bit of time to change your Windows set up.

Print out the pages, read them through once, then have them at your side as you go through the process. Even a novice can see it through.

This is as your Windows 98 system is configured out of the box.

This is how it will look (approximately) after you have made the changes Gibson guides you through.

The offending componants are the upper tier (Client for microsoft networks, file and printer sharing, Microsoft family logon). What you do is bind them to netBEUI which is not a network transport protocol. The only reason you bind them is because if you don't they go into hiding in a quirk of the Windows operating system. You keep them bound to something so that you can find them later should you need or want them.

Anyhow, he explains it much better and in much easier to understand terms than I am attempting here.

Here is the direct link to the section of his site covering this.