Computer Protection Update

Computer protection is a necessity that doesn't have to cost you money!

Last April I wrote an article about protecting your computer from computer viruses without resorting to an expensive security subscription program.

In September, Wired magazine expert Cliff Kuang, asked: “how much computer security do you really need?”

Kuang noted that programs like AVG and Ad-Aware do the same job and don’t cost you money. Even better, they don’t slow your computer’s performance.

Probably the most important investment you can make for securing your website pages and business documents are backups. My computer tech, Robert Earl Gambrel, mentioned the inexpensive portable drives that have become so popular in the last couple of years.

Wary of any gadget that could fail, I save some of my business records in Google’s secure document section which doesn’t cost a thing; my website is backed up on Amazon’s site for less than 40-cents a month. You can read more about the Amazon program at Offsite Data Storage.

Of course most of us have used subscription antivirus programs and if you’ve ever tried removing a monster program from your system, you know it isn’t always possible to get rid of every last crumb.

Big programs, incomplete files, broken pathways all slow down our computers. After a few years, it is tempting just to go out and purchase a new one.

Need to restore speed to Windows operating system? CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool that contains no spyware.

If that doesn't work, Monte Russell, a veteran computer technician with a degree in Computer Science and numerous certificates hanging on his office wall, has written a series of ebooks (also available on CD) about how to diagnose and restore you computer’s performance—all in plain English.

I’ve only met Monte online, but he’s already saved me a bundle by helping me with a website security issue. I’m no techno-whiz, but I understood everything he wrote and was able to plug my security issue in less than a half hour.

If you’re looking to upgrade your computer or just restore it to its previous performance I suggest you check on Monte’s tutorials before spending any money.

You can find his complete list of how-to’s at DIY Computer Repair.