23 Rebooting a computer with no feet is like Phishing for tuna with no email address.
22 Creating and using strong passwords is extremely important. This is an example of a 10 character strong password: *&8+d@%=91 If an account permits letters and numbers only, avoid common words, dates... For more information see: Microsoft Password Checker
21 Information about what Spam is and isn't, and where you can report it can be found on the Support or Index pages.
20 Regardless of which browser(s) you use (K-Meleon, Opera, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Orca, Avant, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome...make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs are updated often. If you use your PC more than 3 hours a day, it's also a good idea to clean temp files every few days. If a computer owner does nothing else as far as maintaining the system, at least clean unnecessary temp files using a third party utility.
If you use free support and applications that protect against spy-ware, viruses and keep your computer in good operating condition, or free services and web site tools, it's good to support them with donations.
19 To keep a desktop/laptop screen free of unused icons, right clicking and viewing it's properties will reveal whether to delete it or not. The left over installation files of successfully installed applications can be deleted immediately after installation.
18 Related to personal computers, temporary files and cookies considered safe to remove by the system and a third-party application, should be deleted often. How often depends on how much you use your computer.
17 Desktop computer owners (as well as to laptop/notebook), risk of damage by sudden impact and liquids.
So, backing up your files and documents (or entire system), is important, whether it be a desktop or laptop. But, cleaning the registry properly (Windows), cleaning the disk, using a reputable 3rd party temporary file and cookie cleaner, or enlisting the support of someone you can trust to do these things, is also very important.
Keeping your computer safe with the right anti spyware, anti-virus and firewall software might be considered by some, a daunting task, especially if one doesn't enjoy the fun of maintaining it, but it's worth it.
16 If one has an interest in learning more about PC systems, in relation to a browser's access to the Internet, for comparison's sake, some systems come with browsers IE (Windows) and Safari (Mac) installed. Others are stand-alone applications K-Meleon, Mozilla Firefox and Opera and Safari. All are stable and depending on your preferences and knowledge level regarding the software; all have their weaknesses and strengths. For these and other browsers, the world wide web provides an abundance of information.
An expert's understanding of a computer is the last thing many users are looking to achieve. But, having a computer is like a car; if one doesn't know the maintenance procedures and follow them, it will break down, sooner rather than later. For novices, remember to "Save to Desktop" to keep in prominent view until pre-installation review, and use a system's Add/Remove (Windows) programs to uninstall applications (see your system's Help section for all other systems).
15 If you're concerned about safety when accepting cookies, in theory you can simply refuse all cookies. All standard browsers allow for this option. However, this is not a very practical solution. Many sites use cookies for useful or benign purposes. Also many sites require cookies to be enabled before a purchase and log-in security reasons.
A Session cookie is a cookie that is erased when the user closes the Web browser. The session cookie is stored in temporary memory and is not retained after the browser is closed. Session cookies do not collect information from the user's computer. They typically will store information in the form of a session identification that does not personally identify the user.
Persistent cookies are stored on a user's hard drive until it expires or until the user deletes the cookie. Excerpts from: Surfthenetsafely.com
Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware and Firewall Applications:
What one installs on their system should be directly related to one's own serious review of reputable sites that review and/or offer user feedback. Claymania (about anti-virus basics), Techsupportalert (Gizmo's Freeware) - Tools - and other links on our site have valuable information and reviews.
The best for you will come from your research, installing and trial use. If you can't easily understand or configure it, try another. Make sure it's 100% spyware/adware free, and get it from a reputable site or the software vendor's home page.
You can get excellent security with free applications (for personal use only), unless you prefer security "suite" or bundled software, all-in-one; usually not free but most have trial versions.
Over the years we've used most of the top anti-spyware and anti-virus applications. We like AVG anti-virus, but some prefer McAfee, Trend Micro, Norton, Avira, among others.
Use the words "anti virus reviews" and "anti spyware reviews" via your favorite search engine and/or links on our site; do the same for Firewalls.
For example: reviews.cnet.com provides some excellent reviews, but shouldn't be your only source of info.