I been using the Internet for a long time now, so long I don't even remember when the first I ever used it. But back then there was a lot less hassle of having protection on our PCs and not only that! You also didn't have to worry about having your very own identity stolen!

Today's world is totally different, there are hundreds of thousands of people on the Internet that would love to steal your credit card, bank details, paypal account you name it they want it!

But it's not just that they also want to take your identity to ruin your credit by taking out massive loans in your name and having it paid in to your account for them to just withdraw it from there PC...

It does not stop there either, not only are we scared to wits of losing our cash but we also have people wanting to destroy our data on our computers out of pure fun and joy... It's a sad world we live in.

Now I'm not here to scare you, don't close that Internet connection just yet as I do also have some great tips and ideas on how to keep your self protected from such worries.

Firstly, every computer must own a Firewall, but I can hear the slow ticking in your head already banging away and asking... What's a Firewall?

Firewalls are designed to prevent other computers accessing your computer without your permission, to keep this very basic, a firewall is basically wall between you and the Internet. For others to get pass this wall they have to be given permission from the users on the other side.

Firewalls are great protection; I have used many, ZoneAlarm, Norton and also McAffee. But the best I have seen so far would have to be from Panda Software. They have a two in one package having Antivirus and Firewall all in one box. Though this may stop people from trying to attack your PC using software etc there are still many other routes that you can get attacked.

Viruses, Spyware, Trojans are just a few names that are currently taking advantage of thousands of PCs around the world; a firewall will not protect you from all of these!

Instead, you are going to need an Antivirus product which will take care of most of these threats.

Most Antivirus software will protect you from almost all threats on the Internet, you don't need Spyware protection for Spyware, Trojan protection for Trojans... You get the picture?

One single Antivirus application will do all the work for you, don't sit there searching endless searches for different products to help you out... Why?

In the end you will have loads of junk software on your PC all taking up system resources and wasting your computers CPU power. You will start to see your PC running slower and in the end you will just have to do a recovery of the entire system because it will be too naked to even start up... Phew!

But you get the picture now; a single application is all you need, the big brand names do all this for you at the moment, it runs in your task bar and does almost everything except make you a nice cold tea! Just make sure you install the latest Antivirus software soon as your Operating System is installed... We don't want anything bad slipping through do we!

To keep your self safe from all the nasty stuff on the Internet then the only best advice I can give you is to stay away from them bad nasty adult sites and also stay away from FREE software sites... These type of sites are hard to pick from, some are bad... Some are good.

Keep your software up to date and watch where you go and you should have no problems at all.

Nowadays computers are part of everyday life, and sit along with eating and sleeping as something we all do every day, and although they provide a wealth of information at our fingertips, a way to make jobs which would take hours take minutes, and of course a great source of entertainment, they are not without their frustrating moments, one of these being of course the computer virus.

We've all heard of them, whether it be in the latest company newsletter about the virus attacking your bosses hard drive, or in the news that the latest computer bug will destroy all life as we know it, the computer virus can be an annoying thing, and whether we know it or not, most of us have 'contracted' a virus on our PC at some point, but how much do we know about them? For the large majority of computer users a computer virus is something for the 'Tech Guy' to deal with, and apart from installing anti-virus software there's little we can, or can be bothered, to do.

A computer virus is basically a computer program that has the ability to copy itself and 'infect' a computer without the owner telling it to do so, or even being aware. The term "virus" is also commonly but wrongly used to refer to other types of malicious software such as malware, adware, and spyware programs. A virus in the true sense of the word can only spread from one computer to another when it is taken there, whether that's over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive. Viruses often increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system.

The advent of the internet has meant that viruses can spread much more easily, and regular outbreaks of certain viruses attack computers which are not properly protected by antivirus software . Viruses such as Sasser have in the past knocked out huge networks of computers, putting businesses out of action sometimes for days at a time.

There are millions of internet scams available. With so many people going to the same sources for information, it has become relatively easy over the past few years to integrate spyware into programs so hackers and thieves can track your moves on the internet.

Certain types of spyware can be referred to as tracking cookies. These cookies are small bits of encrypted text that companies place on your hard drive every time you visit their website. They can then review other websites you have visited, how long you have spent visiting particular websites, and whether or not you purchased items from particular websites. If this idea of tracking your internet activity gives you kind of a creepy feeling, you are not alone. For this reason, there are a lot of different types of anti spyware programs available.

What these programs do is clear your hard drive of any tracking cookies that may have been placed on your drive during an internet session. It almost seems to be a kind of "big brother" in which every move you make is being watched. Scam artists use certain kinds of spyware to access your bank and personal information, if you frequently use those websites during internet sessions. Removing tracking cookies is something that can be done relatively easily. There are programs which help you remove spyware from your computer.

Some of the more advanced spyware programs will automatically block cookies from being encrypted onto your drive at all. Some will allow you to remove cookies with a quick scan after each internet session whilst others run regularly at a set time, chosen by you, to ensure spyware programs are run at a somewhat regular interval.

Spyware isn't necessarily a bad thing. Companies first used it to be able to target banner ads and other advertisements directly to the user on the internet. They become an issue when there is a lot of information encrypted onto a hard drive. The computer can then begin to run slowly, and cause more errors. It can also be considered an invasion of privacy.

For this reason, it is best to run anti spyware programs at regular intervals to make sure you won't be an easy target for different kinds of internet scams. Running anti spyware programs will also help ensure you can keep your computer running smoothly and free of bugs or glitches which may come with being overloaded with too much information.

Adware are an unfortunate nuisance - Adware are computer programs designed to display targeted ads, which can also significantly reduce computer speed. They reduce computer response times by consuming RAM and CPU resources and can also reduce the speed of your internet connection. This article gives four simple rules to eliminate Adware from any computer.

Rule 1: Use an Adware remover software - My recommended solution is simply to use an adware removal software and follow some simple steps to prevent undesirable adware installation on your computer. Trying a free Adware removal software first - It is usually straightforward to use a free version of any adware removal software. This method is a good one, to check if a software meets your needs as well as experience any support and customer service. I find malwarebytes.org to be the best and it's free.

Rule 2: Avoid P2P - It usually pays to be cautious with the programs you download from the internet. For instance programs delivered using Peer to Peer network (Peer to Peer/ P2P programs) should generally be avoided. A lot of these software intrude computers to install adware, (whether or not their publishers would admit to it), and in practice leave computers vulnerable to virus attacks. Since P2P are commonly used to share multimedia content, this restriction is a challenge for many user. It usually pays to recognise if you are likely to make use of P2P and if so, you should use your preferred adware removal software after each download in order to remove any unwanted software.

Rule 3: Beware of dodgy emails - Another good practice to avoid adware being installed on your computer, is not to open any emails from unfamiliar sources, especially those with attachments. Remember, if an email title looks too good to be true then it is probably a scam anyway so hit "Delete" instead of opening it.

Rule 4: Disable cookies - Unless you know and trust the site you are browsing, you should disallow cookies. Cookies can make browsing the Internet more convenient by allowing your favourite sites to recognise you, but Cookies will also allow adware, including spyware which are programmed to steal important information about you which could end up in the wrong hands.