some ways to protect your computer..

1. Install all available Windows updates

Vista can automatically check for and download updates on a schedule you specify.

If you bought your computer directly from a major manufacturer, chances are Windows was as up-to-date as it could be before your computer shipped out. But things can change rapidly in the software world, and in the days or weeks your computer was en route, some important fixes or helpful driver updates could have been released. You want to verify that you have the most recent versions of everything, and that you’re set to get new updates as soon as they’re available.

In order to get these updates, you’ll need to connect to the Internet, which means exposing your system to potential harm. So before doing anything else, get a firewall up and running. Almost any system from companies like Dell and HP will come with one installed and active, but on the off chance that yours doesn’t, you’ll need at least the Windows version working for you. Click the Start button (in the lower-left corner), then click Control Panel, then click Security. Under the Windows Firewall section, you’ll see an option labeled “Turn Windows Firewall on or off.” Click it, and make sure the radio button next to “On (recommended)” is selected. Click OK.

On this same screen, just below the Windows Firewall section, you’ll see the Windows Update section. Click on “Turn automatic updating on or off.” If the radio button next to “Install updates automatically (recommended)” is already selected, you’re good to go. If it’s not, click that radio button, and then use the two dropdowns beneath that option to specify how often you want Windows to check for updates (every day, every Sunday, every Monday, and so on). Also specify what time you want that check to occur; 3:00 a.m., the default, is generally a good choice (if you remember to leave your computer on). Also make sure that “Include recommended updates when downloading, installing, or notifying me about updates” is checked. Click OK.

Once updates have been found, you can install them by clicking just one button.

You’ve now set up Windows to download updates automatically, but if it’s not 3:00 a.m., you might not have all the updates you need, so force a check yourself. On that same Security screen, under Windows Update, click “Check for updates.” If you see a message that says Windows is already up to date, congratulations. But if Windows has found updates to install, you can either click “Install updates” to start the process, or click “View available updates” to see what exactly Windows wants to change. From that screen, you can select which updates you want to install using the checkboxes next to the items in the list; when you’re finished, click Install to download and install them.

Depending on the updates Windows finds, you may need to restart your computer to finish installing them.

2. Ghost your machine

DriveImage XML is a free app that lets you make a complete backup of your hard drive.

Your computer probably won’t meet all your needs right out of the box. It might have some or even most of the functionality you’ll want, but it’s usually little more than a foundation. But there’s real value in preserving that blank-canvas state for posterity: If your Windows installation gets corrupted, or if you decide at some future point you just want to start over from scratch, having a backup of your system at its most pristine could save you a lot of time and money. So, before installing any other software, you should make a full backup of your entire drive—operating system and all. This process is generally known as “ghosting” your hard drive.

The best part is, it’s easy and inexpensive. There are commercial software packages out there, such as Norton Ghost, that provide feature-rich ways to make full images of your hard drive. But you can also get solid, if basic, functionality from free downloads. We like DriveImage XML, which offers a number of straightforward options for protecting your data. Just download the app (it’s less than 2MB in size), install it, and start it up.

From the main application screen, click Backup. You’ll then be asked which drive you want to back up; select it, and hit Next. (If you have only one drive, just hit Next anyway.) The drive-backup wizard will start, so click Next again. Now you’ll need to make some choices.

The Directory field will let you specify where the backup files will go. If you have a second hard drive, or better yet an external drive, we recommend putting the files there so they’ll be easier to restore if you ever have to. Either type in the pathname if you know it, or click on the Folder icon to navigate there. The Files field lets you specify the naming scheme for your backup; you can name the files whatever you want (and the software will add a number to the name so you know the sequence), but including the date will probably be the most helpful for organizational purposes.

By default, the checkbox next to the “Raw mode” option is unchecked: You should select this only if you want to make an image of your entire drive, including the unused portions, and if you have enough disk space; otherwise, DriveImage XML will only back up the parts of your drive containing data. “Split large files” starts checked, and will break the backup file into pieces small enough to store on CDs. (You also have to use this option if your hard drive has FAT formatting, as FAT can’t handle single files larger than 4GB.) The software offers three compression choices: None (meaning your final backup will be exactly the size of all your data), Fast (which will result in somewhat smaller files but won’t take very long), or Good (which saves you the most space, but takes the longest). In our tests on a freshly installed system, we found that Good finished in about half an hour. Under “Hot Imaging Strategy,” you can just leave the default option, “Try Volume Locking first,” checked.

Now just click the Next button to start your backup. When it’s finished, you’ll be left with one or more files preserving your system in its most unblemished state.

3. Set up a backup routine

Configure Windows to automatically back up your files regularly so your data is always safe.

You’ve just backed up your machine, but it won’t stay that way forever. Once you start sending e-mails, writing your novel, or storing photos and videos, you’ll be adding new data every day that you’ll also want protected. So before doing anything else, set Vista to back up your crucial files for you, so you’ll be prepared if the worst should happen.

As with step 2, you can save your backed-up files anywhere, including your primary hard drive, but if something happens to that drive you could be out of luck. A second internal hard drive, if you have one, is a better choice, and safer still would be an external hard drive that you can connect or disconnect as needed, so it won’t be damaged if your PC’s power supply blows and takes everything else with it (which has happened to us). Another option is a blank CD or DVD, but then you’ll need to remember to leave a blank disc in your optical drive every time your system is scheduled to back up.

Deciding where to store your files might be the hardest part—Vista’s built-in backup tool is incredibly easy to use. Return to the Control Panel, then under System and Maintenance click “Back up your computer,” and then click the “Back up files” button. First, you’ll be asked where you want to save your backup files. “On a hard disk, CD, or DVD” is selected by default; if that’s what you want to use, select available locations from the dropdown. If you have a network set up, you can store files on it: Just click the “On a network” radio button, then either type the location or click the Browse button to find it. Click Next once you’ve decided.

Windows backs up many kinds of files, but won’t back up system or temp files you don’t need to save.

Now you’ll be asked what type of files you want to back up. Windows offers Pictures, Music, Videos, E-mail, Documents, TV shows, Compressed files, and Additional files as categories, and these are all selected by default. (Windows won’t back up system files, program files, or temporary files, though.) Uncheck anything you don’t want, and click Next to continue.

Finally, Windows will ask how often you want the backup to occur. You can do it daily, weekly, or monthly, on any day of the week, at any hour of the day. Once a week, either while you’re asleep or off at work, is probably sufficient, unless your vital data changes particularly often. You’ll just need to have your computer powered on (and, if you’re backing up to CD or DVD, a blank disc in the optical drive) when the backup is set to kick off.

Once you’ve made your choice, click “Save settings and start backup.” Windows will now back up all the file types you specified, as well as keep you and your data safe in the future.

4. Install security software

The first software you install should always be security software to keep you protected whenever you’re connected to the Internet. At the absolute minimum, you’ll want a virus scanner, and other tools such as antispam or antiphishing apps could save you a lot of trouble depending on how you use your computer.

If you bought your computer from a major manufacturer, it probably already has a security suite installed. If it does, the software might have a year’s subscription already activated, or it might just be a 60- or 90-day trial version. If your computer didn’t come with any security software, that should be your first purchase—visit our Software door to learn about potential choices.

Whether you have to install it yourself or it comes pre-installed, activate the software and run a scan immediately. Also be sure to configure the software to scan and update automatically, just like you did when you set up your backup. You never know when a threat can strike, so don’t take chances.

While Windows comes with its own program, Windows Defender, to protect you from invidious spyware that can slow down or cripple your machine, it probably won’t be enough. The more anti-spyware apps you have at your disposal, the more likely you are to catch current threats and those no one knows about yet. Two of the best free ones are Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy, both available on our downloads site. Spybot is especially useful, since in addition to scrubbing your hard drive of potentially malicious stealth programs, it also immunizes your computer to keep them away in the first place.

5. Install everything else

Yeah, we love Microsoft Word and Peggle, too. But productivity packages, games, and everything else have to take a backseat to safety, so don’t even think about installing them until you’ve protected your computer with steps 1 through 4 above. Then, and only then, are you ready to start using your computer however you want. If you’re feeling really adventurous, you might even want to crank up DriveImage XML again, so you can have a complete image of your system at full strength, too. Just don’t lose or delete your baseline backup or forget to keep your security software running and up-to-date. Hopefully you’ll never need it, but if you do, you’ll be glad you took the time to set everything up right.