Always Keep Your Anti Virus Software Current
Just because you never visit adult sites does not mean that you will not pick up computer viruses. Unfortunately these days you can find them just about anywhere and you will never know until it is far too late. So always keep your anti-virus software up to date and NEVER venture onto the Internet without some form of anti-virus protection.

You may think that anti-virus protection isn't necessary for you because all you do is check your email but if you do then I have to tell you that you are wrong!

Good quality anti-virus protection is not expensive - especially when you consider that about the only way to clean a computer that is infected is by a format and re-load and the price for that starts at around $120.

Don't Touch the Files!
Everyone likes to have a look through all those interesting folders that are sitting on the hard drives in their computers. They look so interesting and some of them have really strange names that you may not recognise.

And guess what? Every one of them is important and you shouldn't touch them. I know people who have deleted those files just because they didn't know what they were for and then those people wondered why their computers stopped and wouldn't restart.

So please don't touch them. If you're in doubt about a file ask a computer technician before you conduct the equivalent of a frontal lobotomy.

Watch Out for Electrical Storms
Here in Hervey Bay we tend to get a lot of electrical storms and when a bolt of lightning hits a powerline the resultant surge through the lines can fry your computer whether it is switched on or not.

To protect your computer against damage you can buy surge protectors and you will find them at most computer stores. They aren't cheap but then it won't be cheap to replace your computer either. Even with a surge protector your equipment isn't totally safe and when the storm is overhead it is always wise to unplug your computer from the wall socket.

And don't forget to disconnect the phone line from the modem either.