Avoid turning your computer off with the power switch.

The one exception to this rule is when your computer locks up and your hard drive is not running (hard drive light is not blinking). In this situation, you can turn the power off without harmful effects to the hard drive. As cutting the power can also result in lost data or Windows files, you should only do this when you have to. Following this rule will prevent permanent hard drive defects caused by the hard drive heads contacting the surface of the drive disc, and it will prevent a host of Windows problems. Whenever possible, recover from crashes by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys at the same time. Press them again to reboot your computer.

Everyone should use a virus checker. The best type of protection is continuous monitoring from a dedicated anti-virus program like Norton Antivirus.

A firewall program keeps those who want to hijack your computer from gaining access to your system. You really do not want someone else running your computer. I suggest you purchase and run Norton's Personal Firewall program or use Windows built-in firewall. Your firewall should boot up with your computer to protect it from invasion.

Back up any data you cannot afford to lose to at least two separate physical drives - external hard drives such as Zip disks, CD-RWs, etc. The time to back up is when you create something you can't afford to lose. Don't wait until tomorrow.

Sometimes a new program will come along that looks fun to have or play with, but after a week or two you simply stop using it. These programs clutter up your drive and take up valuable space. You might be tempted to delete these programs from your drive, but doing so will cause problems. You must use the uninstall function of Windows for the program to be removed safely and completely.

If you store a large number of files in the root folder, you could corrupt your disk file table which could lead to a "NTLDR is missing" error message when you boot the computer. Very bad. If you have personal files on the C: drive now, move them to the My Documents folder. The My Documents folder is offered by Windows expressly for this purpose. The benefits of keeping all your files in one place are multiple. One, you know where all your files are. Two, it's easy to back them all up at once. Three, your machine will run faster.

Don't accept software or downloads for which you didn't ask. Delete any suspicious email without opening it. And even if the email came from your best friend, don't open any email attachments with the following extensions: * .exe, .com, .vbs, .bat, .mdb, .reg, and .js

If you aren't already using one, get a good surge protector and plug your computer and peripherals into it. In case of bad lightning storms, unplug your computer and peripherals during the storm.

Go to Internet Explorer, Tools, Windows Update. Click on the Custom button. (I always use the Custom button so I can check what's going to be installed before it gets installed.) Windows update may ask you to download and install the latest version of itself. Go ahead and do that, then click Close when it's finished, and then Continue. It will then check again for real updates and offer those. Choose which updates you want to install. Uncheck the ones you don't want to install.