If you don’t have Windows XP, then you will need a wireless connection manager for your Wi-Fi connection so you can see what wireless networks are available, and choose the one to which you would like to connect. Well, T-Mobile offers a very cool (and very good) Wi-Fi connection manager client for free here:

http://client.hotspot.t-mobile.com/

Here’s a screenshot:

(click to enlarge)

It not only tells you what wireless connections are available where you are located, but it also has a constantly updated directory of T-Mobile’s Hotspots worldwide, which is cool if you are a T-Mobile Hotspot subscriber.

This software is a private version of PCTel’s highly commended Segue Wi-Fi Roaming Client. It is supposedly better than WinXP Pro’s Wi-Fi connection manager, as it has more features.

If you do have Window XP, and you want to check it out, you will have to disable Windows XP’s Wi-Fi connection manager:

1. Click on your START button
2. In Windows XP, go to CONTROL PANEL, and in Windows 2000, go to SETTINGS => CONTROL PANEL
3. In Windows XP, if the CONTROL PANEL that just popped up is all blue, then click on “view in classic mode” on the left”; Windows 2000 users don’t need to do this
4. Double-click on ADMINISTRATION TOOLS in CONTROL PANEL
5. Double-click on SYSTEM
6. In the window that pops up, scoll down the list until you see the program called WIRELESS ZERO CONFIGURATION
7. RIGHT-click on it and select PROPERTIES
8. In the middle of the window that pops up, under SERVICE TYPE, select MANUAL from the drop down menu
9. Below that, under Service Status, if it says STARTED, then click on the STOP button below it (make sure no pop-up ads created with this program are open when doing this)
10. Click OK
11. Close the SERVICES window and the ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS windows
12. DONE!

Having an anti-virus program (AV program) running on your computer is imperative to its healthy operation. Not only should you have an AV program installed and running on your computer, but your virus definitions should be up-to-date as well.

What are virus definitions, you ask? Well, they are simply data files that define what a virus looks like so these data files can say to your AV program, “Hey! Look! There’s a virus! Get it!” And since there are always new viruses being written (yes, I said written..by people that is!), you need to have your AV program set so that it automatically keeps up-to-date with the latest viruses.

I said viruses were “written,” because they are written…by people…malicious people who have nothing better to do with their lives then try to mess with others’ computers. A lot of times, they are written by young kids who get a rush from doing it. Or they want notoriety. But I digress.

Back to the subject at hand.

Not only does this program find viruses, but it also finds Trojan Horses, which are also written by humans. Trojan Horses are the worst type of threat, as these are executable programs that hackers (malicious computer nerds) use to watch what you are typing into your computer. You usually get Trojan Horses via email, but there are other ways to get them as well (downloading something you did not ask for, but were prompted to download when surfing websites, for instance (do NOT do this), or being on an infected network).

With these Trojan Horses, hackers can potentially see you typing in your usernames, passwords, card card info, bank info, etc. However, they have to be online and executing the Trojan Horse on your computer while you are online doing this, which is not that probable, but is possible. In any case, you want to get rid of these as well.

The program is called AVG Anti-Virus FREE Edition, and you can get it here.

Make sure, when you install it, that you perform a Live Update so that it has the latest virus definitions, as stated above. And don’t just do it once. You need to keep on performing this Live Update until it tells you that you have all of the updates. Once this is done, scan your computer. Hopefully it will not find anything. Then, have it set to scan your system every day at a certain time when your computer is on, but you will most likely not be using it.

Protection is key to keeping your system safe from threats, and this free program is just the program to do it.

However, this is not the only program that you need to keep your system running smoothly. There are other types of threats. See my post, “Is your computer taken over by popups?”

The first thing I want to talk about is the dreaded popups. You know, those windows that pop up every time you go to a new site. It has become so common that the average person thinks that it is normal. Well, guess what? It’s not.

So many people are being affected by this latest craze of the marketing industry, but not many people know that they can fix this issue. So, I will divulge the secrets on how to take care of it right here, right now. After you read this article, you will no longer have to deal.

First and foremost, you must download and install the following free programs:

I have just created this blog for my website, www.ianbrown.cc (why “.cc”? Because “.com” was taken). This will allow me to easily keep my website up to date with my latest thoughts and tips. I hope you benefit from it. Being educated on computers is incredibly important nowadays, and I will do my best to keep this site very current. Keep checking back for new suggestions, tips, and secrets in the computer industry.

Enjoy!