Question:
I was wondering about firewalls and virus protection for my computer. This past month I had to reinstall windows for the second time in two years.....is that not normal? and this was brought on simply by trying to update things like internet explorer, and it said (on microsoft.com) I had 22 critical updates, so I tried it, and this mesage comes up after I restarted th computer, saying..you must re-install windows. Whew.....anyhoo....I am thinking of getting on the internet other ways beside internet explorer..this may sound dumb but how do I switch to something else? would I have to purchase it or are there other options??Help is crucially needed and appreciated.....
Answer:
Computer are dynamic, whenever the computer is on files are being copied and deleted. The Windows operating system is very valuable to corrupt data. As a result, from time-to-time the OS needs to be reinstalled. This was more true with Windows 95, 98, & ME and less with 2000 and XP. Personal I am running windows XP. I have had it for year and reinstalled once. I had to reinstall not because of a virus or any thing like that, but I was running 3 other OS’s including ME, 2000, and Linux. As a result, some things were mixed up. I have not had a single problem with virus or trogon horse. This is not because I am running an expensive firewall or anti-virus software, but because I am very careful what I open and click on. In fact, I do not use any firewall or anti-virus software. When reading email, if I do not know what it is I deleted it. When installing new software I read all the options, always install the custom setup and select only the features I will be using. In addition, I uninstall any un-used software. As for the Microsoft updates, yes, they are important. Install the critical updates, but be sure when doing so that all other applications are closed. This is true when installing any new software. If done correctly it will request a reboot, do so. There is no reason this should cause a message indication it is necessary to re-install Windows, in fact I have never seen a message suggesting the windows should be re-installed. If you every see that again ignore it. When using Windows Update all the critical updates are selected for you, there however additional updates listed i.e. Driver Updates. These should only be installed if need. If everything is working fine, avoid them lake to plague. Internet Explorer is a web browser. There are many other similar applications some free some not. Free: Netscape, MyIE2, Mozilla, FireFox. Paid: Opera. My primary browser is Opera, not because of problems with IE but because it is, a full featured web browser with tools IE users can only dream of. In addition, I have some 15 other web browser installed. This is mostly because I do web program and each browser behavior differently which makes it necessary to test in as many browsers as possible to ensure compatible. Now the thing with Internet Explorer is that it is part of Windows. It has features, which allows it to function as single source for viewing information, not just web pages but also Word documents, PDF’s, Excel spreadsheets, and even the files and folders on your computer. It is this functionally that make IE an easy target for hackers. Download.com is a good source to find alt web browsers. http://download.com.com/3150-2356-0.html?tag=dir In short using an alternate web browser can prevent problems that include pop-ups, unwanted applications, and sluggish performance. Doing so will not protect you from having to reinstall the OS from time-to-time. Just be careful what you click on, read everything, and be sure that the benefits of the computer outweigh the negative.
