To run Windows (95, 98, XP, 2000, 2003) on the internet
you need at least 3 pieces of protection. Each of the
pieces are equal in importance:
1) Firewall
2) Antivirus
3) Adaware
A firewall can take many forms:
A firewall can be a software piece that is either built into windows or a 3rd party software application. Usually you have to pay for it, but sometimes it can be found for free.
A firewall can be a hardware componant such as a DSL or Cablemodem gateway, or a wireless gateway. Generally if it has a WAN port then it provides a firewalling service.
You can also have another computer be a firewall for you such as a Linux firewall computer with 2 network cards installed.
Antivirus software is most often a 3rd party application that is added to Windows. This can also be found for free sometimes.
Adaware is a software application that checks your Windows for any known spy or trojan software. This kind of software can cause lots of problems with Windows because these types of programs don't normally go through all the normal quality assurance that regular software does. Also, of course, the software is not supposed to be on your computer anyway. There are other software vendors making similar products to Adaware, just make sure you pick a good one.
If you have problems with your Windows and you are missing any one of these 3 pieces, then that would be the first steps I would take to recovery.
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