Other recommendations:
Updated virus protection software. A number of vendors provide adequate virus protection that ranges from free to $50 per year (see sidebar). We strongly recommend a program with automatic updates, which regularly downloads the most current virus-protection pattern from the vendor's Web site. Your anti-virus software package should also contain a real-time scan for e-mail and Internet activity and allow you to scan your hard-drive regularly for viruses - a computer-maintenance routine that should be performed once a week.

· Good judgment. Your virus protection software can do a lot of things for you, but thinking isn't one of them. Exercising caution when handling files from outside sources is the best first line of defense against viruses. Take an extra five seconds to really consider the file you are opening - do you know who sent it? Do you know why? Did you ask for this information? Be wary of e-mails that look suspicious. People writing today's viruses are experts in disguising their work to entice unsuspecting users to open them. Many times they look like they originate from someone you know or are delivering data you need.

· System settings. In Internet Options, set your Internet Explorer Security to "medium," which alerts you before running potentially unsafe content; don't use the preview pane feature in Outlook Express, which automatically opens all e-mails; and visit the Microsoft Update Web site at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com for the latest in security patches for your system.