We get asked for guidance all the time; so here's some free advice:

Software Rules of Engagement - pretty basic stuff.

• Rule #1 – don’t steal software, buy your own copy.
• It’s easy for software to phone home, and no, it doesn’t do it via email.
• Free software (Spyware) often tracks what you are doing or where you have been.
• Intel Pentium chips have unique serial numbers.
• All Microsoft Office documents can be traced to the computer where they were created.
• Windows XP tracks every serial number of every CD and DVD played on your computer.
• XP communicates with Microsoft without your knowledge - see above.
• Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) know where you’ve been on the Internet.   BMG, EMI, Sony Music, Universal and Warner and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) have succeeded in court to force ISP’s to divulge who is illegally downloading music from the Internet.
• Kazaa music sharing – don’t.   In addition to opening a door for viruses and back-door programs, people can crawl all over your computer(s).   Imagine if it is installed on a computer at work.  Even though you shared only one music folder, it’s incredibly easy for others to bypass this limitation.
• Gator eWallet – don’t.
• Online banking – don’t.
• DSL or cable modems – if you use either one, get a firewall, even at home.  No excuses.

Utilities

• Spam – delete it or block it, but don’t click on the link to unsubscribe.   An excellent spam blocker is Mailwasher, available at www.mailwasher.net .   Look for the free download link.
• Anti-virus – get a good one.   Use it.   Update it religiously.   An excellent free anti-virus engine is AVG and it’s available from www.grisoft.com .
• Popups – download Google’s free Popup blocker at www.google.com or download Popup Stopper from www.panicware.com .   Look for the free edition on their downloads page.

Hardware

Unless you can specify the components in your dream system, purchase name brand computers like Dell, HP, Compaq, Sony, etc.   This pays off in more ways you can imagine.   Most computer builders, to improve their razor-thin profit margins, install low quality Chinese ...components unless you specify what you want.   A Pentium 4 motherboard is not the same as an Intel Pentium 4 motherboard, and a 56K modem is not the same as a U.S. Robotics 56K modem.   Watch for cheap substitutions of modems, motherboards, video cards, network cards and CD-Rom drives!

See, that was painless!