Think Twice before Clicking! and other rules of thumb...

Working as long as I have in the technology field, it has never ceased to amaze me how many people click away without considering the consequences. so many times I received a call regarding a major issue and the dialogue goes something like: "My computer is not working" or "something is gone". I politely ask, "what was the last thing you did before the problem arose?". response: "there was a message and I clicked 'ok'". "what did the message say?". "I don't know". in somewhat of a sarcastic tone, I might respond: "So, it MAY have said 'I am about to delete everything on the hard drive'"? sheepishly : "um, yes..." - well, it is what I wanted to say.

Some basic common-sense habits:

read before you click - if you are not sure what it is about to do, don't go any farther!

pop-ups can be deadly - be careful in closing pop-ups. they will often create a graphic with a spot that LOOKS like a close option, but is a link, or worse case agrees to an installation of adware or malware.

"GOOGLE IT" - if your computer prompts you for permission to run a file (especially an .exe), take a second and do a search for the file name. Most of the time, you will find out what that file is associated with for good or ill. the exception would be if the file name is generic like "setup.exe".

Third Party Tools - It is typically safe to install third party tools from well known sources, like GOOGLE, WEATHER.COM, WEATHERBUG, YAHOO, etc. If you come across a tool that interests you, first "consider the source" - who are you getting it from? Do a search for the tool name and see if there are warnings out there. many times, by doing this, you can avoid even some simple compatability issues and potentially avoid some severe data loss issues (someone getting your passwords).

ANTIVIRUS - DO NOT avoid those AV prompts for renewal. there are new versions of attacks coming out almost every day. your protection is only as good as the last day it updated. by not renewing, your machine becomes more and more susceptible.

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