For anyone who owns a computer, especially a machine running Microsoft Windows, you know that getting online and “surfing” the Internet can be a risky proposition. Anytime you launch Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or any other web browser, you open yourself up to possible viruses, spyware, and other malicious exploits designed to reek havoc with your computer and operating system. Many people also use wireless routers to avoid having to run Ethernet cable. While this solution is convenient it can provide an easy way for unauthorized access to your system without your knowledge if you don’t take proper security precautions.

Below are my top ten Windows computer safety secrets you can use to help maintain a secure computing experience:

Don’t Click On Links In Email

Commonly referred to as “phishing,” this is the most common method of getting infected with computer viruses. These are commonly emails announcing you have won a large sum of money and include a link to confirm your postal mailing address and other personal information so that a check can be sent to you. Don’t fall for this scam. Unless you’ve actually entered a contest, these types of communication will never be sent by email. Another common scam is official looking email that appears to be sent from your bank or credit card company with a link to confirm some sort of personal information. Instead of clicking on any links, call your bank or credit card company to inquire about the authenticity of the email. Don’t get caught by this common and often effective scam.

Use a Limited Account

An important and effective safety tip for anyone using Microsoft Windows XP. Create a separate limited account for web surfing purposes. Using a limited account as opposed to an administrator account, it will be it a lot more difficult for you to download and install malicious software. By using this method, it does make things a little more complicated if you’re using Windows XP when you need to download and install legitimate software since you will need to log into a separate administrator account, but the inconvenience is definitely worth it.

Use a Router

You should never connect your computer directly to the Internet and always use a wired or wireless router in between your modem and computer. By using a router, you add the benefits of a hardware firewall to your system. Instead of your computer’s IP address being exposed to the Internet directly, your router’s WAN port will handle that job.

Turn On The Windows Firewall

In addition to using a hardware firewall in the form of a router, you should also turn on the Windows Firewall feature to add an additional layer of protection. This is a feature that is standard on the Windows operating system so it’s already on your computer.

Set-up Automatic Microsoft Updates

Windows software is consistently being updated, mostly for security reasons. It is important you download and install these updates as soon as they become available. Microsoft Windows has a feature to enable automatic download and installations of the most critical of these updates. Make sure to turn on the future to keep your system as secure as possible without having to think about it.

These are my top five security tips everyone should be using to protect themselves online. There are other more advanced methods in addition to these five, but it’s a basic list that everyone can do regardless of your technical expertise. Do you have any other safety tips? I invite your comments.