So which internet browser should I use?

This is a great question, and it's also an important one.  The top players in the browser wars are Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome.

So let's go through each of them.  Internet Explorer is made by Microsoft and is bundled with the Windows operating system.  It is the most popular browser out there, but it has been steadily on the decline with other browsers taking some of the market share.  Popular doesn't always mean better.  Internet Explorer, or IE for short, is under constant attack.  Because it is the big dog of the browsers, it is also the biggest target for hackers to try and break through and steal you information.  For many years IE has been known as the least secure browser on the market, and from my experience it is almost true.  Another browser, Safari is the least secure but I wont go into that one.  IE is the next most insecure.  IE is also the slowest of the three browsers.  When I say slowest I mean that it is the slowest to render a web page on your screen.  So with security issues, and sluggish performance I vote against IE.

Firefox is another option for your internet browsing enjoyment.  This is truly a great browser in that it's fast, more secure than IE, and has the ability to have extensions (or plugins).  Firefox will render web pages at a respectable speed.  It is more secure than IE, but that could be just because not as many hackers go after it because it's not the big dog like IE is.  Firefox also has plugins or they are also called extensions.  These extensions add to the functionality of the browser.  My favorite extension for Firefox is AdBlock Plus.  What it does is hide the ads that websites try to show you.  This is a great extension if you have kids browsing the web because some ads can be a little racy for children to see.  But, there are also other great extensions to choose from too.  The major draw back to Firefox is that it can be a memory hog, especially if you use extensions.  So if you are a little low on memory, I probably wouldn't recommend using Firefox.

Chrome is the next browser, and when compared to the other two it is the newest.  Chrome is made by Google, and it is my favorite browser.  It has all of the great features that Firefox does, but with power and security behind it.  Chrome is the most secure browser I've ever used or read about.  This is due to the way that Chrome runs.  It runs in something called a Sandbox mode.  This is a protective layer around your browser that prevents code in the browser from interacting with secure system files.  Chrome is also wicked fast.  Chrome is the faster of the three browsers in rendering web pages.  Another nice thing about Chrome is that the interface is very minimal.  You're not loaded up with toolbars that do nothing but take up screen real estate.  Chrome also has extensions that you can use, including that great AdBlock Plus.  One of my favorite features of Chrome is that if one web page crashes, your whole browser doesn't close on you.  This is because every tab and window runs in a separate process.  If that process crashes the others stay open.  The major problem with Chrome is that it is worse of a memory hog than Firefox is.  You need to make sure your system has the memory to handle this browser.

So my recommendation is to use Chrome.  I haven't been able to switch my wife over to it yet, she's still stuck on Firefox, but maybe one day.  Browsers change so often so my recommendation may change later on down the road.

So which Antivirus program should I get?

I get this one all of the time.  There are a few out there that are really good and will keep you safe from most threats.  But for someone that doesn't know much about viruses and how to stop them it can be a tough decision.

You have two options: the free antivirus program, or the paid antivirus program.  Because I don't like to spend money, I prefer to get the free ones.  But, that's not to say the paid options isn't good either.  It depends on how you feel.  There are a number of free antivirus products out there.  AVG, Clamwin, Avast, and Microsoft Security Essentials are just the few that are out there.  Some of the paid ones you'll find are Symantec, Mcafee, TrendMicro, and Nod32.

In the free column I choose Avast.  It's very lightweight and it works well in detecting malware.  When I say lightweight, I mean that it doesn't use a lot of system resources in background to slow my machine down.  I used to use AVG, but it became a resource hog.  If you don't want to use Avast, then I would recommend using Microsoft Security Essentials.  It actually performs well from what I hear.  I haven't actually used it myself, but I've heard good things about it from many different people and articles.

If you want a paid antivirus then I would suggest you go for Nod32.  It's lightweight and it catches malware really well.  The other programs are ok, but I've had issues with them in the past.  Symantec can be a resource hog.  It also alerts you to files that aren't really viruses at all.  Mcafee is ok as well, but during updates it can cripple your machine.  I have seen TrendMicro let things through that should have been blocked.  I had to clean up a mess on someone's computer that had TrendMicro.  For some reason the program didn't block the virus even when the virus definitions were up to date.

But I just got infected, what do I do?

If you have an antivirus program that can't get rid of the virus, or you somehow downloaded fake security software, you do have options.  What has worked good for me in the past is using a program called Malwarebytes to get rid of the problem.  Just install it, update the program and run a full scan.  It should clean out your computer nicely.

I hope this information has helped you.  Send me any questions you may have.

What is this about?

I've started this blog to be a source of information for friends, family, and visitors about computers.  It will include my thoughts and recommendations, as well as some tutorials.  I hope this will help you in understanding computers and what you can do with them.

I call this blog "Crappy Computer" because it's what most people think when the computer doesn't do what they want.  But I've found what really happens is that it's mostly the user's fault.  So, I will post answers to common questions I get, and things I think you should know about.  Thanks for visiting!