What you'll need:
- Windows-based PC
- USB drive (1GB minimum)
1. Keep your PC up to date
One of the best things you can do to protect your PC is also one of the easiest: Make sure you are set up to get automatic updates from Microsoft. If you use Windows and other Microsoft software, such as Microsoft Office or Windows Live Essentials, then you should use the Microsoft Update service. You'll also get notices about new Microsoft software that you can download for free.
So how do you turn on automatic updates? Simple: Go to the Microsoft Update Web site. If you don't have automatic updates turned on, we'll help you through the process.
2. Performance
Next, you should “look under your PC's hood” to see how efficiently your computer is operating. To check your PC's performance in Windows 7, click the Start button, type Performance in the Search box, and then choose Performance Information and Tools in the search results.Your system's processor, memory, graphics handling, and your hard drive are rated according to their capabilities. If you need more information on what these ratings mean click the What do these numbers mean? link found under your base score
3. Action Center
In Windows 7, Action Center is a central area for messages and warnings about security that need your attention. When there is nothing to report you won't even realize it's there, but when something occurs that you should know about, you will see an Action Center flag notification in your taskbar.When you click the warning you can choose to resolve the issue from there. You can also open the Action Center itself to see other notifications and actions you can take to help keep your PC running smoothly.