Summary

Keeping your Windows operating system current will not solve all security issues in your home network. However, it is an important step to keep as many potential security holes closed as possible so that the fewest number of potential flaws (that might be exploited) exist on your computer.

Keep the rest of the software programs on your computer updated for the same reasons.

As a final note, it will be invaluable for you to have the data on your computer backed up to an external drive or some other backup. If all goes wrong and you have to reload the computer from scratch, you will thank yourself for spending the time to do so. Backups are covered in detail in Chapter 9, "Tip 9: Back Up Your Files."