Never connect a computer to a network cable (the internet) without a firewall device or software.
Make sure your operating system is up to date or automatic updates are installed when needed.
The Internet Concept - individual computers connected by electrical and networking cables to be able to communicate with each other.
You will need and ISP (internet service provider) who allow you to connect your Ethernet card to your phone line or network cable and modem and connect to the world wide web.
Some will charge anywhere from 0.00 to over 50.00. So why doesn't everyone use the free internet? Duh, the service is crappy. Using your phone line usually gives you a slower net surfing ability than if you were using a cable modem like broadband/DSL.
On the top of the browser there is a tool bar that consists of different buttons that will allow you to go back, forward (navigating between pages you have already searched), stop (a page that is downloading or taking to long), refresh (will renew the page you are looking at incase any changes have been made or a page gets stuck), home (will take you to what ever page you marked as your favorite or start page), search (allows you to search for terms on the internet), favorites (will allow you to bookmark pages so you won't forget them), media (displays a list of your audio and video options), history (shows a list of websites you visited), mail (if connected to outlook will allow you to open/read mail), print, edit (opens a file in notepad and allows viewing and editing), and messenger (opens windows messenger). Please not that Macintosh may be a little different but the same concept.
Understanding the address bar. URL + Domain Name Server (DNS)
What is the URL (uniform resource locator)?
http:// - hyper text transfer protocol - not encrypted, no security.
https:// - hyper text transfer protocol secure - SSL (secure socket layer) pages are secure.
ftp:// - file transfer protocol - ability to transfer files.
telnet:// - remote process communication protocol
DNS is the www.addressoftheplaceyouwanttogo.com or .net, or .org, or .cc, or .name, or .us, etc.
This is how e-mail is broken down.
Protecting your self from viruses:
Do not allow html e-mail. Text mail only. Some html e-mail have embedded spyware/malware.
Get an antivirus before you even connect to the internet, you are sure to get bombarded with spyware the moment you connect. Yes, it is that out of control.
Never open pictures with their file extensions ending in:
.exe
.dat
.cil
.bat
.com
.reg
You may be downloading something that will be very difficult to get rid of.
While using the internet, you may be tempted to purchase something. The best practice for entering any of your personal data into any computer is to look for the SSL lock on the bottom right corner of your screen. This means they have a security feature that will give you added privacy. No lock, no sale!
As we must have mentioned in the latest scams page, please do not follow a link in an e-mail that make look like a legitimate company you have dealt with, that will lead you to another site that looks exactly the same. They will mirror a website to look like a major bank, or company and prompt you for your user name and password. One of the software we mention in the members page will allow you to decode this information that would other wise look like junk. For example: if you think it's www.ebay.com and they claim to be eBay, but when you click on the link, the URL looks something like www.fjskld/20%40%xx/7o.htm . Don't fall for it! Notify the company immediately and let them do the work to track them down.
Use The Internet Safely
