Learn How to secure your PC in 10 simple steps

There's one thing you can do to avoid being the victim of identity theft: follow this 10-step PC security plan.

Encrypt your network connection
Most popular sites offer HTTPS connections at least some of the time. In Gmail, click the gear icon in the top-right corner and select "Always use https" under the General tab.

To select Facebook's HTTPS setting, click the down arrow in the top-right corner and choose Account settings. Select Security in the left pane and Edit in the Secure Browsing section of the main window. Check "Browse Facebook on a secure connection (https) when possible" and click Save Changes to activate the feature.

Read More

What's more important: Processor or RAM?

Q: I would like your opinion as I'm undecided about which of the following two laptops to buy: Toshiba, $579, 6 gigabytes of memory, i5 processor, 750 gigabyte hard drive, 15.6-inch screen, Windows 7; or HP, $479, 4 gigabytes of RAM, i3 processor, 640 gigabyte hard drive, 17.3-inch screen, Windows 7.

My wife and I mainly use the PC for email, some games, some photo downloads, and Microsoft Word and Excel. I would appreciate your opinion as soon as possible.

A: I'd go with the Toshiba but see if I could get an i3 processor instead of i5 and a smaller hard drive. Then I'd use the savings to max out the RAM at 8 GB. That'll make all the difference.

Read More