7 ways to protect your home Windows PC for free (choose all 7). 1. Windows Update. Free service (although you must use IE5+ to access it). Download all the latest service packs, security hotfixes, and latest versions of bundled Microsoft programs. (Warning: not everyone is happy with IE6, but you should at least upgrade to IE5.5 SP2. (Nested warning: not everyone is happy with IE5.5 SP2 either, since it removes support for Netscape-style plug-ins. I really don't think this will be a long-term problem; Apple's QuickTime was temporarily unusable in IE5.5 SP2, but this is now fixed, so suck it up and upgrade.)) Also install the Windows Critical Update Notification program, which polls Windows Update for new critical patches you need to install. [diveintomark]