Keep Your Computer Happy

And why is your computer sad? Because you keep going to unsafe sites and getting garbage installed that slows you down, messes up your dang Internet and just plain makes you hate your PC. It's not your PC's fault. It's yours. You're a dummy. Hey, we're all dummys sometimes when it comes to the Internet. Download Site Advisor from McAfee. It'll help you to become a smarter web surfer. Normally, I don't recommend anything these guys put out. I'm not quite sure why I don't like McAfee, but I'm sure it has something to do with principle and that's good enough for me*.

McAfee's SiteAdvisor does not prevent you from getting spyware. It doesn't remove viruses or restore your browser settings. You should have other products for that. What this thing does is advise (duh, get it?) you about the web sites you visit. Its a simple tool with a simple Sesame Street / Homeland Security-type color scale that will warn you if that gaming site, dating service or naked girly site you are about to sign-up for is less than kosher.

It's a beautiful thing. It will provide information about what kind of malicious things the page is going to do to your browser behind your back. It will tell you how many spammy spam spams you're gonna get if you give that site your email addy (for whatever reason). It will even warn you if any downloads on that site are infested with malware.

I suggest you check it out. It's available for IE & Firefox on most mainstream platforms (Windows and Mac n' shit). Go to siteadvisor.com for more specifics.

*I'm just kidding about the whole principle thing. The reasons for my aversion to McAfee products are vast and deep-seeded and far too complex to get into here...also they would distract from focus of this article.