Today I learned about avast!, the free antivirus program that has a great reputation and blocks most of the more recent harmful programs. I was actually recently infected by one that pretended to be an antivirus program, but wouldn't let me do anything on my computer except input my credit card number. It falsely infected all my files and claimed the only way for me to fix it was to buy this software.
I believe it's called Total Security, so be on the lookout for any viruses like this. They play on fear and desperation - OH NO, MY COMPUTER'S INFECTED AND I CAN'T DO ANYTHING! The trick is to stay calm, try booting in safe mode (F8 when your PC first starts up) and go online to find a good fix for whatever's breaking your computer. If it's happening to you, it's happened to someone else, and inevitably, they've found a way to fix it.
How Much RAM Do I Need?
14 years ago