Maintaining your computer is extremely important ¨C\respecially if you are an Internet Marketer. As you\rknow, without your computer, your business can\rcome to a screeching halt. There are 4 important\rsteps in which you can perform on a regular basis,\rto help protect your computer and your livelihood.

First line of defense, invest in quality virus software.\rBe it Norton AntiVirus, McAfee Virus Software\ror another software program, protect yourself and\ryour computer.

I personally have set Norton to run every evening.\rIt may seem like a hassle when you¡¯re trying to\rget a project done, however, a 10 minute break in\rthe action is far better than a one or two days of\rdown time ¨C and possible loss data, if your computer \rcrashes. And trust me, I¡¯ve learned this from experience.

Second line of defense, invest in ad ware software.\rI use Ad-Aware SE Personal ¨C you can get the freeware\rversion or the shareware version ¨C the decision is yours.\rI¡¯m currently using the freeware version, but will eventually\rbe going to the paid version for added protection. Anyway,\rAd-Aware SE will protect your computer from such\rcritters as, data-mining, scumware, parasites, mulware, \rbrowser hijackers, to name just a few.

A third line of defense is to always backup your data. \rEven though you don¡¯t want to hear this, realize that\ryour hard-drive can either go belly up or crash. It is\ralways better to have a backup ¨C it shortens the down time.

Just a side note, when I was working in the corporate\rworld, I had the misfortune of having a supervisor\rthat was computer illiterate. My computer started to\rmake sounds similar to that of a seagull. I told my\rsupervisor that I thought my hard-drive was going out.\rShe did not want to believe me, and stated ¡°We do\rnot have the money in our budget for a hard-drive¡±. \rI found that to be a rather crass remark and waited\rnervously for my hard-drive to make its exit. To\rmake a long story short, two days later, I get a cryptic\rstatement flashing on my screen that said ¡°Back up\ryour Hard-Drive - Error¡± -- than my hard-drive crashed \rand died. Amazing, they did have $60 in their little\rold budget to get a new hard-drive. Now, how much\rdo you suppose my supervisor¡¯s statement cost the company?

Fourth line of defense and maintenance, always clean out\ryour temporary Internet files. It uses up memory!

To clear out your temporary Internet files do the following:

1. Open up your Internet connection.

2. Click On Tools, then Internet Options

3. Under the General Section you should see a section labeled ¡°Temporary Internet Files¡±

4. Click on the button that says Delete Cookies, and then the button that says Delete Files. When you click on delete files, a box will open up and will ask you if you want to also delete off-line files ¨C check that box, as well.

Within the General Section you should also see a section called\rHistory. I decrease the number of days that I hold on to the pages that I visited. Again, this helps to save memory.

These simple maintenance tips can keep your computer clean\rand protected, which is extremely important when you¡¯re\rmaking your living on the Internet.

Vickie J Scanlon has a BBA degree in Administrative Management and\rMarketing. Visit her site at: http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz for free tools, articles, ebooks, how to info, and computer software/hardware ¨C to meet your budget and needs.