WYSIWYG -

Actually, I don't find it too difficult.

1. Make sure you have a machine that meets at least double the listed minimum requirements for the OS. The most critical places are RAM and HD space. ALWAYS double the RAM listed, and 4x is better.*

*With early Win95/Win98 you could have "too much RAM." Current systems will handle more than is useful for most people. If you use the appropriate drive format(s) the 2 (or 32) TB max for current OSs isn't going to cramp your style much.

2. Install the OS FIRST, and make sure it's working. With earlier operating systems there were often a few choices, and with Win2K there are quite a few "security" options to set up, but with WinXP "out-of-the-box-defaults" will take care of almost everything for most people. Any "special settings" should be only because you know your system needs them. For most people, the connection to their ISP is probably the most "difficult" thing they should need to do.

3. Make sure that programs you add are certified "Windows Compatible." There are quite a few programs that aren't, and you can make decisions based mostly on makers' reputations to decide whether to let a few of them on; but this is a place to get into trouble.

4. When you have a Windows problem, **LOOK IN WINDOWS FIRST to see if there's a way to fix it. Adding on "utilities" that "shortcut around" perceived problems is one of the surest ways to cripple or kill your system.

**If you use a Win system, you should have the Microsoft Knowledge Base and Support Advanced Search page bookmarked. Look there first. Even if you don't find the answer, you'll likely find clues to where else to look - or just things to think about. (Practice looking a bit before you have that big problem?)

5. Be aware of what your machine is doing, and find out what's going on if it doesn't act right. GO TO THE ONES WHO WROTE THE PROGRAM(S) INVOLVED FIRST. (See immediately above.)

6. Keep ALL of your programs up to date. Security Fixes are a necessity created by the world we live in, but new drivers etc. happen fairly often too.

7. Think before changing things.

8. Think before changing things.

9. Think before changing things.

10. Think before changing things.

11. Of course, AV, AntiSpyware, AntiAdware, etc should be selected with some care, and should be on the machine before you connect to the web. You should be signed up for automatic updates for your OS and for your AV, as minimums. Check other security programs regularly. Modem/Network programs and hardware may cause some planning requirements, so you should plan first before installing unusual stuff.

12. Backups are essential, if only because you need to keep the machine content down to "useful" stuff, and the ***backup is a good way to get obsolete stuff out of the way.

***A backup isn't a backup until you have verified that the files can be restored from it. See previous on the WOM (write only memory).

By the time you do these easy ones, you'll know what else is important.

John