New VGN-CR240E laptop.

[cheesy32]

Hi, I just received my new laptop, and can I have any recommendations on what to do before surfing the net? Thank you.

[evilfantasy]

Everything listed below is free.

First I would install CCleaner. Run it occasionally to keep the clutter off of the disk.
Download CCleaner Slim and save it to your Desktop

When the file has been saved, go to your Desktop and double-click on ccsetupxxx_slim.exe
Follow the prompts to install the program.

* Double-click the CCleaner shortcut on the desktop to start the program.
* Click on the Options block on the left, then choose Cookies.
* Under Cookies to Delete, highlight any cookies you would like to retain permanently
* Click the right arrow > to move them to the Cookies to Keep window.
* Go into Options > Advanced uncheck Only delete files in Windows Temp folders older than 48 hours
* Click Cleaner on the left then Run Cleaner on the right to run the program.
* Important: Make sure that ALL browser windows are closed before selecting Run Cleaner

Caution: Only use the Registry feature if you are very familiar with the registry.
Always back up your registry before making any changes.Exit CCleaner after it has completed it's process.

Next run PC Decrapifier and get rid of all of the bloatware installed. http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/

The rest are free security programs.

Antivirus
Remember to only install one antivirus!
 
1) Avast! Home Free Edition
2) AVG Free Edition
3) Avira AntiVir Personal

Firewall
Remember only install ONE firewall

1) Comodo (Uncheck during installation "Install Comodo SafeSurf..", Make Comodo my default search provider" and "Make Comodo Search my homepage" if you choose this one)
2) Online Armor
3) Sunbelt/Kerio
4) Agnitum
5) PC Tools Firewall Plus

Antispyware
To prevent unknown applications from being installed on your computer install WinPatrol 2008
* Using Winpatrol to protect your computer from malicious software

I suggest using SiteAdvisor. SiteAdvisor rates sites on business practices and spam. Safety ratings from McAfee SiteAdvisor are based on automated safety tests of Web sites.

SpywareBlaster - Secure your Internet Explorer to make it harder for ActiveX programs to run on your computer. Also stop certain cookies from being added to your computer when running Mozilla based browsers like Firefox.
* Using SpywareBlaster to protect your computer from Spyware and Malware
* If you don't know what ActiveX controls are, see here

Check out Keeping Yourself Safe On The Web for tips and free tools to help keep you safe in the future.

Also see Slow Computer? It May Not Be Malware for free cleaning/maintenance tools to help keep your computer running smooth.

Concerned about Browser Security? Consider using Mozilla Firefox 3.0 with Adblock Plus and NoScript