Along with the increasing interconnectedness of our computers, the sophistication of the software we use and the speed of the hardware comes increasing threats from a malicious type of software -- the virus. There is no question that everyone needs to protect their computers from viruses, but can it be done without spending lots of money to buy anti-virus software and spending even more money in yearly subscription fees to keep the software up-to-date? In a word, yes!

There are a number of things you can do for free to keep your computer safe from viruses. You can check out the best free antivirus software, but first a few tips on safe computing that you should follow even with good automated anti-virus protection.

Stay Up-to-date: This not only applies to your anti-virus software, but also your operating system, browser and email client. Most viruses take advantage of known security problems in your computer’s software. There is almost always a patch available for the software before viruses appear on the scene that take advantage of the vulnerabilities. If you use Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office, Windows Update and Office Update respectively provide an easy way to keep up-to-date with security patches.

Use Common Sense: This may sound harsh, but most virus infections wouldn’t happen if the computer user would think about what they are doing and use a little common sense. If you get a strange looking email message delete it instead of opening it to satisfy your curiosity. If a message, even a normal looking one, has