Computer warnings ......

For those of you who have not yet discovered and started using "FireFox Browser" fear this if you are still using IE (Intenet explorer) as your internet browser
Drive-By Downloads Cruise Through IE They could lurk in booby-trapped banner ads on a site you regularly visit, or in a poisoned HTML e-mail. And because of new holes, such drive-by downloads can bust your Internet Explorer 6 or Outlook client and fill your PC with malicious software.This latest risk for IE 6 on

Windows XP (SP1 and SP2), 2000, and Server 2003, plus Outlook 2003, involves a Microsoft-only Web graphics format called Vector Markup Language. It's like a little-used basement window you forgot to lock. Worse, you'd only have to read or preview an e-mail or visit a poisoned site in IE to be infected, no click required.
IE 6 has another graphics bug, this time in the way it handles movie or game files that employ DirectAnimation. Exploit code for the hole is already on the Web. Like the VML problem, this one also facilitates drive-by downloads, and the same versions of Windows are affected. Note that Firefox, Opera, and even IE 7 are unaffected by these holes. If you've been waiting for a good reason to drop IE 6, this might be it.
As if that weren't enough, Adobe patched critical holes in its Macromedia Flash Player as well. Version 8.0.24 and earlier could open you up to yet another drive-by download if you simply view a doctored Flash movie. Microsoft distributed vulnerable versions with Windows XP SP1 and SP2, and with XP Pro 64-bit.
For the fix, upgrade to version 9.0.16.0 (or use Flash's auto-update feature); see the details here.

And just to show that media across the board is unsafe this month, Apple patched six critical holes in all QuickTime versions prior to 7.1.3E running on Windows 2000 and XP. The popular media player has playback flaws with several file formats, including H.264 and native QuickTime movies . http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20061023/tc_pcworld/127492

Want to try FireFox? click here, and NO i dont make anything from this click except for the satisfaction that another prisoner has been freed from Microsoft's clutches.
There is also an "outlook" replacement made by the same people called Thunderbird. tho since i dont use outlook for my mail i have no need for this and thus havent tried it myself, but other i know, have tried it and love it.

more very good, free programs that help protect you from or rid you of malicious software
Spybot search and destroy
Ad-Aware SE Personal
And of course all of you should by now have some sort of anti virus program on your commputer, but if not, a good free choice is AVG anti-virus
after downloading any of these be sure to "update" them before using to ensure the latest protection.