Computer stuff

G3 is dead again.

I got an old Gateway from a friend. It was wiped clean and new XP was loaded on, as well as MSOffice.

As soon as I plugged it in, I went to download Symantec anti-virus and set it to automatic update and daily scan. The little shield thingie says that a firewall is on - is that true? I have not installed one. Also, what should I get to protect myself from spyware, adware etc.?

Second thing I did was download Firefox. Very happy!

Next, I went to my school's list of free software. It is a long list, so I am still in the As - Adobe Reader and Photoshop so far.

Then, I downloaded Hallo and Picassa, so I can load images on my blogs again (see previous post).

What is the next thing you think I HAVE to do to protect the computer (especially from my kids' web-surfing habits) and make my life easier?