Keep your files safe, secure and protected in Windows Vista

1. Download It

Head to safety.live.com, click Download the free trial, follow the links and then hit Run to download and install the 90-day trial.

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You’ll see it adds a new icon at the bottom right of your screen.

2. Your Status

Double-click the icon for a comprehensive health check. “It’s a traffic light system,” explains product manager Jo Wickremasinghe. “Green is good, but if you haven’t run a backup it will be amber.”

3. Keeping Clean

The anti-virus scanning updates and runs automatically, but it will also back up your files and tidy up your hard drive. Click Change OneCare Settings to set what time the tune-up should run.

4. Keeping Quiet

The big advantage of OneCare is that it tries to keep out of your way. It automatically allows known programs to access the internet, and only asks you about ones it doesn’t know. To share files on your home network, click Firewall and then Firewall Connection Tool.

5. Getting Help

"Obviously, web and email support is there," says Jo, "but there’s also freephone support." Find the number by clicking the Get Help... link. Otherwise, sit back and relax – although don’t let your guard down entirely. "Hackers will try to exploit the user rather than the machine," says security MVP Chris Boyd, “so caution is always advised."

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