Since a lot of you have received new computers for Christmas, you may be confronted with a new browser, most likely Internet Explorer 7. While it is much improved, it has a lot of flaws, but, interestingly, Firefox (my favorite browser) has more.

So take some time TODAY and install a sound anti-virus program, along with some anti-spam and anti-malware software. Free versions can be found (google it), as well as paid-for.

And don't forget the most important piece: A firewall. ZoneAlarm is free and very good.

eWeek put together a brief writeup of Kaspersky Lab, an anti-virus vendor a lot of folks have never heard of. But they're very good and nimble.

PC Magazine has a great 3-minute video tutorial on how to sync two folders using Microsoft's FREE Sync Toy. Worth a watch.

I've tried using Microsoft's Briefcase, and it never quite really worked as I expected; I didn't like it.

But now I am going to try this utility. It looks very promising.