According to the following BBC article, Google studied 240 million websites over 13 months, and found that 15% of all malware is fake antivirus software, and discovered over 11,000 domains distributing the fake software.  It is best to stay with known antivirus providers such as Symantec, Microsoft, and AVG, and not to be tricked into clicking on links or fake windows.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10088949.stm
 

If your laptop is stolen, it is relatively quick and simple to access data stored on its hard drive, including web browsing history, patient information, legal documents, personal information, etc.  Using open-source (free and community developed/supported) software to encrypt your laptop drive raises the "security fence" high enough that only super-spy types could access your data.  And if they have your laptop, you have more to worry about than your college videos ending up on YouTube.

System drive encryption, which can be done on laptops, desktops (home and office), and servers, is fairly simple for your IT guru to perform, and greatly increases the security of your personal data.  The process encrypts every bit (literally) of information on the drive, such that a key is required to decrypt it.  On full system drive encryption, the key is entered once upon booting.  Only you know the key, so all of your information is safe, even if the drive is removed and analyzed on another system.

Further Reading:

An interesting article from 2008 regarding laptop theft in airports

A Wikipedia article on Full Disk Encryption:

What is "Cloud Computing"?  CNN provides a good explanation in this video: 
 

Hard drives often run out of space, which in addition to lack of file storage, can cause very noticeable operating system performance issues.  When trying to clean up a drive, it is often difficult to find what is the real space-killer.

WinDirStat is a free application that analyzes the drive and creates a visual interactive map of your drive's file usage, allowing you to see exactly what is using up space so that you can make decisions on what to delete.

Switch to a faster, safer, and easier to use browser - Firefox 3.5, latest version released today.

Tired of phishing scams, spyware, employees playing online poker, kids viewing adult sites, etc?  Check out OpenDNS, which can aggressively filter web content, preventing phishing attacks and inapproriate surfing.

Using a mobile phone equipped with a camera and GPS, augmented reality applications are emerging, blending live real-world information with online data. 

 Malware is any software that infiltrates, uses and/or damages your PC without your consent.  Examples of malware are spyware, adware, trojans, viruses, and worms.  Through our experience tackling these costly pests, we've found some programs that work really well, especially when used together, including:

Need to access the same set of files across multiple computers? While these file sharing applications don't replace business-class networking solutions, they can be handy for personal use: