Desktop wallpaper for your computer

To download, right-click on your size choice and choose "Save Picture As..." or "Save Image As..." Choose where to save it to and then click "Save." Then to set it as your computer's desktop, find where you saved it, right-click on the file, and choose "Set As Wallpaper."

Recommended Software (All free!)

AVG Free Edition - If you can't afford Norton Antivirus, I recommend this. It's less of a resource hog anyway.

OpenOffice - Ditto with Microsoft Office. Looks very similar.

Picasa - fantasic photo organizing software for Windows. This is similar to, and much better/faster than Adobe's Photoshop Album (now discontinued).

Google downloads - assorted handy things.

Firefox - a great browser by a great company. More and more people are making the switch from Internet Explorer to Firefox. Why? Firefox is faster, more secure, and much easier to use. In fact, The Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team recommends using browsers other than Microsoft's Internet Explorer for security reasons alone. Firefox is my default browser and I highly recommend it. Firefox looks very similar to IE, and you'll probably get the hang of it very easily...but if you need help making the transition away from Internet Explorer, there's even a great book to help you.

Thunderbird - for the same reason security experts recommend dumping Internet Explorer, I also recommend Thunderbird as an alternative to Outlook.

HD Health or HDDLife - Freeware programs that monitors hard drive health and can warn you about trouble on the horizon so you have time to get your precious data off before the worst happens. Good peace of mind.

Security-enhancing utilities everyone should install: Shoot the Messenger, DCOMbobulator, Mousetrap, and UnPNP. I have installed these on all the computers I have built as a matter of course. They fix some hidden (but big) security weaknesses in Windows.

Network Magic - help get your home network running properly and keep it that way

Recommended Reading

Why it's important to have an antivirus program installed
Phishing - A client of mine was recently ensnared by a phishers and got their AOL account hijacked as a result. From the FAQ page, here's an example of what phishing looks like.
How to Hire a Web Designer
Tips for Helping Your Website Designer Help You

Useful Links

Free virus scan of your computer