Find a Network Term Most Popular Tutorials The most daunting part of upgrading to Windows Vista may be trying to figure out where in the layers of menus the networking and file-sharing options are hidden. It may not be something you do everyday, but having the supplies and know-how to whip up a network cable on the spot can be very handy. Seemingly minor and easily overlooked settings can still have profound security implications. Here are some steps you can take to make sure your wired or wireless home router — and by extension, your network — is as secure as possible. Most Popular Reviews If you have a home network, you'll welcome the easy file sharing, remote access and the image-based backup features of Windows Home Server. Iomega's fourth generation StorCenter Network Hard Drive brings many of the features found in higher-end storage devices down to an attractive price. This free tool delivers many of the same capabilities that you'd find in pricey network monitoring tools.

As long as you don't mind tinkering, The Dude is a decent network utility that should be worth the download. Security Scans There are some good guys out there who will, with your permission, scan your Internet connection and give you feedback on how secure it is.

These services are free and usually involve going to a web page and clicking on a button or filling out a form to get things started. The service will then check your connection to see how secure it is, and give you feedback on what it finds. If you're unfamiliar with networking terminology, some of the feedback can be confusing, and make you even more paranoid than you already may be! However, the site contains excellent explanations of virtually everything involved with securing your LAN against intruders, so there's no excuse for being uninformed! The security check programs all do their work by attempting to connect to your system, just like a cracker would do. Squirrel Nutkin Soft Toy.