In my view, before you even connect your pc to the internet it is vital that you are protected against certain risks. These links will take you to free downloads that will give you adequate protection.

Anti-virus protection

AVG anti-virus, good protection, with an excellent auto-updater for the definitions file.

Avast anti-virus, another good free anti-virus product.

AntiVir, download another great anti-virus product.

Personal Firewalls

Zone Alarm from Zonelabs has always been an easy to use free firewall that protects your privacy.

Sygate Personal Firewall is another top notch free product.

Pop-up Stopper

Panicware's free pop-up stopper is probably the most effective utility on the web to give you a hassle-free surfing experience.

Browser

Mozilla Firefox, the ad-free, pop-up free, more secure browser than Internet Explorer, this will really enhance your enjoyment of the internet. Configurable with a range of extensions.

Spyware, adware, malware, trojans, diallers, browser hijackers (These pests can track your browsing habits, take you to pages that you don't want to see, or hijack your homepage): although these are not written in the same form as viruses, they are extremely annoying and spoil the pleasures of searching the web. Luckily there are some good free detection and removal tools available.

Lavasoft's Ad-aware SE is the latest edition of this world acclaimed spyware detector.

Spybot Search and Destroy is another highly rated free pest remover.

Spywareblaster from Javacool Software prevents pests and bugs getting on to your pc in the first place. (Latest version 3.3)

Media Players

Windows Media Player 10, the latest in Microsoft's series.

Skins and plug-ins for Windows Media Player

Real Player, essential for streaming BBC content.

QuickTime media player, used a lot for streaming media and for your itunes.

Winamp, ever popular media player.

Skins for Winamp

Macromedia Shockwave and Flash players, essential for many sites and internet games.

The Four Horses - wait until the horses load, standing next to a fence, then click on each horse in turn (turn your speakers up)

The elastic baby - don't swing him too hard (needs sound)

Presidential Barbourshop quartet - Mount Rushmore at it's best (needs sound)

Spot the difference - turn the sound up LOUD for best clues.