Article: Some software can be susceptible to viruses and can inhibit performance. Understand your laptop's up-time. Up-time is a measure of your operating system's reliability. Unix-like operating systems such as BSD and Linux have the longest up-time. Research and compare up-time records yourself. Downloaded software and screensaver often cause conflicts and use valuable memory. Remember that laptops are tools for learning, and keeping them free of unnecessary programs will help it working quicker with less freezing. Always back up all files in at least two places. Virus protection is very important. Beware of spyware. It is the latest computer security problem. Spyware is software designed to collect computer users' personal data without their knowledge. Spyware is secretly installed with many downloaded Internet software programs, and transmits information about computer usage and generates pop-up advertisements. Microsoft estimates that spyware is responsible for half of all PC crashes.

What is a summary?
Make sure you understand your computer's software requirements.