I have a suggestion for everyone who is getting their little ballerinas, firemen, Hannah Montanas, and Luke Skywalkers ready for tonight's trick or treating. Since you won't be using your computer tonight while you are taking them through the neighborhood or giving candy out at home, use the time to update your virus definitions (before you go out) and then scan your whole system for internet ghouls and goblins (aka viruses, worms, trojans and bots) while you are out having fun. When you are sure your system is clean and healthy, your next task is to back up photos and other important documents.
The recent wildfires and resulting devastation in California should be a reminder to us all that you never know what the future holds. Have you seen the photos of people sifting the ashes and rubble looking for family photos and important documents? Incredibly sad. Make plans now to secure your precious files and digital memories so you will never experience such a tragedy. Symantec makes a great product that includes backup utilities with internet backup (Norton 360) but you can backup in many ways, even just making copies of your files onto disks that you store somewhere other than your home. It's a good idea to practice "redundancy" or keeping your backups away from your home. You could send them to relatives, keep them at work or store in your bank safety deposit box. I'm sure you can think of a place where a few disks or a full external harddrive won't get in the way.
If you can, remember the wildfire victims with a donation via the American Red Cross.
Happy Halloween!