When you are trying to access Cpanel you should use the domain name based shortcut (http://yourdomainname.com/cpanel) instead of the IP address of the server.
This is because the IP address of the server can change during upgrades or other changes and the host may not always inform you about these changes. The domain name will automatically point to the server due to the details held in the nameserver.
As mentioned earlier a good firewall is essential if you are using Windows and you are connected to the internet. Some people I know are under the impression that Windows Firewall is a good firewall. This primitive piece of software is no match to a commercial firewall program so I suggest you install something like ZoneAlarm.
Permissions are rules that indicate what users or system can access files on your server. If you set the wrong permissions any malicious user can modify your files so it is necessary that you understand what permissions are and how to set and manage them.
Permissions are usually of the form User|Server|World
Alexa rank is quite useless as a measure of the traffic a site gets. This is because only the browsers that have the Alexa toolbar installed are counted as traffic for this estimation. Needless to say, most web surfers do not have this toolbar installed. They have never even heard about it in fact. So how accurate will the data be? Not very accurate at all.
I was shocked to hear that many of my colleagues were surfing the net without a firewall. No wonder they keep complaining about viruses all the time. A firewall is essential when you are connected to the Internet since it will block malicious software and scripts and secure your computer from attempts to take over your computer.
Just like how antivirus is required to keep your operating system and files safe, the firewall is required to keep your surfing session safe.
Install a proper firewall right away and be safe. I recommend ZoneAlarm which has a free version available.
By now you must all know that Internet Explorer is a poor choice when you have great software like Firefox and Opera in the market. With bugs and vulnerabilities, it is the worst choice you can make. IE7 addressed many problems and is slightly better but creating a web page for IE is still a nightmare.
IE does not follow any standards and makes life difficult for both users and web developers. Firefox and Opera strive to follow web standards so you’d be much better off using them.
