wilkes

Another way to answer this:


No. You should be very careful what you do on a public wi-fi network as the traffic you generate can (and often is) monitored.

Your asking the question the wrong way. The answer is no you cannot. You can however take several steps to protect your self.

A windows password is good to prevent your parents form looking at your pc. And is a good idea. I can crack that password in less than 30 seconds. If stolen you can consider it useless.

in 7 / vista always select public profile when connecting to an unsecured network.
keep Anti virus definitions up to date. Keep all anti malware current.
Don't use services like pay pal and online banking while on an unsecured network.
If your passwords are stored in your browser it is encrypted and is safe to use in a public place.
Unless you lose your laptop and now the thief has everything he or she needs to rip you off.

I would suggest you run Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) 2.0
Follow any suggestions it gives

Can anyone tell a newbie how to (Password Protect?) use a laptop at a WIFI hotspot--such as at McDonalds, the library, etc--so that the WIFI signal can be used securely? Can this be done?