Quote from: SaltySpitoon on December 04, 2013, 04:39:24 AM

As you get into Bitcoins, first secure your wallet. Use a dedicated computer if at all possible, or be sure to run virus scans frequently and don't be downloading music from Limewire (hehe, 2008) and make sure you encrypt your wallet and don't forget your password. Online wallets are generally less safe, so I'd recommend Electrum or the Satoshi Client, but keeping a reasonable amount of coin in the Blockchain wallet with a secure password and the before mentioned security, you will be alright. Second, trust no one with your Bitcoins. Think about the law of the wild west, and then remove the shootouts and fist fights, and your adversaries are hundreds if not thousands of miles away. If someone steals your money, chances are they are going to get away with it, so don't give them a chance. After your wallet is secure, you can get by just knowing how to send and recieve transactions. Make sure you set a transaction fee, and double or triple check all addresses involved before sending or recieving payment.

You will get the hang of it, what you can do for now, is get the basics down to prevent financial loss due to not knowing.

Also, always ALWAYS backup your wallets. Get a 1 GB flash drive or something, copy your wallet.dat onto it, and store it in a safe place. If you are going to be holding a lot of coins, more than one copy is advised, as long as its in a secure place.

I can't afford a dedicated computer; I can only use the one I already have.

I set up a blockchain.info account and created a wallet there; my address is 1MDDLKpLhtx8nnmbD3xE8Aqb6Rtxs5FtZJ

I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop with a 1.80 GHz Intel Celeron processor; it runs at ~5%-10% during idle time. How much money can I make if I find a reliable mining program?