How do I make my laptop wireless, and what do I need for safety?

I just bought my first laptop as a Christmas gift to myself, and would like to be able to use it around the house, airports, bookstores, starbucks etc. I know I need a router, but do I also need to buy one of those cards? The guy said I shouldn't need a card, because all new computers come pre-installed with it already. How do I check for sure? Also, what do I need for protection to help prevent hackers from accessing my computer when I'm at the bookstore or other public networks? Thanks.

How do I make my laptop wireless, and what do I need for safety?antivirus scan

You can be assured that if you bought the laptop brand new from the store it has a wireless card already installed. However you can check this out by going to your local library, or coffee shop, make sure your wifi switch is turned on, and all of a sudden at the bottom of your screen, you will see a message saying 'wireless networks available' or something of that nature. Also for security, go into your router that is installed on your other computer, and go to settings, you should see a column for security, choose either wep or wpa, wpa is more secure, but some routers only support wep so check the router manual for this. Enable wep or wpa, change the name if you wish, and choose your password. Make sure its a password that NO ONE could guess even if they tried. It is recommended that you use letters and numbers for more security. As far as using public networks, I believe the only thing you can do is enable your firewall, and something like norton would help. Otherwise you could pay for a more secure site if its an option where you are. Good luck.