I have not had a virus scanner on my computer for nearly 10 years, and I have not ever had a virus. My secret is that I always click "No" when a website asks me if I want to run a script, or install a program that I was not specifically seeking out. I hope this little piece of advice helps some of you. Ben Liyanage ben at smartankgroup.com 410.336.2464 -----Original Message----- From: hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net [mailto:hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net]On Behalf Of Jonathan Dill Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 7:26 AM To: hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net Subject: [Hidden-tech] Windows security (sic) ** Be a Good Dobee and help the group ** Fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area. ** Remember you must be counted to post . Hello folks, I do "emergency calls" on computers and wanted to make a few comments and suggestions about how not to have your computer trashed if you have Windows. The bottom line is it is probably a lot cheaper--though it does cost some money--to do a few things up front rather than try to clean up the mess if you have not made any preparation. I have been doing a lot of these calls lately where people "had the anti-virus software that came with the computer..." which expired in 2001 or something like that. And then his or her teenager stopped by the office and used the computer "to do homework" ahem, or some similar instigating incident. And then the next time the computer restarted, this funny window came up, and someone clicked "OK" and then the system wouldn't come up after that. OK so maybe a lot of IT people would say this is stupid / irresponsible / whatever, but in practice, I'm finding that it is extremely common. My new joke is that I am changing my slogan to, "NO Windows for you! Linux, Linux, Linux!!!" Often, all of the critical system files are deleted or at least trashed, and if there is no backup, all there is left to do is try to copy off as much data as I can, re-install Windows, and copy the data back to the computer. By the time I have run Windows Update for the Nth time and rebooted for the Nth time, tried to make it reasonably secure, and copied all of the files back, it takes at least 4 hours. If you don't have the original CDs that came with your computer, either you will be buying new Windows, or ordering the "System Restore" CDs from the manufacturer and waiting a few days for them to show up--I have found that some OEM licenses for Windows do not work with just a standard Windows CD, the Registration Key from the sticker on the side of the computer may not even be recognized as valid because it is not a "WPA" license. If you have Windows, please check to make sure your antivirus software has a valid license and that the definitions are updating regularly, preferably automatically. If you're not sure, get a geek to help you, or if it's been a year since you last bought antivirus software or an upgrade, go out and buy the latest Norton Antivirus for Windows. If you have a Windows PC that is critical to your business, your friends and family should not be logging on to that computer to do anything, it should be just for business as much as possible. Get a second cheap PC for example from Walmart and let the kids use that. Hey, I know it's money, but it may cost less to just buy a cheap PC up front than what you will pay to try to recover your business files if your computer gets trashed. Get an external USB2 disk drive for backups. If your computer is more than a year or two old, you may also need to buy a USB2 card for your computer. Maxtor and Seagate are a couple good brands for disk drives. The disk should be at least twice the size of the total space of the hard drive(s) inside your computer. Ideally, you should have Windows XP Professional, and the backup tool that comes with that works fairly well. Norton Ghost 9 is another good tool. Some external hard drives may also come with backup software. CDs and DVDs may sound like a good idea for backups, but in practice I find a lot of people just end up not bothering because it's "too inconvenient." It's much easier to just set up the external backup drive, make it automatic, and just back up the whole entire thing instead of trying to pick and choose. That way, you can also have a complete "disaster recovery" solution where you don't have to re-install Windows and all of your applications again which is a whole lot more time-consuming than you might think. Lastly, if you have a broadband internet connection, it is essential that you have a *hardware* firewall / router and that it is configured correctly. Software firewall might be OK as a 2nd line of defense, but I do not trust it 100%. If you get one with wireless built-in, make sure to have an IT geek configure it for you and set up some type of encryption--I really don't think wireless is a bad idea if it's done right. If you have a small business with several people and a little budget for a firewall, Sonicwall TZ170 may be a good choice--it has some excellent options that you can subscribe to block spyware and viruses and "intrusion prevention" and such as a second line of defense. For a home office or a couple people, Linksys is a good brand. Jonathan _______________________________________________ Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list. If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members page on the Hidden Tech Web site. http://www.hidden-tech.net/members