Even Better Than New
By Cate Eales
Appeared December 29, 2005 on
castanet.net
So, did Santa bring you that new computer you asked for?
Yes? Great! Now is a really good time to get your computer set up just the
way you like it, and to protect it from the bad things out there --- and
the bad things that may already have been installed before Santa put the
computer under your tree.
Install an anti-virus
program…and keep it up to date!
The first thing to do, even before you connect your computer to
the outside world, is see what kind of anti-virus software is installed,
if any. Did your computer come with a “trial version” or did it come with
a subscription, or did it come without anti-virus software? If a
subscription (3-month, 6-month, 12-month) is included, you need to
register/activate the subscription, and you need to set up the software to
get the updates for you. Check the documentation that came with the
computer to see what you have, and open the anti-virus program and follow
the prompts to get it set up.
If your computer came with a “trial” version or no
anti-virus software, you absolutely, positively need to install some. If
you want to use the trial version, follow the prompts to set it up, and be
aware that you’ll be expected to pay when the trial period is over. I
can’t tell you how many clients I see who have an expired trial version of
an anti-virus program on their computers, and they never even knew they
weren’t protected. At the end of the trial period, you can pay for a
subscription, or you can uninstall the software and go with another
anti-virus program. A good, free one is Grisoft AVG Free Edition, which is
available here:
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1. Download it, install it, and follow the
prompts to make sure it updates itself every day.
Let Microsoft fix what it
broke.
Once your anti-virus program is installed and you’ve gotten the
latest updates and gotten it all set up, you can get the latest Windows
Updates. Almost all computers sold now with Windows XP installed also
already have Service Pack 2 installed. That’s good news, because it means
you’re relatively up-to-date. But Microsoft frequently issues updates and
patches, so you should make sure your computer has all the latest critical
patches. Browse to
http://update.microsoft.com/. I recommend using the Express settings,
at least the first time. And while you’re there, you can set things up so
that the updates are automagically downloaded and installed.
Is your firewall working?
If you have an “always on” connection to the internet, like DSL
or cable, you should be using a firewall. Windows XP has a rudimentary
built-in firewall. Some anti-virus packages, usually with “security
center” in the name, include a firewall. There is also a good, free
firewall available from Zone Alarm, here:
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp?dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en
(Keep choosing the “Free” version, not “Trial”).
You really need to be using just ONE firewall! So if you
install ZoneAlarm Free, or if you use one that is part of a “security
suite”, make sure you’ve turned off the Windows built-in firewall. Go to
Start | Control Panel | Security Center | Windows Firewall to change the
settings. Once you have a firewall installed and running, you can check
its effectiveness here:
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
Stamp out spyware!
With an anti-virus program, up-to-date Windows, and a firewall
running, you’ve made an excellent start! I’d also recommend the Microsoft
Anti-spyware Beta1 program, which is also free. You can get it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx.
Grab it, install it, and let it run all the time your computer is on. It’s
free and it works. The beta version will expire at the end of July, 2006.
At that time Microsoft will either make it available free or more likely
charge for it, but until then, go get it.
Finally, to remove the spyware and malware that
everything else you’ve already installed misses, download, install and run
either Spybot Search & Destroy, available here:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html, or Ad-Aware, available
here:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/. I run them both. Once
you’ve installed one or both, run them and you might be surprised how much
junk came included in your computer, right out of the box! There are
plenty of programs that claim to protect you from spyware. Some of them
will, and others are, themselves, spyware. Here is a list of corrupt
anti-spyware programs:
http://www.2-spyware.com/corrupt-anti-spyware.
Next time --- the fun stuff!
Now that you’ve got the basic protection in place, next week we
can spend some time on tweaks and fun things you can do with your
computer. As always, if you have any questions or comments or
recommendations, please email cate@rlis.com
and let me know. And if you’re having trouble with the links in this
column as it appears on castanet.net, you can always browse over to my
site and read the archived columns there:
http://rlis.com/column.htm.
---
Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible
and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric,
and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in Real Life Internet Solutions,
helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware and malware
eradication; personal computer training and management; digital image
management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and management.
Email Cate at cate@rlis.com with
your comments, suggestions, or questions. To browse the column archives,
visit the Real Life Internet Solutions website at
www.rlis.com.
© Cate Eales 2005 – All Rights Reserved
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