General advice - use at your own risk! These are techniques that I use
in some cases, and may not be appropriate for you to use. (also see
List of useful applications).
- Security and cleaning up computers.
- Most infections from computers are from malware,programs the
users inadvertantly installs themselves on their computer.
- In my experience, downloading (from download.com - which is
provided by CNET - a reputable company) and using the following
cleans up most computers: Malywarebytes, Spybot Search and
Destroy and CCCleaner. I always run the registery cleaner in
CCleaner, but always save the registry info it removes when asked to
do so in the process. I always check startup programs in
Spybot or CCCleaner - removing all of those I don't understand.
Of course, some of them might be necessary for something legitimate,
so you might end up putting them back in! You can do a search
in google on specific problems found to figure out how compromised
your system is. You should be familiar with the following:
Trojan horse - a program that has permission to run your computer
and can do anything on it (and will), including recording keystrokes
(passwords) to using your CPU or hard disk for mass distributed
computing (so you would experience great slowness).
- Note:
- CCleaner - cleans too much. The only
thing you want it to set to clean is temporary files.
There is no danger from your browser history or cookies
generally - so deselect those.
- Spybot will try to load TeaTimer which will
sit in memory and ask you if you really want to make changes.
If you don't want that, simply go into Advanced Mode and remove
TeaTimer from the startup.
- Browsers - typically, I have to install a second browser to get
function, such as mozilla or opera. Usually IE is compromised
by too many add ins or nefarious nadd ins. Go to Tools, Manage
Add Ins and remove anything you don't absolutely need.
- If you are truely incapable of avoiding clicking on bad things
on the internet or email, use a virtual machine. Download a
virtual machine program from VMWare (player for example) or other
vendor. Then, install a free operating system like Ubuntu on
top of the VMWare. Simply delete the VM when it gets infected
due to your adventures on the internet.
- Backup / disaster recovery
- Most guides tell you that you should first concentrate on
backing up data, and data is the smallest sized files. Use a
free internet service like Syncronicity or Mozy and upload your data
(word processing files, financial information, etc.). It is a
risk, because these sites are not secure (encrypted), but it might
be worth it.
- The basic problem with backing up your whole computer is that
depending on the disaster, it may not work on a new computer you
obtain. Software on a computer can depend on specific hardware
being present to reboot - and if you can't get exactly that hardware
to replace your old computer, you're in lots of trouble.
Getting new equipment and working through restoration and problems
also means you'll be down for quite awhile - something you might not
be able to afford.
- Two suggestions - use VMWare server to create a virtual machine
of your critical computers - those can be run from any hardware and
give you functionality quickly. Better yet, something costly
like DoubleTake should be used - which replicates your servers live
to other hardware, which automatically goes on line when the
original fails.
- Utilities
- 7zip is a free and very useful compression and
extraction program (download.com or sourceforge.net)
- Good sources of computer products:
- BestBuy - good return policies, popular items at sale prices
- Microcenter (Rt. 20 North from 80 in Patterson) lots of
arcane technical stuff as well as good buys on new and used
equipment.
- CyberGuys.com for lots of gagets.
Info@FlagshipComputing.net * 983-420-0491 * Facebook fan page Flagship Computing * Social network page - FlagshipComputing.bing.com * Twitter FlagshipComputing.
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