At almost every service call I make, I am asked the question “What do I need to do to keep this from happening again?” In this text, I am going to provide a specific set of recommendations for Windows users that, if followed should provide you with a more satisfactory computing experience. I am listing my recommendations in order of their importance.
Note: Because there are so many different versions of Windows, some of the actual commands I have included in this document may appear slightly different on your system. However, the actual processes, and recommendations are identical for all versions.
When using any Microsoft operating system, it is absolutely essential to have a current, frequently updated anti-virus program protecting your system at all times. The most common selections are:
PC-cillin$ http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
McAfee virusscan$? http://us.mcafee.com/default.asp
Norton AntiVirus$? http://www.symantec.com/norton/products/overview.jsp?pcid=mp&pvid=nav2008
AVG AntiVirus* http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1/
Avast 4 Home Edition* http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html
The selections marked with an asterisk (*) have the notable quality of being provided without charge for the home user. Think of these selections as free test drives, which the maker hopes will lead you to purchase.
Any one of these should provide adequate protection from virus programs. I have been asked which one is best. The answer is, it depends on what day you ask.
(? Note: Recently several viri have been written that explicitly take advantage of weaknesses within these commercial applications. This class of viri is particularly difficult to eradicate, as they turn off the anti viral application. Although I am sure that weaknesses exist within the free anti virus applications, as they are less popular than the commercial ones, they appear to suffer fewer problems.)
AntiVirus programs need to have their virus definition files updated on a routine basis. The way they work is by pattern matching, therefore, if a new virus program is created, it will not be in the virus definition that the program is using, and will not be detected. If there is an option, and you have DSL I would recommend updating the anti virus definitions at startup, otherwise, make sure the definitions are updated at least once a week. The latest McAfee (version 8.0) handles this automatically. I would advise you to perform a system scan at least once a month.
Those of us that are using a DSL/cable modem connection have what is known as a direct, or always on connection to the Internet. These types of connections, are very convenient, and relative to dial up connections, very fast. However, having a direct connection to the Internet does create additional security vulnrebilities. These security issues addressed by the use of a Firewall. Two forms of firewall currently exist:
Hardware – A hardware firewall is a device such as a router that connects to the Internet, and shields your PC from attempts to connect to your machine from the Internet. A router or switch, is commonly used when you want to share your Internet connection with more than one computer.
Software – A software firewall is a program that you run on your computer that shields your PC from attempts to connect to your machine from the Internet. The software firewall is typically used on a single PC. Firewall software is available from several different vendors. The latest version of Windows© includes a firewall as part of the operating system. My personal recommendation is to use ZoneAlarm from Zonelabs http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/home.jsp ,
ZoneAlarm is available as a free download. I personally use the ZoneAlarm Pro version, as it adds ad blocking, and additional security features.
Adware, or Malware – This class of annoyance has become increasingly troublesome over the last few years. Adware or the more inclusive term Malware may be defined as programs that are serupticously loaded on to your system for such purposes as tracking and reporting whatever you are doing on the Internet, supplying advertising or popup advertising for your viewing pleasure, key logging to obtain passwords and other information, and for taking control of your system for other purposes. In effect, these programs are similar to virus programs, but frequently you are tricked into approving their installation. Most of these programs are supplied as required components of various “Free” software. As these programs are not classified as viri, anti virus applications will not detect them.
The least destructive effect of malware is to degrade the performance of your machine. They become very annoying when they continually change your home page selection, and bombard you with large amounts of unwanted advertising. As most of them are constantly reporting back to the advertiser, and downloading ads, the malware will dramatically slow down your Internet access. In the case of poorly written malware, it is possible that it will make it impossible to use the machine. Examples of malware are:
Alexa
Comet Cursor
Gator
Kazza
The Weather Bug
The best way to avoid malware problems is to avoid free downloads from the Internet. As is usual in life very little is free, and anything that is usually has a political agenda. Once you have malware on your system, it can be very difficult to remove.
One program that is used to remove malware is “AdAware” from Lavasoft. http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ This program is provided as a free download, which is in effect a sample program, that will attempt to sell you their services.
Another program used for this purpose is called “SpyBot Search & Destroy” http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html SpyBot-S&D is effectively a share ware malware scanner. They ask for donations on their web site.
Another program used for this purpose is called “Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware” http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is effectively a share ware malware scanner. The free version has several limitations that can be removed by purchasing a license.
The malware scanners are quite similar to virus scanners in operation, they need to be upgraded before each use. All of the scanners listed catch different sets of malware, so more than one should be used. Malware scanning should be done at least every month, or whenever you suspect your system has been compromised. There is a clear profit motive in all of these programs, but, they are free programs with their own agenda. The best medicine as always is to not become compromised in the first place.
Windows update - Microsoft provides an on line updating tool to supply patches to the operating system to correct security and interoperability issues within Windows. It is important to use this tool, as there are new security problems found all the time. The more recent versions of the Windows operating system have an option in the control panel to set up an automatic update. If you have a DSL/cable connection, I would recommend that you set this to automatically download updates, and advise you when one is available for installation. This allows you to select which updates you want to do, as some of them will not pertain to your situation. If you are using a dial-up connection, I cannot recommend automatic updating, you should go to the Windows Update web site at least once a month: http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp , scan for updates, and then accept all “Critical Updates and service packs”, “Driver Updates”, and review any operating system updates to see if you are interested in them.
Scandisk – The Windows operating system needs to have the integrity of the hard drives file system checked and repaired as needed from time to time to ensure that it will continue to function correctly. The program provided within Windows is Scandisk. You can access Scandisk by opening the MyComputer icon on your desktop, right clicking the hard drive Icon (such as the C drive) and selecting properties. In the properties dialog, there are tabs across the top, select “Tools”. On the Tools tab, you will see an area identified as “Error checking” click on Check now. Select “Automatically fix file system errors” and “Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors”, then click start. This will start Scandisk, this process will take quite a while, depending on how large your hard drive is. This should be done for each hard drive in your system. I recommend doing this at least every other month.
Defragmentation – The Windows operating system needs to have the hard drives file system defragmented from time to time to provide optimum performance and ensure that it will continue to function correctly. The program provided within Windows is the Disk Defragmenter. You can access the defragmentation program by opening the MyComputer icon on your desktop, right clicking the hard drive Icon (such as the C drive) and selecting properties. In the properties dialog, there are tabs across the top, select “Tools”. On the Tools tab, you will see an area identified as “Defragmentation” click on “Defragment Now.” Select the drive you want to defragment, then click Defragment. This will start the defragmentation process, this process will take quite a while, depending on how large your hard drive is. This should be done for each hard drive in your system. I recommend doing this at least every other month.
07/18/09
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