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By Linda Link,
President, Answer Quest Technologies, Inc. (Published December 20,
2004)
As soon as you get your new computer, before you go surfing or
let the kids on it, make sure the following is done:
1. Connect to the Internet
2. Run Windows Update and install all Critical updates (run until
there are no more updates)
3. Make sure Anti-Virus software is installed and run Anti-Virus
4. Updates (run until there are no more updates)
5. Install pest finding software (run updates until there are
no more updates)
6. Run Office Update (if you have Office or Works installed, run
until there are no more updates)
7. Run Windows Update and install all Critical updates (yes, do
this again)
8. Back up your entire hard drive
You are saying to yourself, "But I just bought it!"
Yes, and it could have been sitting on a warehouse shelf for months,
so there are updates that need to be done.
Here's a short explanation for each of the steps above:
1. If you connect to the Internet through a cable modem or DSL,
your computer is considered always on. You need to make sure that
your Anti-Virus software and Windows Updates are automatically occurring
at night when you are not using your computer. If you connect with
dial-up, you still need to do your updates. Even though your computer
is not connected to the Internet all the time, when your computer
is online, it's still vulnerable.
2. Running Windows Update (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com)
is essential to keeping up with bug patches and enhancements. You
want to install all Critical Updates. You may have to run Windows
Update more than once. Run it again until no other Critical Updates
are displayed. One important update that came out recently is Service
Pack 2 for Windows XP. It will turn on some additional security
features such as the internal Firewall and schedule the Automatic
Updates. If you are on fast Internet (DSL or cable modem), set Automatic
Updates to run automatically every night. This service pack will
also install a pop-up blocker in Internet Explorer (which is great!).
3. Anti-virus software is a must have. I use Norton Anti-Virus
(www.symantec.com), but there are other software packages available.
Most new computers come with either a 90 day or 1 year subscription
for automatic updates. At the end of that time, renew the subscription.
If you get a virus, it will cost you more in time to rebuild the
PC then it would have to make the purchase. Your Anti-virus software
should always be running. Do not turn it off (except for the rare
occasion being when you play some games it might suggest turning
it off for performance issues, but make sure you turn it back on).
Having the software is only the first step; the second is keeping
it up to date. That's where the subscription comes in. Under options,
you will want to select "automatically install updates."
You want this running on your PC all the time, not just when you
are on-line.
4. Install pest finding software such as Pest Patrol (www.pestpatrol.com).
There are some free ones out there, but I have found that Pest Patrol
works best for my needs. The idea here is to always have something
running looking for pests. If you do use Pest Patrol, make sure
under Options -- What To Search For -- that you check everything.
5. If you have Microsoft Office or Microsoft Works, run Office
Updates
at http://office.microsoft.com. Click on Check for Updates. You
will have to install a small program that will see what software
is on your PC for updates.
6. After you are done all this -- run Windows Updates again! Yes,
you
should do this to verify that another update didn't cause a new
Critical Update to appear.
7. Back up your computer. If your PC did not come with a backup
program, you can purchase one. I have been using Backup My PC by
Stomp (http://www.stompsoft.com). The reason you want to backup
your PC right now is that it has all the basic software and updates
on it and it is before you have installed any other programs! This
is important. It's called a vanilla backup. If you have problems
later and need to restore your system back to an earlier time, you’ll
want a vanilla backup instead of restoring to factory defaults (which
will not have your updates or other essential software you just
installed). You can backup to CDR or DVDR (do not use re-write media,
you want a permanent backup and read-only media is less expensive).
You can also back up to a second hard drive if you have one installed
in your PC.
Now you are ready to install other software. Just one word of warning,
when installing software please do not install extra software that
some companies try to pass on to you. One instant messenger software
manufacturer wants you to install 3 extra programs: weather reporting,
gaming, and a toolbar. Ninety-nine percent of new PC users do not
need these and they are always running, which will help make your
PC run slower. Also, be very careful with installs on the Web. Just
because it pops up and says you have to install, don't believe it.
That is how a lot of pests are installed. Once you give one piece
of software permission to install, you may have technically given
it permission to install more software. We see this happening more
and more to the point that I just had to redo a PC that had more
then 4,700 pests on it (it froze at that point). This meant many
hours to get it back to square one (there was not recovery backup
set) at a cost to the parent.
Scam Alert
Please be careful about opening e-mail or clicking on a link in
an e-mail message. A scam called phishing is growing in numbers.
Here is how it works: a person sends an e-mail disguised as a bank
or other company using a copy of their logo. The e-mail indicates
that your information may have been compromised and needs to be
updated. A clickable link is given in the e-mail which will actually
take you to a fake site that resembles the real one. You type in
your "updated" information.
Your information has now been compromised. You just gave them your
name and account number needed to make illegal purchases. Please
be careful and never click on these links. If in doubt, type the
web address for the company directly into your browser address bar.
This will take you to the real website. Most of the fake websites
use numbers instead of a name. Always check your browser address
bar to ensure you are at the correct website.
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