Recommended Software for Web Surfers:
Firefox
Browser - Surf safely & faster. Less malware problems.
Windows
Defender - The best on the web many people say.
Windows
updates - Make sure you have all the latest updates.
AVG Antivirus & Antispyware - Great protection and
it's free!
If you want to surf the web in TOTAL
safety, there are a few options:
1. Download a "Live
CD" image, burn it to a CD, then boot from the CD. Any
changes made during surfing will be lost when you restart. If
you want to save anything, plug in a USB drive and save to that
during your "safe" surfing. Make sure you scan the USB
drive for malware before using it in your real operating system.
2. PURCHASE a copy of DEEP FREEZE software. ($30)
http://www.faronics.com
and install it. Rebooting will restore your computer to a previous
state. (See installation recommendations below.)
Common problems and terms you hear
about when you surf the internet:
Virus
What is a computer virus?
A computer virus is a computer program that overwrites, replaces
or attaches itself to some part of a program or operating system
in order to make a copy (or copies) of itself. It comes with instructions
that set off some task(s) that affect the infected computer. These
may range from the harmless to destructive. Some viruses display
text or pictures, but other than that, they are relatively harmless.
Others, reduce memory space, modify existing data, or use up CPU
processing time. Destructive viruses may overwrite or destroy
all of your files or even crash your system!
How does a computer get a virus?
A virus can be introduced to a computer in various ways. It can
be attached to any file or program that you copy from floppy disks,
or download from the Internet. Many viruses spread through email
and are released not only by opening the attachment but sometimes
by simply opening the email itself.
The virus can be activated the second it is installed on your
computer or it can remain inactive until you run or execute the
program that contains it. You will not usually be aware of the
presence of the virus, and may innocently spread the virus to
others.
An ounce of prevention
A virus can do its dirty work on your personal computer or your
network; but there have been many cases that a particular virus
wreaks havoc on the entire world, severely compromising many corporate
businesses and government functions. Thus, it is important to
take necessary precautions before it is too late.
As the world gets connected with today’s intricate cyber
world, viruses spread faster than ever. So when you notice that
your computer is acting a bit weird or erratic, you should immediately
scan for a virus.
Malware Definitions:
Trojans
What is a Trojan?
A Trojan is a type of program that enables a hacker to intrude
and make changes to your computer. It is a threat in disguise.
Like the Trojan Horse popular in the Greek history, it appears
safe (in the form of software program and e-mail attachment).
But once opened, the Trojan may install itself on your computer
and gain access without your consent.
Generally, the initial objective of a Trojan is to browse your
hard drive to determine anything of worth such as credit card
information, passwords, confidential documents, email addresses,
confidential designs or pictures, or even calendar information
regarding the user’s whereabouts. Once found to be a potential
source, the intruder then gets inside and manages your files.
The intruder can rename, create, delete, view and even transfer
files to or from your computer.
Trojans will enable the intruder to open and close your CD-ROM
drive, spam and gain control to your keyboard and cursor. Trojans
can also use a program manager that will allow the intruder
to install, execute, open or close any software programs. Indeed,
trojans are a big security threat.
How does a trojan affect my computer?
The problem starts first by the user installing
the trojan itself. This is done by deceiving the user with a seemingly
useful system enhancement or perhaps a free game containing trojans.
By installing a free game, for example, the trojan will be automatically
installed with it. Trojans can also come in common disguises such
as files from unknown sources, e-mail attachments from unknown
sources, and files from any online activity client like ICQ. Once
contaminated by a trojan, any distant user will inevitably have
free access. The dirty work then starts.
Other types of Trojans are: Remote Access Trojans, Mail Trojans,
FTP Trojans, Telnet Trojans, Keylogger Trojans, Fake Trojans,
and Form Trojans.
Protect your Computer from Trojans
Trojans can also be distributed as email attachments
or bundled with other software programs. You should always be
wary of opening attachments and downloading programs from the
Internet. Make sure it is from a secure and trusted source. If
possible, confirm with the sender.
Dialers
What is a dialer?
A dialer is a type of program that can alter the settings of a
user’s dialup connection. Dialers can disconnect your computer
from your local Internet provider and then reconnect you to other
sites usually connected with expensive pornography, toll, or international
phone number. A connection to international phone numbers happens
instead of connection to local internet provider. Although still
in existence, dialers are not as prevalent as in the past since
the number of dial-up connections has decreased over time. (Thank
you, cable & dsl.)
What does it do?
Dialers will generally grant you internet access by dialing
a country like AFRICA from YOUR HOME PHONE. Once they are
connected, charges as high as $5.99 per minute can occur.
Now-a-days, most dialers will ASK YOU TO CONNECT, be sure to NEVER
ACCEPT these charges. Unlike other viruses, dialers do not
scout your files and other personal belongings on your computer
but rather may rack up these significant long distance phone charges.
Some dialers will turn off your PC speaker and dial these far
off contries without you knowing!!
Be Aware
Any time you happen across a POP-UP AD or Program on your PC asking
you to connect/dial a phone number to get internet access, OPEN
YOUR TASK MANAGER AND END THE PROCESS. CLICKING CANCEL MAY ACTIVATE
THE VIRUS! Or restart your PC!!. Also verify the number you use
to access the internet, be sure it was the one provided by your
ISP or Internet Service Provider. Another easy way to tell if
you have become a victim is unexplainable tremendously high bills!!
Spyware
What is Spyware?
Spyware is a software that attacks the user’s
internet connection in the background without the user’s
knowledge. Spyware can do a lot of things that you wouldn’t
generally want to happen, such as: capture all the information
that you enter through the web, add unknown sites to your internet
favorites or to your desktop (as icons), hijack your default settings
and homepage, monitor your browsing activity, and append unwanted
and disruptive search bars and toolbars to your browser. Your
privacy will be compromised because Spyware makes it possible
for someone to sell any of your personal information that you
entered on your PC, and the writers of spyware programs don't
care about the effect on your computer. Your hard drive will fill
up with ad-related garbage and your PC will slow down.
How does Spyware attack the computer?
Spyware can enter your computer in different ways.
It may be pop-ups or window ads, through an instant messenger
service, attachment of spam through your e-mail, by sharing files,
music and photos, or it can be installed by a hacker or someone
who uses your computer. At times Spyware is bundled with another
program.
Once the programs have entered your PC, they will install themselves
in various locations on your computer. Most Spyware programs ensure
their survival by sprinkling traces of the program throughout
your system to make full removal more difficult (and sometimes
nearly impossible). Once installed, Spyware operates insidiously
in the background.
Spyware can invade your privacy: bank account numbers; social
security numbers; and even passwords.
What can you do?
There are some very good programs
that can help you protect your computer from this threat. Install,
run, and update them regularly to ensure your system’s protection.
Mailware (Not
to be confused with the word "Malware")
What is Mailware?
Have you had enough of those unwanted pop-ups that
are a source of endless annoyance while surfing the net? Even
your mails are being bugged by those pop-ups from authors that
are investing a wide range of targets for advertisements. They
make big money but at a great price for you and your computer.
How it works?
Mailware generally dwells on your mailbox, as what the term suggests.
It may come in the form of spam on your mail or even disguise
through the popular chain letters. Once the Mailware has entered
your mail server, it starts to generate information that can be
easily traced by spammers or the creators of Mailware. When you
respond to these Mailwares, the authors will have an automatic
confirmation on your address and would continue on sending you
spam and more spam. Mailware is mainly characterized by unusually
strange unsolicited commercial e-mail and bulk e-mail.
A variation of this is sending spam to mailing lists, either public
or private email discussion forums. Spammers will take advantage
of automated tools to subscribe to as many mailing lists as possible.
Thus, they are able to get the lists of addresses, or use the
mailing list as a direct target.
Adware
What exactly is Adware?
Adware is a software application that can show advertisements
on your computer in the form of pop-ups, pop-unders, and banner
ads. Usually they disrupt the user -- giving an option to either
continue on the web or click the pop up. Certain Adwares have
the ability to track the surfing habits of any user, without prior
knowledge or consent, thus being a threat to your privacy since
it is being sent to unauthorized parties.
How does it work?
Adware applications technically run in the background
of the computer and function as a spy watching all your moves.
The information gathered will then be logged and used to create
a user profile that is relayed to advertisers. The user profile
may include unrelated personal information. It is sent to a data
collection site. It is extracted to narrow online search results
to match the profile or, as a data mining tool, to evaluate surfing
habits.
Adware usually enters your computer by being installed
with a freeware program which you install. By installing the freeware
program, you have inadvertently signed up for unlimited pop-up
ads.
Common examples of freeware that may include Adware
are computer games, unusual mouse pointers, instant news or weather
updates, applications boasting to improve efficiency of your computer,
and even the smileys being used on e-mails.
What can you do?
You can block unwanted ads by installing a reputable
Adware scanning and removal tool. Make
sure that you update it with the latest version because new versions
of Adware are cropping up daily.
Your hosts
file can be hacked and modified
There is a way for dis-honest webmasters to add popups
and other nasty stuff to almost every page you visit. With the use
of an exploit they can hack your computer files and modifiy a very
important one :
- Windows 98: c:\windows\hosts
- Windows 2000: c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
- Windows XP: c:\windows\system32\drivers\hosts
By editing this file they can steal traffic from any
site they want, they can block your access to any site, or they
can add advertising (popup(s), dialers) to them. To hack your hosts
file hackers only have to have you visit their page. You don't have
to click anywhere on the page, you don't have to install anything,
it is a very malicious hack; you will not even notice that your
computer has been exploited...
Open your hosts file (it has no extention)
with notepad. It should contain only this line :
127.0.0.1 localhost
If you see other domain names below it, it may have
been changed by a malware program. Just delete everything but 127.0.0.1
localhost. Save the file and close it.
If you really don't understand how to do this, or
if you want a more advanced protection against this problem and
others, read the next topic.
Free anti
adware and spyware tool : Spybot, Search & Destroy
Do you have an unwanted toolbar installed in your
web browser? Do most of the pages you visit contain annoying popups?
Can you not access some of your favorite sites anymore? Install
and run Spybot
Search & Destroy. You will find download links from their
homepage but here is a shortcut to the download link on download.com
:
Click
here to download Spybot
It is very easy of use and will remove most of the
adware, spyware and dialers from your computer. It will also tell
you if your hosts file has been hacked and will automatically remove
invalid entries. Even if your computer is fine, I highly
recommend you download and install Spybot.
Don't forget to update spybot frequently, you can
find the update button on the first window when you launch the program.
Better
safe than sorry : update your Windows system and IE browser
Hackers use security flaws to install unwanted programs.
Update your software frequently and you will be fine. Microsoft
systems and browsers, being the most popular, are the main target
of malware.
Keep your browser up to date, visit http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.asp
and get the latest version and patches for MS Internet Explorer.
Go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
and download the latest upgrades and security patches for Windows
systems.
If you update regularly you can really avoid a lot
of surfing problems. Click
here to add this page to your bookmarks so you can find the
download links handy in the future.
The parasite
test online
Click on
this link (opens in a new window), this will launch the parasite
test (javascript), then read the results below detection script.
If your computer is infected they will tell you how to uninstall
the parasite.
You might prefer to download and
install spybot, though, as it is much more simple to use and
can detect much more unwanted programs; the parasite test often
only tells you how to remove the parasites manually, meaning editing
the registry, typing dos commands, etc.
Free Popup-Killer
Google,
the world #1 search engine, has included a great popup-killer ability
with its latest toolbar : Google
Bar. With it you will be able to stop popups entirely,
or allow popups only from specific sites (white list). Best of all,
it is 100% free, and does not require any signup.
Installation is extremely easy and only takes a few
seconds : click here to visit Google
Bar's Homepage and install it.
For detailed help regarding their popups-blocker ability,
just visit this page : Google
Bar Popups Help.
Another option is to upgrade to Service Pack 2 or
higher of Windows XP, it auto blocks popups as well.
Removal
of the browser hijacker known as CoolWebSearch
This 'hijackware' has many forms and is very hard
to remove so the best we can do is point you to this complete information
page :
The
CoolWebSearch Chronicles, thanks to Spywareinfo.com.
If you surf risky sites a lot, chances are you have
encountered or will encounter a site run by a scammer that will
use Cool Web Search to steal traffic (redirect you when you try
to access some pages). Remember the best offense is a strong defense:
always keep your browser and operating system up to date.
Anti-adware/spyware/popups/
viruscanners/dialer links
Anti SPYWARE software
Keep your computer safe from Spyware. Check out the following links.
Windows
Defender
Windows Defender is a security technology that helps
protect Windows users from spyware and other potentially unwanted
software. Known spyware on your PC can be detected and removed.
This helps reduce negative effects caused by spyware including slow
PC performance, annoying pop-up ads, unwanted changes to Internet
settings, and unauthorized use of your private information. Continuous
protection improves Internet browsing safety by guarding over 50
ways spyware can enter your PC.
SpySweeper
http://www.webroot.com/products/spysweeper/
Spy Sweeper
is the only software that has Active Shield technology that stops
Spyware in its tracks before the infection takes place using a constantly
updated database of thousands of known Spyware threats. It then
quarantines the suspected threats by disabling their functionality
for your immediate protection.
You can experience for yourself the full protection of Spy Sweeper
by downloading a 30-day trial software.
You can also scan your system online with the Spy Audit, which only
takes seconds to run. Unfortunately, it can only show you the list
of Spyware in your system, but can’t modify or remove any
of them.
Spyware Eliminator
http://www.aluriasoftware.com/
AluriaSoftware, the company who brought you the widely trusted Spyware
remover, Spyware Eliminator, offers a FREE Spyware Scan. You can
download it from their website.
Spyware Eliminator offers you defense against Spyware including
adware, keyloggers, and ActiveX applications. Once detected, they
are removed form your system, consequently improving its performance.
It also offers Automatic Updates to ensure future protection.
Spybot Search and Destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
Spybot Search and Destroy can detect and remove Adware and Spyware,
dialers, keyloggers, Trojans and usage tracks. It is compatible
with Microsoft Windows operating systems, but is not currently available
for Macintosh and Unix/Linux. You can download it for FREE!
Anti TROJAN software
Below are some links to protect your computer from harmful Trojans.
a-squared (a2)
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/
a2 Free is a great complimentary tool to antivirus software. It
provides protection against Trojans, currently detecting around
20,000 Trojans. It is also useful against Spyware and Dialers. Updates
can be downloaded manually with the integrated updater. a2 Free
can be downloaded and used for FREE.
System Requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, 2000 Server,
XP and 2003 Server.
PestScan
http://www.pestscan.com/
PestScan is a FREE online tool that you can use to scan your PC
for Trojan horses, Spyware, Adware, keyloggers and other malicious
programs. Unfortunately, the program does not have the capability
to remove pests, if any was found. You can prefer to manually edit
your registry to remove it, or purchase a fully licensed copy of
PestPatrol to automatically remove what PestScan has found -- and
protect your computer against any further invasions in the future.
System Requirements: Windows 98, ME, NT 4 or later, 2000, or XP;
Internet Explorer 4 or later.
You can also download a 30-day evaluation software of PestPatrol.
PC DoorGuard
http://www.astonsoft.com/products/pdg/download/
Aston soft features PC DoorGuard, an intrusion scanner that scans
email messages and any media on your PC for Trojan horses. It can
remove any Trojan and check every incoming email and monitors your
system to prevent further infection, using weekly updated Trojan
database consisting of more than 7,161 entries.
You can download and use PC DoorGuard for 30 days for FREE.
System Requirements: Win95/98/ME/NT/2000.
Anti ADWARE software
Block those unwanted ads with adware tools.
Ad-Aware SE Personal
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
Ad-Aware SE Personal is a privacy tool designed to detect Adware/Spyware
related issues such as Data-mining, aggressive advertising, Browser
hijackers, Trojans, Dialers, Parasites, Scumware, Malware, and tracking
components. After it has finished scanning your computer, it lists
the results and offers to remove or quarantine the components.
It can be updated with the latest signatures with the built-in update
utility. The Personal edition is FREE for home users and non-commercial
use.
Ad-Aware SE is compatible with Microsoft Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003.
SpyWare Nuker
http://www.catlab.us/
You can scan your PC for Spyware and Adware infections with SpyWare
Nuker. It recognizes 78,000 programs lurking in the Net today. You
can download it from their website FREE of charge.
System Requirements: Microsoft Windows 98/Me/NT4/2000/XP (not compatible
with MAC, Linux, or any other non-Microsoft operating system).
Anti DIALER software
Dialers can cost you hundreds of dollars! Prevent expensive and
unwanted bills. Check out the following links.
Ad-Aware SE Personal
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
Ad-Aware SE Personal is a privacy tool designed to detect Adware/Spyware
related issues such as Dialers, Data-mining, aggressive advertising,
Browser hijackers, Trojans, Parasites, Scumware, Malware, and tracking
components. After it has finished scanning your computer, it lists
the results and offers to remove or quarantine the components.
It can be updated with the latest signatures with the built-in update
utility. The Personal edition is FREE for home users and non-commercial
use.
Ad-Aware SE is compatible with Microsoft Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003.
a-squared (a2)
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/
a2 Free is a great complimentary tool to antivirus software. It
detects and blocks dialers immediately when they attempt to dial.
Updates can be downloaded manually with the integrated updater.
a2 Free can be downloaded and used for FREE.
System Requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, 2000 Server,
XP and 2003 Server.
Anti MAILWARE software
Avast!
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home2.html
ALWIL software presents Avast! 4.5 Home Edition, the latest version,
of the antivirus designed exclusively for home and non-commercial
users. You can download it FREE of charge. With its email scanners,
it is useful in protecting you against new, unknown viruses and
worms from Mailware programs. When an email message shows suspicious
signs that exceeds the user-defined levels, it is considered dangerous
and the user is warned.
It also features real-time resident protection of the computer and
automatic updates to ensure up-to-date protection.
System Requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT4/2000/XP.
If you are not a home user or you use your computer for profit,
you can try the commercial version Avast! 4.5 Professional Edition.
This product also works as a 60-day trial version.
Anti VIRUS software
Here are some virus scanners that are available on demand or downloadable
from the Internet.
McAfee
http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs/default.asp?cid=9435
McAfee FreeScan is an on-demand service which you can use online
to scan your computer. It can help you detect thousands of viruses
on your computer, including the latest known "in the wild"
viruses, and displays a detailed list of any infected files. If
there are viruses found, FreeScan even provides links to more information
about the viruses and what you can do to clean your system.
System Requirements: Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP; Microsoft Internet
Explorer 5.5 or higher.
You can also try out McAfee’s FREE security tools including
30-day trial versions of security services such as ViruScan, Personal
Firewall, Privacy Service, SpamKiller, and Parental Controls.
Symantec
http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/default.asp?langid=ie&venid=sym
Symantec Security Check is a FREE and efficient tool which you can
use to test your exposure to a wide range of online threats and
viruses.
System Requirements: For Microsoft Windows 98/ME or NT 4.0 Workstation/2000
Pro/XP: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or newer, Netscape 4.5 or
newer, latest AOL browser; For Macintosh: Macintosh OS 8.1 or higher,
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.5 or newer, Netscape 4.5 or newer,
Safari 1.0 or newer.
Symantec also provides a host of trial ware such as Norton AntiVirus,
Internet Security, Personal Firewall, AntiSpam, Password Manager,
and AntiVirus for Handhelds. You can try these out in 15 days (30
days for AntiVirus for Handhelds) FREE of charge.
Panda
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/activescan/principal2.asp?idlang=2
Panda ActiveScan detects and eliminates your computer for viruses.
System Requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP; 32 MB of RAM for
Windows 95/98/Me, 64MB of RAM for Windows NT/2000/XP; Internet Explorer
4.0 or later.
There are other Panda evaluation software that you can download
for FREE. This includes Titanium Antivirus, Platinum Internet Security,
TruPrevent Personal, etc.
Trend Micro
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
Trend Micro HouseCall allows you to scan your computer online for
FREE.
System Requirements: Windows 95, 95 OSR2 2.0, 95 OSR2 2.1, 95 OSR2
2.5; Windows 98, 98 SE, NT Workstation 4.0 and Service Pack 3 or
above, NT Server 4.0 and Service Pack 3 or above, NT Enterprise
4.0, Windows 2000 Professional, Server, Advanced Server, Windows
XP Home, Professional; Internet Explorer 4.0, 4.0 SP1, 4.0 SP2 or
above. Macintosh and Netscape browsers are not supported in the
current release.
Trend Micro also presents several 30-day evaluation copies of their
software products that you can download for FREE inclusing PC-cillin
Internet Security and OfficeScan Corporate Edition.
AVG
http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/1/
Grisoft presents AVG Free Edition, designed and made available for
individual home PC users. It features automatic updates, Resident
Shield, E-mail Scanner, On-Demand Scanner, free virus database updates,
and Virus Vault.
System Requirements: Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, or newer; Internet
Explorer 5.01 or higher.
AVG Free Edition is for private, non-commercial, single home computer
use only. It may not be used for business, commercial or organizational
set-ups. For these purposes, you can download a 30-day trial version
of the AVG Professional Edition.
BitDefender
http://www.bitdefender.com/scan/license.php
BitDefender Free Online Virus Scan is FREE and accessible from anywhere
in the world through an Internet browser. It scans system's memory,
all files, folders, drives' boot sector, system processes, e-mail
databases, network drives, and archives for over 70,000+ viruses,
worms, Trojans and other malicious applications. You can also choose
to automatically clean the infected files.
System Requirements: ActiveX enabled browsers (unavailable for Netscape
family browsers).
BitDefender also features defense solutions for Linux systems, Windows
CE and Palm.
Avast!
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home2.html
ALWIL software presents Avast! 4.5 Home Edition, the latest version,
of the antivirus designed exclusively for home and non-commercial
users. You can download it FREE of charge. It has an almost 100%
detection of in-the-wild viruses and Trojan horses. It features
real-time resident protection of the computer and automatic updates
to ensure up-to-date protection.
System Requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT4/2000/XP.
If you are not a home user or you use your computer for profit,
you can try the commercial version Avast! 4.5 Professional Edition.
This product also works as a 60-day trial version.
Other handy downloads
Spyware
Info, the spyware and hijackware removal specialists, information
and software download links.
Spybot homepage, there you can download this great anti-scam
program for free and find plenty of information.
Scumware,
a global information page regarding unwanted advertising and how
some companies are messing with us.
Doxdesk,
this site will help you detect adwares and such on your computer
and provides removal explanations.
Google Bar,
their clean toolbar for internet explorer has the ability to block
all unwanted popups, for free.
Sometimes preventative
software still lets malware enter your computer. Even when computers
are fully protected and updated, it seems that junk still finds
its way on your computer. Usually the junk gets in your system via
your children, or you if you like to go places that are high-risk,
such as searching websites for pirated software, pornography, following
pop-up ads, and clicking on junk mail (spam.)
Here is a detailed analysis of the two solutions
mentioned at the top of this page. My favorite method of safe-surfing
is to boot from a live-cd.
DEEP FREEZE
Deep Freeze works great, but requires some
major work:
1) Back up everything on your computer
that you want to save, then wipe the hard drive clean using the
windows xp installation disk.
2) Reinstall a fresh copy of your operating
system using only a part of your hard drive. (During setup it will
ask you if you want to use the entire drive - say no and then tell
it how much to use. You should have at least 20 GB (20,480 Megabytes)
on your operating system partition (Usually called C: drive)
3) Create a partition on the unused hard
drive space and format it for use as a SAVE
drive.(You can do this in disk management - start run compmgmt.msc)
Install all the software you need, making sure you dont expose the
computer to viruses or spyware during the setup process.
4) After formatting the SAVE
drive and rebooting, your computer should automatically assign a
drive letter to the SAVE drive.
5) Install anti-virus
and anti-spyware software as desired. You should install
the anti-virus software in the SAVE partition created in step 3
(So that downloaded updates will persist after re-booting.)
6) PURCHASE a copy of DEEP FREEZE software.
($30) http://www.faronics.com
7) Create a folder on the SAVE drive and
move your "My Documents" folder to the new folder on the SAVE
drive. (Right-click on the My Documents icon on the desktop
and click MOVE). You can hack the registry and force your
system to save your "Favorites" and "Desktop"
on the save drive too!
8) Install DEEP FREEZE and freeze the C:
drive. This software will restore your computer to its current state
on every restart. Make sure to save any important files on the SAVE
drive. You will need to create a password to unlock deep freeze
at a later date. DO NOT tell your kids the password!
9) Now you will be able to go get viruses
and spyware, and restarting the computer will make them all go away.
LIVE
CD
My
Favorite! Download a live-cd image. I used the KANOTIX image (716
MB) and was very impressed. Just restart your computer, boot from
the Live-cd, and surf away!
WHAT IF YOUR
SYSTEM IS ALREADY INFECTED???
Try to install the above malware-prevention programs
anyway.
If they can't help, then you may want to
check the following stuff:
It helps if you know where to look. Bad stuff likes
to hide where it will automatically start with your computer. There
are three main areas that they like to hide. You can really HOSE
your computer by messing around with this stuff, but sometimes its
the only option:
1) Startup folder (Start - Programs - Startup)
Just delete anything in startup that you dont want
to auto-start.
2) Registry Run Keys (Start - Run - type "REGEDIT"
and hit ok)
Browse to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE MICROSOFT WINDOWS CURRENT_VERSION RUN
and
HKEY_CURRENT_USER MICROSOFT WINDOWS CURRENT_VERSION RUN
and
HKEY_USERS DEFAULT MICROSOFT WINDOWS CURRENT_VERSION RUN
delete anything under the RUN key
that you don't want to auto-start
(Note - there are more areas but these are the
most abused)
3) Run as a service
Start - Settings - Control Panel - Administrative
Tools - Services
Double-click and change startup to manual or disabled
if it is bad.
WHAT IF IT STILL
WONT WORK?
There is a possibility that your computer is suffering
from a hardware problem, hardware conflict, bad software installation,
etc. If you have eliminated viral or spyware invasion, then you
may want to scan your hardware for problems. Many computers come
with a system cd. Insert the CD and re-boot. Booting to the CD may
require different keystrokes during the initial startup process,
but the screen will usually tell you what to press. Follow the on
screen instructions to test your computer.
The two most common hardware problems are:
a) Bad Hard Drive
b) Bad Power Supply
If your hardware
checks out, then you may want to wipe out your computer and reload
a fresh operating system. Saving your old files can be tricky, so
I recommend purchasing a new hard drive, installing it, and removing
your "BAD" hard drive. Set up windows on your new hard drive, and
when all done, re-install your "BAD" hard drive as a secondary (non-boot)
drive. (It may appear as a "D" drive.)
When you get your
computer working again,
protect it:
Lavasoft
Adaware
Spybot
Search & Destroy
Windows
Defender
Grisoft
AVG Free Edition
Deep Freeze |
