Vol I - Edition I
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Guest Articles:
Paul
W Wilson
 Essential
to peace of mind is protecting the PC and your online privacy. When connected to
the web, your work and data is open to attacks of various kinds including
harmful downloads. A simple game, picture, or program may be the vehicle for
malevolence. So, you need to check whether every file that you download, open,
or save, is safe or whether there are irregularities of any kind.
Protect your PC by:
•Blocking hackers and viruses by installing the latest firewall and antivirus
software. It is advisable to install a software firewall even if you have a
hardware firewall in your system. A software firewall is designed to query
whether or not it should permit “X,” access. The user can specify which
applications can access the port and which cannot. A bi-directional firewall
such as ZoneAlarm3 and Personal Firewall 5 will monitor both inbound and
outbound traffic preventing Trojans and backdoor programs from functioning.
•Block downloads that install unwanted programs by using the options in Internet
explorer to block all software from source X specified by you.
•Install software programs that will constantly scan your PC for spyware, adware,
dialers, and web bug traces which can create a nuisance and cause crashes, slow
down systems, or steal financial information. By adding a schedule you can
instruct NoAdware to automatically scan your PC at set times for in-filtrations.
•Immunize your PC and prevent malicious add ons to your system.
•Configure your PC browser to protect you when you are working online. Use a
‘real time shield’ and prevent intrusions. Be sure to click the “protect IE
Favorites” box and ensure that no thief can add an URL without your permission
to your browser’s favorites list. This will block offensive and dangerous
websites from entering your PC environs.
•Say “no” to any web address or site that instructs you to download specific
software to view their pages. Such software can contain a virus, Trojan horse,
or auto dialer.
•Create a regular back up schedule for your work. Once a week is ideal if you
are a virtual worker or running a business. This will minimize any damage should
problems arise.
•Be sure to update your software with the latest patches and bug fixes. Then use
the updated or enhanced security settings provided by the updates. There are in
built ways which you can operate to block damaging viruses, stamp out cookies,
and keep unwanted visitors away from your computer system. The method is easy
for example if you are using Internet Explorer just go to Tools-Internet
Options-Privacy tab. Click the edit button to accept or reject a specific
cookie. Go to the advanced settings and check block third party cookies.
•Scan all downloaded files before use. Never launch executable or scriptable
files namely those that have dot.exe; .bat ;.doc; .vbs extensions. Do not access
attachments of any kind before they are certified as safe.
•Remove file sharing and windows printer options these increase vulnerability of
the PC.
•Encrypt your e-mail and embed an identifying key.
Better be sure than sorry. Preventing snoops is easier than trying to recover
after an attack. Take informed steps to protect yourself and your PC.
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for
http://www.1888Discuss.com/software-download/, the premier REVENUE SHARING
discussion forum for Software Download Forum including topics on all about
software, download, spyware, freeware, shareware and more. He also freelances
for the premier Software Download Site
http://www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_W_Wilson
By Grace Judson
Each of the stories that follow is absolutely factual.
- When their clothes dryer blew up, the young couple escaped with her cell
phone, their toddler son, and one shoe. The house was incinerated in fifteen
minutes. She was supporting the family with her home-based business while
her husband looked for work. Her business computer was now part of the ashes
and rubble that had been their home.
- A talented and creative freelance writer and curriculum developer had no
time to grab her computer when she and her husband had to evacuate their
house during Southern California’s wildfire season. All her current and past
projects were lost.
- Leaving her laboratory office after a long day working on a grant
proposal, the neurobiologist had no idea that when she returned the next
morning to review and submit the proposal – due that day – her computer
would refuse to boot up. Fortunately, the problem was not the hard drive;
even more fortunately, the proposal had been sent to the university’s
finance department for review, and was submitted on time.
 I
have heard so many heart wrenching stories about people losing family memories,
captured in photo albums and personal correspondence, in fires, floods, and
other disasters. In this digital age, many of these treasures are stored on our
computers: digital photography starts as a computer image before being printed
and framed, and nowadays most correspondence is handled through email.
People admit, albeit reluctantly, that yes, they should back up their computers
more often – or even at all! Despite my dislike of the word “should,” I
completely agree. We really, really should back up our computers, on a planned
and regular basis!
So, what keeps us from doing so? There are three primary reasons.
We may be unaware of how many treasures – financial and medical records, digital
images of family and friends, emails from college-student sons and daughters
and, yes, those all-important business records! – are stored on the hard drive
whose reliability we take for granted.
We don’t like to think about unpleasant possibilities, especially when
there’s no way to prevent such surprises. The young couple whose clothes dryer
blew up certainly never dreamed that their house would – or even could! – burn
to the ground that quickly.
Many people are confused and baffled by what to do and how to do it. Even for
those who are technically proficient, creating a personal backup and disaster
recovery plan ranks only slighly higher than cleaning the bathroom; for the many
who find technology confusing and scary, cleaning the bathroom starts looking
downright fun compared to figuring out a backup plan!
The good news is that help is available for both planning and for the
technology. The biggest job facing you is deciding how detailed you want your
plan to be – which depends on how valuable your data is to you. There are three
primary questions.
- If you were to lose everything on your computer tomorrow, what would it
mean to you?
- Is there crucial business, medical, and/or financial information on your
computer?
- Do you know where your software CDs and license keys are?
Once you have answered those questions, you can use my Backup and Disaster
Recovery worksheet to create (and then implement!) your own plan. (Find the
worksheet on my website at
http://www.svahaconcepts.com/backups) If the technology feels too
overwhelming and unfamiliar, my fellow coach Beth Lyons (at
http://www.techiecoach.com) is a
technical guru who loves helping people solve technical challenges.
Whatever you do – please take the time to do something. For your own sake and
for the sake of your family, who need the history and the memories that are
stored so tenuously on your computer, take the time to define and implement a
backup and disaster recovery plan. You’ll be glad you did!
(c) Grace L. Judson
About the Author:
Grace Judson is the founder and driving force behind Svaha Concepts, and
specializes in helping smart people find easy ways to do hard things.
For more articles like this, sign up for the free Svaha Concepts
newsletter.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Grace_Judson
Aaron Davis
 I
can’t begin to count the number of times that I have gone to my mother-in-law’s
house only to find myself cleaning up their PC. Every few months it’s the same
old thing. The pc is loaded with spyware and is running unbearably slow. Finally
I decided to take it home and solve the problem for good. Here is what I did:
1. I purchased Registry Mechanic from PC Tools. I was able to download the
application immediately after purchasing. I followed the VERY simple
installation instructions.
2. I downloaded Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition (free) and installed it. Again, a
very simple installation just following the instructions.
3. I purchased and downloaded McAfee’s Internet Security Suite. I installed the
entire suite accepting the defaults for everything. It was also a very simple
installation when following the instructions.
4. I ran Ad Aware and Registry Mechanic making all recommended changes.
5. I ran Windows built-in defrag tool and restarted.
After performing these 5 simple steps it was like a new computer. There is one
additional step that I performed to protect their PC. I created a new account
giving it administrator access and then changed their existing account to have
limited access. This will limit what can be installed on the PC. This might not
be practical for some, that’s up to you.
You can find the software listed above by just doing a Google search. Each site
has very nice installation instructions and makes the online purchase very
simple.
Aaron Davis is a partner with Compucar, LLC (
http://www.compucarllc.com). Compucar,
LLC is the world's only manufacturer of desktop computers that look like cars.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Davis
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