LKN PC Tune-Ups
Computer Troubleshooting in the south Lake Norman area since 1998 Over 1000 PCs serviced in Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson

According to our resources with Infragard, the FBI, and experts in the industry, 40% of computers in the US have been compromised by malware. Over one million are infected with a “bot”, which allows organized crime to control and use the computer! The Russian Business Network is active in the use of such computers.

 A. GOOD SAFETY PRACTICES 

1. Install an anti-virus/anti-Spyware program and keep it up to date. Recommendations: AVG (free), Avast (free), Vipre, Kaspersky. You may still need to run one or two other programs occasionally to catch any these miss. And – you may be infected anyway if you go to risky sites.

2. Do not use peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing such as Limewire. If you have it – uninstall it!

3. Unless you are expecting a file from someone you know, don't open attachments from emails. Even then, you may want to wait a day and see if your friend sends another note saying the attachment caused him problems. Don't open links or accept files from an instant messaging program.

4. If you use social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, etc.), be extremely careful about clicking on any links or ads. There is no free lunch when it comes to viewing risky (e.g. – sex) sites. Don't download “free” viewers or codecs.

5. If you use Wild Tangent, Napster, Kazaa, iTunes etc. to play games or download music, recognize that free is relative – you get the Spyware free too.

6. If you have children who access such sites, or if you feel it is necessary, there are options to protect your important files: a) use a computer designated only for Internet applications; b) use a virtual machine within your system (not simple), or use software that can isolate you Internet applications from the rest of your computer (e. g. – Sandboxie).

7. Keep your operating system and programs patched. If you use the computer every day and are comfortable acting quickly on updates, set the Security (in Control Panel/Security Center) to download automatically but let me decide what to install. If not, just set the system to download and install automatically. The quicker you install patches, the safer your system will be.

8. Keep all your applications up to date. Note – If you allow all you applications to update automatically, your performance is likely to suffer. The better alternative is to run a scan of your system on Secunia.com to determine if any of your applications are obsolete or insecure. Go to secunia.com; click Software Inspectors; then click Scan Online; then click Start Scanner; then unclick always trust and allow action; then click Start and follow instructions.

9. Malware writers continue to grow even more inventive and the malware itself continues to become even more difficult to remove. Back up your data regularly so if you do get infected, a wipe followed by a clean-install will not be so devastating.

10. There is an increased risk today of Local Shared Objects (LSO’s) being used to infect your computer. You can reduce this risk by going to: www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html

and under Settings Manager click on Global Privacy Settings Panel. Decide on your choice and then click on the next tab on top of the panel.

11. Be careful when using “Registry Cleaners”. Only use reputable registry cleaners.

12. Downloading files from AOL tends to clutter up the system. Using AOL for web mail via Internet Explorer is fine.

13. Do not use Norton or McAfee for Spyware protection – while they work well, they clutter up the PC so much it runs slower than if the Spyware were allowed.

14. Do not trust web sites to protect your computer when you download programs. Check each step to see if you need to uncheck a box to prevent unwanted files and advertising.

15. When you download a program, allow the computer to file the application in the proper place – Program Files. If you save the downloaded application, save it to Downloads (in the C drive). Put it in a folder with a name you will recognize. Do not store applications in your documents folders. This will also make it easier to back up your data.

16. Note that icons on the right taskbar are likely using resources, slowing startup and operation. The quick launch taskbar on left limits resource use. When you add a program, try to eliminate any automatic startup components.

17. Your personal files should be under your account (the limited account if possible) in Documents and Settings / My documents in folders either describing the contents, e. g. – documents, spreadsheets, music, pictures, etc. or by any organization structure you choose. Each of those folders can then have folders for specific files, e. g. – Beach trip 2007.

 B. MAINTENANCE – Every two weeks (depending on your use): 

1. Ensure automatic updates are running – Windows, Anti-virus, etc. and that definitions are up to date.

2. Run Disk Cleanup (Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools). You can safely check all but “Compress old files” and “Catalog files”.

3. Review the history of your anti-malware program. For example, AVG only removes “threats”. To remove warnings, the path is: right click on icon, click on history, click scan results, highlight last scan (top), and click view details. If there are any warnings, click the warnings tab, highlight all the warnings, and click remove selected infections.

4. Update and run any non-resident anti-virus/Spyware (Spybot, Malwarebytes, Ad-Aware) programs manually. These will serve to catch some malware that might be missed by your primary protection program.

5. Delete Temporary Internet Files and Cookies (IE/Tools/Internet Options/Browsing History/Delete/Delete Cookies) in order to keep from filing your computer with old files.

6. Restart the computer or turn it off. This will allow the operating system to clean up many temporary files.

C. TIPS

1. If your Anti-virus/Spyware starts scanning when you power up you PC, you can pause or stop the scan to eliminate the slow response (restart later).

2. Your primary protection includes a hardware firewall such as a router, a software firewall such as Windows Firewall, and a combined anti-virus/Spyware such as AVG 8. We recommend running both Spybot and Ad-Aware as non-resident programs. Install Spybot without Tea Timer as it tends to be annoying. Just install the basic program and when updating, do not update Tea Timer. Install Ad-Aware in just the basic version also.

3. Run normally (particularly using the Internet) in you “limited account”. Use the “admin” account only for installing programs, changing setting, etc.

4. If your computer begins to run slower, check the fragmentation of the hard drive. You can check this by clicking all programs, accessories, system tools, disk defragmenter, and then analyze. If the program suggests defragmenting, do so.

5. If you install a printer, it is a good idea to see if XP (or Vista) can install the necessary drivers without using the printer CD (which will install all sorts of junk you do not need).