OT: Some tips on using Windows PCs

We've seen a number of posts recently from people having problems with their
PCs.

I'm offering the following as conceptual background because sometimes the
actions that people take can do more harm than good.

Given that you are reading this in a COBOL programming forum, it is fair to
assume that you have some computer literacy and are not a complete novice.
Some of the explanations and actions below are not for the average person;
they are the ones who will take their computer to the shop and be told to
upgrade, or have the HD reformatted, or buy a new machine. I have never
encountered an instance yet where this was actually necessary, as a direct
result of malware. Software doesn't harm hardware. Malware is just another
form of program. Anything a program can do can be corrected or stopped by a
programmer. OK, if you acquire a virus that reformats your HD, you are
pretty much screwed (that's what backups and image copies are for), but such
a virus would be pointless. Idiots write malware because they want to
control your system, not destroy it.

I'm on record as being a fan of Windows XP, but that is a personal thing and
your mileage may vary.

(It is a major part of my development environment and serves me very well.
This biases me towards it.)

Here are some things you should know and keep in mind if you are using
Windows (or, to a lesser degree, LAMP, or Mac, although there is a
disturbing increase in malware targeting these platforms) on a regular
basis.Windows gets targeted because that is what most people are running; it
isn't because it is an inferior product. (I develop for this platform for
the same reason):

1. Don't run more than ONE Anti-virus at the same time. These programs will
conflict with each other and the result is ineffectiveness.

2. Don't use the Windows Firewall if your anti-malware program has its own
firewall. Learn how to configure both your anti-malware and your Firewall.
Invest some time. It can save you much heartache later. A couple of hours
spent browsing Help could save you days or even weeks of being without your
computer.

3. You WILL pick up malware if you browse the web regularly, if you have a
teenager using your computer, or if you use P2P software (Limewire,
Morpheus, etc...). Don't get unwrapped or panic. It is not the end of the
world. Most malware is not fatal. Your odds of collecting things like
Downloaders, Trojans, and spyware are increased thousands of times if you
visit porn sites and/or crack sites and warez on a regular basis. I'm not
saying this to frighten you or support a particular moral position; it is
just a statement of fact. If you insist on visiting such sites you better
know how to remove malware, and not just rely on standard software to do it.

4. Disabling cookies, popups, and activeX in your Browser is not the answer.
This will stop some types of pretty harmless malware, but it will also
decrease your enjoyment of the Web.

(Popups can be tiresome; I have my Browser set to suppress them and tell me
so I can override it if I want to. ActiveX is usually not a problem, I force
it to ask me and I make an assessment based on the site and the degree of
trust I would extend to it. Having written hundreds of these myself, I know
how to deregister and "inactivate" them should the need arise...(it never
has). Cookies are totally harmless; they are simple text files left on your
system, like bookmarks, so that the next time you visit the site that placed
them, it can retrieve the cookie and know what to show you. Having said
that, I always force any cookies my own software places to expire in 24
hours.
There are other types of cookie carried in the header of Web pages which you
cannot suppress, but these only last for the length of the session and are
generally used for personalised site navigation. The point is that you hear
a lot about how 'dangerous' stuff is and it isn't necessarily true. Most of
these devices, and a lot of others which I haven't mentioned, were devised
to improve your web experience. They have a legitimate use. The sad fact is
that some idiots will misuse them to cause you grief. Should we stop using
cars because there is a road toll? No, we opt to drive sensibly and hope for
the best.)

5. The best anti-malware/firewall software in the world is useless if you
don't allow it to update. If you let your subscription lapse, you might as
well uninstall the software (if you can... some of it does not uninstall
easily; Panda is famous for being almost uninstallable... It took me two
days to completely remove it from my system, and it destroyed the TCP/IP
stack as a spiteful act when it left...so my Browser didn't work :-) On the
Other hand, Norton uses a special downloadable uninstaller which leaves no
trace of it on your system, even properly cleaning the Registry and all
install directories and services. )

This is NOT to be confused with Windows Update, which is a separate
activity. Both Windows and your anti-malware software need to be updated
regularly (daily, for anti-malware...). You can usually automate these tasks
or schedule them for off-peak times.

6. Make a set of rescue disks or have a single bootable Windows CD (I use a
special diagnostic one) that can let you examine the NTFS files on your hard
drive. If you are denied the ability to boot from your hard drive, you need
to have some way to get in and effect repairs. If your drivers for keyboard
or screen have been tampered with, and you can't type or see, you MUST have
an alternative boot so you can get in and reload/update drivers.

7.Learn about SAFE mode (using PF8 while booting). This is very useful for
removing malware. I notice that some malware I acquired recently managed to
prevent safe boot, so then the only option is to boot from a self-contained
CD.

8. Get a copy of HijackThis and install it (free download). If your Browser
is misbehaving and taking you to sites you don't want to go to, run this
software and post the log to one of the HijackThis forums for analysis.
Better yet, examine the log yourself and use the explain facility in the
software to learn more about the various elements that appear on the log.
(It is a simple button click...) I have removed dozens of Browser hijacks on
my own and other people's systems just using this tool alone. Browser
Helper Objects that don't actually help, are the most frequent offender.
Some of these are ActiveXs. Deregistering them and telling the Browser to
inactivate them are very good initial attacks, until you can locate and
remove them. In perspective, out of dozens of Hijacks I have fixed, there
were 2 that were caused by a downloaded ActiveX, and neither of them were on
my system.

9. Even if you have a good defensive system, run a regular full scan of your
system, at least once a week. (My main Notebook is getting up towards 2
million files (1.85 million currently). It takes hours to do a full scan
even with two processors sharing the task. Nevertheless it gets a full scan
every week. Usually it detects only harmless adware, which I remove anyway.)
You should also make a point of visiting other sites like Trend House Call,
or Panda, and let them scan the system also. Different software detects
different malware. (I do this about every 4 months). Use an alternative
anti-malware system occasionally to do a full scan. (I use SUPERantispyware
(free download for the non-online version) and it has proven to be
excellent.)

10. Don't be taken in by Web offers to clean your system. Most of these are
simply Registry cleaners and are actually more dangerous than good. If you
frequently uninstall stuff, or you have recently removed malware, it may be
useful to clean and possibly re-organize (defrag) the Registry. It is worth
investing $30 in a decent Registry cleaner and using it occasionally. I use
RegistryBOOST from Uniblue. It serves me well but there are other good
programs available also. Check the Web forums and see what people have
experienced.

FINALLY:

Although GOOGLE is your friend, it is not always an honest friend... :-)
There are many ads out there for what can only be described as "dodgy'
products. How can you tell? Search on the prospective product and look at
FORUMS where people discuss their experiences with it.

As computer professionals, we should be able to deal with problems caused by
software. You probably wouldn't think twice about spending a day to run down
some obscure bug in a COBOL program. Why would you treat a valued resource
like your personal system in a lesser fashion?

Lack of knowledge/expertise is no excuse. It can be acquired. (You don't
have to learn EVERYTHING all at once; each problem you solve increases your
knowledge, and the curve gradually flattens...Not only that, help is
available, just ask for it.). And the time you spend acquiring it will be
repaid many times over in the peace of mind and satisfaction you get from
fixing things which the perceived "wisdom" said was "unfixable", and NOT
being at the mercy of people who are even more uninformed than you are, but
with their own agenda to take your money.

I have never had a formal lesson of any kind on MicroSoft software or PCs in
general. What I know I acquired through experience and because I was sick to
death of being sandbagged and held to ransom by people in computer stores,
who simply spout the party line parrot fashion with no understanding, and
expect you to "take it or leave it". (I would exclude *** Smith stores here
in NZ and Australia; their staff are invariably properly trained,
knowledgeable, and enthusiastic. Fry's in California I also rate highly.
Dixon's in the U.K. are just hopeless, and so are most of the department
stores that have a "Home Electronics" department, anywhere I've been.)

Recently, I mentioned here about poor support for expensive software and the
fact that this drove me to support myself. What we are discussing here is
exactly the same principle.

It is NOT a Cosmic unknowable mystery. It is simple software and hardware.

If you consider yourself a computer professional, you should be able to deal
with it.

Pete.
--
"I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."







--
"I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."


.

Loading