Computer Hints & Tips

Internet Security

Avoiding Spam

PC Maintenance

Computer Security on the Internet

Surfing the Web can be exciting and informative, however it can also be a dangerous place to be. Being connected to the internet can be like giving other people an open invitation to your hard drive. I have been using the Internet almost since it's inception, over the years I have evolved a policy which helps to keep my computer safe from hackers, to have little or no spam in my e-mail account, and not to download any file or e-mail containg a virus. So the problem is how to stop these unwanted intrusions. In my opinion there are four major things that you can do to make your computer safer.

1 Firstly buy and install a quality anti-virus programme. I have always used Norton Antivirus. This is the only step here that will cost you money. Symantec free downloads always eventually expire, requiring you to buy a license to keep the programme running. In my opinion a worthwhile investment. Once you have purchased the software you can on a regular basis update the virus definitions file for free. And don't forget to create the Norton Rescue Discs! www.symantec.com 2 Secondly you should visit one of my favourite web sites run by Steve Gibson of Gibson Research Corporation. This guy is a genius, he has devoted his time to making computers safe. Click on the link, read the information on the page, then click on the two buttons, "Test My Shields" & "Probe My Ports" to check out your computers security. If your computer fails his tests the site will tell you how to make it safe. https://grc.com 3 Thirdly install a personal fire wall. Probably the best one available is also free. It is Zone Alarm. Click on the link to go to the download page, then click on the button, remember which directory you downloaded it to then install the programme, or it might be available on one of the many free CDs that come with computer magazines. It has a very good tutorial showing you how to set it up to protect your computer. www.zonelabs.com 4 Last but not least, some programmes that you download, when installed can also install a programme that reports back to "headquarters" every web site that you visit, what you viewed, how long you stayed on the website, and the previous and next web site visited. In my opinion, a vast intrusion on your privacy. If you agree, click on the link and download Ad-Aware 6 Standard Edition, again, a free piece of software. When you run Ad-Aware it searches your hard drive for these spy programmes, then allows you to delete them. http://www.lavasoft.nu/ All these programmes can be updated through their individual web sites, it really does pay to visit them on a regular basis to ensure that you are running the most upto date version.

Avoiding Spam

Below are 7 tips to help you avoid receiving spam in your e-mail account. 1 Do not respond to suspicious spammed e-mails. A response only confirms the accuracy of your e-mail address, and may result in even more messages filling up your In-box. 2 Never send an e-mail or click on the link asking to be removed from the senders e-mail list. You are just confirming to the spammer that your e-mail address is a valid, and therefore sellable in his list. 3 Never submit your credit card details or other personal information to non-secure Web sites (there should be a locked padlock icon that appears in yellow, or in a yellow box, on the bottom bar of the order form Web browser). 4 Use spam filtering or spam blocking software. 5 Do not send your email address through chat rooms, instant message services or Internet bulletin boards and newsgroups. 6 Do not give out your primary email address for online registration or on e-commerce sites. Have another free email address to use more publicly. 7 Do not forward chain email. This special type of email is considered spam. It is unsolicited, intrusive and may clog up email servers and slow down Internet traffic.

PC Mainternance

1

One of the first things you should do is create the Windows Start up disk. When you insert the startup disk in your computer before restarting, the computer starts from that disk, not from your hard drive. This will enable you to perform some diagnostics if you have problems starting the computer normally. To create the start up disk, Click on the Start button, then hover over Settings, move the mouse to Control Panel and click once. In Control Panel double click on Add/Remove Programs, then click on the Startup Disk tab, then click on the Crate Disk button. Now follow the on screen instructions. Keep the disk in a safe place.

2

When you install new software, the software installer will probably create some temporary files that are used to install the software. Well written software will un-install these files, however in my experience this happens very rarely, so it is a good idea to find the "temp" directory on your hard drive and delete these files. If you feel uncomfortable about deleting files you could rename them first (filenameold.xxx - where xxx is the original file extension), just to see if deleting them causes problems. After a few days of trouble free operating it will then be possible to delete them safely.