My Protection Methods

Here are a few of the methods that I employ to keep my computer running suitable to my needs. Every user has different needs understandably, which is taken into account here. I do nor endorse any external links on this page, they are here for informational reasons only, I am not part of any affiliation programs offer by these companies.

Anti-Virus It doesn't matter which anti-virus software that you use, as long as it is kept updated. As I am generally the first user of the day, I make it a habit of manually checking for definition updates soon as the computer finishes booting up. My anti-virus is also configured to automatically check for updates if the definition file is more than 3 days old.In between updates from my anti-virus, I make use of Trend Micro's Free Online Scanner, which is alway up to date.

Due to the volume of e-mails that I receive, my choice of clients is Outlook Express. With this I have to ability to view the contents of any email message without opening the message. For the most part the contents displayed are jibberish, however it does display the file name for all attachements, even those which contain a double file extension. Step by Step Instructions how to view contents of an Outlook Express E-Mail Message

Reducing the number of pop-ups. Like everyone else using the internet, I get my fair share of pop-up windows. However these are expected as the result of surfing, and by entering a site, in a way I invite the pop-up windows. These type I tolerate, as they are self inflicted. What annoys me is the pop-ups that occur while you are doing non surfing related task, such as typing out this document and suddenly a window opens in front of you. I used to have that problem, my research into the causes led me to learn that pop-up making programs were usually bundled with freeware and shareware programs. I do use several freeware programs on a regular basis, however I do my research first to see if there are other applications bundled with them before downloading and installing. Download.com provides warnings if known spyware or adware is present(or at least it used to provide this service). I also read the 'user reviews' just to see what people have to say about the programs. If spyware or adware is installed, via the installation of free or shareware, uninstalling the programs most likely will not remove the unwanted components as they are installed separately. I have discovered two utilities that will scan and remove the adware and spyware. They are : Ad-aware from Lavasoft Is fairly easy to use Spybot Search and Destroy This program is not really geared to the absolute novice If anyone is considering using either or both of these utilities, I recommend that time be taken to fully read and understand what the utility does. These are used as opposed to the pop-up stoppers that are readily available as I personally prefer to not have the spy or adware on my system.

Windows Critical Updates My personal preference it to have window automatically check for updates, download then notify me when they are ready to be installed so that I can save any open documents and close all applications prior to installing as a reboot is normally required after installation. My reasoning is that nothing I am doing at that moment is more important than a critical update...common sense is the rule though, I wouldn't stop burning a cd for example. However a co-worker, couldn't be bothered to do the critical updates and kept hitting the 'remind me later' button the end result was that she got hit by the 'blaster worm' that was prevalent a while ago. I have no sympathy for her and never volunteered to make a housecall to clean it from her system. I did tell her to check her anti-virus's homepage for a blaster removal tool and also suggested that she install the critical updates.

Firewall A firewall adds another level of protection to your computer, as it blocks incoming and outgoing signals that are not configured into the permission settings. Firewalls are not infallible as determined hackers can get past a software firewall, however the home personal user is an unlikely target. Using the firewall, gives me personally, a sense of security, knowing that I have control over which programs have access to the internet, and that I am protected from port scans initiated by some virus and trojans. The blaster worm used port scans to search for open ports and propagated that way. I have been using Zone Alarm's free basic firewall for several years. It would be nice to have the professional version but at the moment the basic one serves my needs.

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