[macintologist]

My girlfriend has a Sony Vaio and recently has been having trouble with viruses, spyware, adware, and other popup malware.. the works. We installed Spybot, Adaware, and so far the problems seems to have been fixed. I'm a pretty good computer person, I'm great with Macs, and I've been using my intuition and common sense to fix her PC.


Those of you who own a Windows PC, what do you do to keep it from getting all ****ed up?

[meelk]

run firefox. close any popup that might make it through. tell your girlfriend not to install any stupid **** she finds that she thinks is "cute" or "cool". her getting virus'd, spyware, etc are bluntly her own fault.

[greenamp]

Defrag often.

[Rumz]

Originally Posted by meelk

run firefox. close any popup that might make it through. tell your girlfriend not to install any stupid **** she finds that she thinks is "cute" or "cool". her getting virus'd, spyware, etc are bluntly her own fault.

Pretty much what he said. It's a combination of a secure browser and the site's she visits and the things she's downloading.

I rarely have software issues with my WinXP machine- it's the hardware that has been flaky on me lately.

Otherwise a clean reinstall works wonders on an XP machine's performance.

[dlefebvre]

Our XP machines at work are very stable. Mostly because we have a very limited Web acces and the fact that the machine are ghosted on a regular basis.

[mduell]

Don't be stupid.
Use Firefox instead of IE.
Don't be stupid.

[Rumor]

There is a program that blocks spyware instead of detect and remove. I think it's called Spyware Blocker. Works pretty well. Don't forget to use Disk Cleanup.

[meelk]

oh, put it behind a router, set all mail to be read as txt only, and install service pack 2 and keep her updates ...well, up to date

[DCapple]

i uses Spyware Doctor cause i had the same problem before and now its fixed!!! just a suggestion...

[Rumor]

Spyware Blaster. It's free too.

[milhous]

1. backup anything you need.
2. blow away the hard disk.
3. don't use the restore cd and install xp from scratch.
4. get all the vaio drivers.
5. run all the updates including service packs.
6. from microsoft.com, get windows defender (aka windows anti-spyware, free of charge)
7. install an anti-virus
8. ensure that the windows firewall is turned on by default.
8. install firefox.

[CRASH HARDDRIVE]

Ditto all of the above.

Always, always, always re-install the OS on a new Windows laptop right out of the gate.

Can't be emphasized enough: NEVER use IE except for the brief few moments it takes to download Firefox.

Use an anti-virus such as the free version of Avast (my personal fave).

Plus I'd do a 'Slipstreamed' backup of Windows XP SP2 to automate future re-installs.

[Corpse of Chewbacca]

Format. Reinstall (indeally Linux, try Fedora). If you reinstall Windows, do so behind a hardware firewall, run all patches. NEVER use IE- only Firefox. Don't use Symantec. Use AVG or something.

Format and reinstall every 6 months. The end.

[baw]

A:\Format C:

[Tomchu]

Hahahahahaha ... Linux.

Thanks for the laugh.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by macintologist

Those of you who own a Windows PC, what do you do to keep it from getting all ****ed up?

I don't turn it on. Seems to work quite well.

[Super Mario]

Windows is great if you never connect it to the internet

[Drakino]

NEVER connect a Windows box to the internet directly until it can be locked down. This means, do the reload unconnected to any network, then once loaded, connect it only behind a router or work firewall to then download patches and Firefox. Also ensure antivirus and antispyware software is loaded and running at all times. Once adware gets in, it is near impossible to get out, and running spybot here and there will not solve the issue. Run a paid version of those products, or the free beta of Windows Defender for realtime protection.

[Binarymix]

Use common sense. Failing that, stick to Mac OS.

[ghporter]

As has been mentioned, "don't be stupid" is the most important thing. Keep both the XP firewall (or better, a third party software firewall) AND at least a NAT router in place at all times. NEVER click on ANY ad anywhere. Install a reputable antivirus package and configure it to check for updates daily. Configure XP to check for and install XP updates automatically. Occasionally run something like AdAware and (NOT "or") Spybot to find and identify potential spyware - I suggest doing this at least every couple of weeks. And defrag regularly; I suggest actually buying Diskeeper's commercial software because you can set it up to defrag in the background (without a noticable performance hit) and thus can forget about it. Oh, and Windows MUST be rebooted every now and then or it will slow down noticably. I shut my Windows desktop machine off when I go to bed and don't obsess about how long it takes to boot and log into (about 2 minutes) because I can get coffee while it's doing its thing.

My wife has two sisters. The younger one brought her computer to the older one's house and asked the older one's husband if he could fix it, as it was running slowly. He called me to ask for help, so on our next visit I took a look. Fix it? No, not a chance; it took almost 20 minutes to even boot! She had spent lots of time surfing and looking into all sorts of "interesting" sites suggested by popup ads and spam, and of course she never even activated the antivirus package that came with the machine. The cure? Flatten the hard drive, format and rebuild. All because my sister-in-law had not taken the time to even bother with stuff that came with the computer. Sad. A Windows machine is seen as a target of opportunity because there are millions of users just like her; DO NOT LET YOUR GIRLFRIEND BE ONE OF THEM.

By following the suggestions I listed above, I have had absolutely zero problems with viruses and spyware in the last five years. It doesn't take much time to set things up to do this, and it takes almost no time to keep it going.

[ReggieX]

Originally Posted by CRASH HARDDRIVE

NEVER use IE except for the brief few moments it takes to download Firefox.

Yeah, that'll work. I need both to work on websites, as there are CSS rendering differences between the two that need to be kept in check.

My real answer is that I don't own a PC, so I make the Help Desk to everything else at work, that's what they're there for.

[jasonsRX7]

1. Never connect it directly to the net on a public IP. Keep it behind a router.
2. Never use IE. Use Firefox
3. Install some anti virus/spyware software. Symantec home stuff sucks, but enterprise is good.
4. Don't use Kazaa, or whatever the current favorite spyware infested P2P app is.
5. Don't use any type of Windows Cleaner software, like System Works.
6. Stay up to date on updates.

If she refuses to use Firefox, and keeps opening Internet Explorer, do this to stop her:

1. Click Start, go to Run and type gpedit.msc
2. Under User Configuration, expand System, and then on the right, double click "Don't Run Specified Windows Applications"
3. Select the "Enabled" option, then click the "Show" button below it.
4. In the "List of Disallowed Applications" window, click on Add
5. Type iexplore.exe and then click OK to everthing and close the Group Policy editor.

Now try running IE and see what you get

[Dakar]

Kerio Personal Firewall has saved me since my first virus.

[macintologist]

Originally Posted by jasonsRX7

1. Never connect it directly to the net on a public IP. Keep it behind a router.
2. Never use IE. Use Firefox
3. Install some anti virus/spyware software. Symantec home stuff sucks, but enterprise is good.
4. Don't use Kazaa, or whatever the current favorite spyware infested P2P app is.
5. Don't use any type of Windows Cleaner software, like System Works.
6. Stay up to date on updates.

If she refuses to use Firefox, and keeps opening Internet Explorer, do this to stop her:

1. Click Start, go to Run and type gpedit.msc
2. Under User Configuration, expand System, and then on the right, double click "Don't Run Specified Windows Applications"
3. Select the "Enabled" option, then click the "Show" button below it.
4. In the "List of Disallowed Applications" window, click on Add
5. Type iexplore.exe and then click OK to everthing and close the Group Policy editor.

Now try running IE and see what you get

She has XP home and apparently that doesn't work. How do you disable IE through the registry?

[ghporter]

You can't disable IE; it's the part of the OS that renders much of what you see from file explorer windows. You can, however, configure the computer to NOT use IE as the default browser and realize a significant amount of security therefrom. In fact, when you install Firefox (yes, it's that important to get away from IE), you'll have the option to change the default browser to Firefox so no matter what tries to open a browser window it will NOT be IE. XP Home doesn't support the management console, so Group Edit just won't work.

Here's the biggest problem with IE: Active X. There is no real security with Active X, and it will download and run executable code in the background without notice. Firefox, on the other hand, ignores Active X and is thus miles and miles safer just from that.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Here's the biggest problem with IE: Active X. There is no real security with Active X, and it will download and run executable code in the background without notice. Firefox, on the other hand, ignores Active X and is thus miles and miles safer just from that.

Spyware Blaster blocks Active X, even in IE.

[The Godfather]

My secret: never look at porn in the PC.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Rumor

Spyware Blaster blocks Active X, even in IE.

Yes, but... When most sites see IE as the agent, they provide content intended for IE, so frequently blocked Active X components make a number of sites unworkable. On the other hand, Firefox reports itself as a different agent, so you typically get content that doesn't depend on Active X and does something else (typically Java). Instead of getting a broken or non-functional page, you get one that works.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Yes, but... When most sites see IE as the agent, they provide content intended for IE, so frequently blocked Active X components make a number of sites unworkable. On the other hand, Firefox reports itself as a different agent, so you typically get content that doesn't depend on Active X and does something else (typically Java). Instead of getting a broken or non-functional page, you get one that works.

I didn't think of that. Thanks.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by milhous

3. don't use the restore cd and install xp from scratch.

What do you do when all you get is a restore CD? Last I checked, it was illegal to copy a full install CD for anything other than a backup.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by Corpse of Chewbacca

Don't use Symantec.

Haven't had any problems with Symantec on my PC. Now the Mac is a totally different story.

[macforray]

Internet Explorer is just plain evil. Once I switched all five of my pc's to Firefox and started using Computer Associates internet package software, all my problems went away.

Again, if I wasn't already clear enough, STOP USING IE.

[TheoCryst]

Originally Posted by mduell

Don't be stupid.
Use Firefox instead of IE.
Don't be stupid.

Quoted for emphasis.

[Love Calm Quiet]

Okay... I'm a Mac user of 20 years. Only see PC at lib to study web sites I develop.

Now I'm getting pushed toward being a low-grade PC consultant: because when I talk with my customers somethings always wrong (see everything above in this thread).

So: just to serve my customers, I need to know simple things like:
• What in world is "Active X"?
• How is *installing* done on a PC (e.g., after DLing Firefox; anti-virus)?
• How to navigate whatever is the equiv of Finder

I'm not meaning to derail the gist of this thread, but I'm wondering where I should get at least a (weak) grounding in PCs:
• Some Windows 4 Dummies vol?
• A MacNN-like forum that's for 'doze newbies?
• Windows help system (ROFL: Just kidding; I can only imagine)

A related question occurs: Is it possible once I've DLed it to burn the latest Firefox to a CD and intall it from there onto a customers machine instead of having to do the DL each time? (or is that prohib by their copyright?)

[ghporter]

1) Active X is Microsoft's answer to certain Java tools that they weren't using because of their spat with Sun (over MS screwing up Java and "diverging" it from what Sun was doing-basically coopting it for their own nefarious purposes)
2) A Windows XP application has bits and pieces that go in a huge number of folders, plus a bunch of settings that go in the master "where is everything and how does it interface" database called the Registry. This was a good idea when they thought of it a long time ago, but it's out of control-kind of like "The Blob" it just grows and grows and there is NO built in mechanism to manitain it, let alone do so automatically. So Windows apps need an installer to put all the pieces in the right places, and an uninstaller to yank them out; the uninstaller is always ALWAYS the weak link in any Windows app.
3) Windows uses "Explorer," not to be confused with Internet Explorer to navigate to files and folders. Unlike the Unix-like model OS X uses, you can easily navigate to parts of the directory structure you shouldn't mess with-and mess them up badly. There are a number of things MS has done in recent years to make it less likely for a user to do this accidentally, but you can still do so on purpose.

Windows XP for Dummies would be a great start. I don't know of any "new user" Windows forums; the Windows help forums I have visited tend to be much more "I am the guru and you should bow to me" than they should be to be useful. Actually the Windows Help system is very useful, but unlike many features in Windows where the system figures that you want something from context (and usually gets it way wrong), Help offers you EVERYTHING related to your search. It's also kind of literal; if you don't use the Windows-specific term for what you're looking for, you may not see it come up.

As far as I know, Mozilla WANTS you to "spread the word" and install Firefox wherever you can. I'd download the installers for Windows, OS X, and Linux and burn them to a CD for use whenever you feel the need.

Windows is not that different from Mac OS, but neither is Canada that different from the U.S. We do things differently here and think the other folks are "odd" for the way they do things, but most "things" are pretty much identical. Was I helpful at all?

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by meelk

run firefox. close any popup that might make it through. tell your girlfriend not to install any stupid **** she finds that she thinks is "cute" or "cool". her getting virus'd, spyware, etc are bluntly her own fault.

Um spyware etc sometimes installs itself just by going to a web page.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Um spyware etc sometimes installs itself just by going to a web page.

It generally needs some path to do so-often Active X or some Java widget. But malicious web sites are both uncommon and "off the beaten path." It's unlikely a known site will suddenly become malicious, and if you visit an unknown site, you should have your defenses on "high alert." That means doing things like locking down your browser so it doesn't do anything without your permission. Firefox does a great job of this; you can set it to be very vocal when something that's supposed to happen in the background (and away from your notice) starts up.

[Kevin]

If MS would set up Windows correctly out of the box, most of this wouldn't be a problem.

[Dr.Michael]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Keep both the XP firewall (or better, a third party software firewall) AND at least a NAT router in place at all times.

Quoted to stress it! This is the most important tip.

NEVER go online without a firewall. I used ZoneAlarm for years and never had ANY trouble (although it sucks a bit until its configured - but thats the idea). It also comes with a log so you can see what valuable work it does for you nearly every tenth of a second.

ZoneAlarm has a freeware version.

And remember: best security is not being online! Disconnect if you don"t surf.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Kevin

If MS would set up Windows correctly out of the box, most of this wouldn't be a problem.

Users have to demand this, and of course the vast majority of Windows users don't have a clue (with many Mac users being close on their heels; it's not just a Windows thing), so there's no hue and cry for better out-of-the-box configurations.

Originally Posted by Dr.Michael

And remember: best security is not being online! Disconnect if you don"t surf.

I'd cautiously agree to this suggestion only because if you're not at the computer it should not be running, and the easiest way to "disconnect" any computer is to put it to sleep or hibernate it. Windows handles apps with memory leaks rather poorly and should be rebooted quite often compared to a Mac, so turning off a Windows computer should not be a big deal anyway. Other "disconnect" strategies negate the convenience of an "always on" Internet connection.