pccleanup

Back to CompTech8

=Protect your Windows Computers= Materials provided by Obe Hostetter

1. It is said that if you don’t have virus protection, you could get a virus within an hour of being on the Internet. Virus protection is not a choice but a requirement to keeping you and your computer safe. It is said that if you don’t have virus protection, you could get a virus within an hour of being on the Internet. Virus protection is not a choice but a requirement to keeping you and your computer safe. One good stategy is to have 2 internet browsers so I have firefox on my computer too. You can download it from http://www.firefox.com because viruses and spyware target Internet Explorer. That way if Internet Explorer stops working, you can still get on the Internet using Firefox.

Antivirus Options: A. If you have dialup Internet, buy Norton Antivirus ($30) at a local store. However, if you have High Speed Internet (DSL or Cable), buy Norton Internet Security. It costs $60 the first year and about $50/year after that to renew it. Typically, it is allowed to be installed on 3 computers that reside in the same household. The Norton Internet Security also includes a firewall which protects you even more. B. AVG Free Antivirus-is the best free antivirus software for dialup or High Speed. Download from http://www.download.com/3000-2239_4-10746390.html

2. Spyware or Malware has become as bad as viruses. The #1 way to speed up 90% of the computers is to remove the spyware. Most Antivirus software doesn’t protect you (including Norton) from this and the spyware can ruin your computer just like a virus. Spyware downloads without your permission whenever you get on the Internet or download free software. It slows down your computer and sends information about you to companies on the web.

Spyware Paid Options: A. Spyware Doctor-is the best spyware protection. It costs $30/year. It can be bought at Circuit City or from http://www.pctools.com B. Webroot Spy Sweeper-is also the best spyware protection. It costs $30/year. It can be bought at Circuit City or from http://www.webroot.com/

Spyware Free Options: If you choose to use the free Spyware removal options, you need to install all 3 of these programs because they will find different spyware programs. Always update them using the free built-in update in each program. Lastly, scan your computer and fix all problems. I run these free spyware removal programs on my computer about once a month. This speeds up my computer.

C. AVG Free Anti-Spyware is one of the free options and will protect you from getting Spyware. It can be downloaded from http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Spyware/3000-8022_4-10610898.html D. Spybot Search and Destory is another free option. This one has an immunize (protection feature) but you have to click on immunize 3-4 times before you are protected. It can be downloaded from http://www.download.com/3000-8022_4-10743107.html E. Ad-Aware is another great free option. It can be downloaded from http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-2007/3000-8022_4-10747652.html?tag=lst-0-1

3. Protect your kids online. The best option is to put the computer in a public space and then be near the computer when your kids are online. There are some family filter options that will also help protect your kid online. For more info, see this web page at http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/netsafety/netsafety-parents.htm

Paid Filters to protect your kids Online A. The 2 best home filters for Windows computers are CyberSitter (http://www.cybersitter.com/") and CyberPatrol ([|http://www.cyberpatrol.com).] Both of these costs $40/year and are excellent at monitoring chats, websites, emails etc. B. Safe Eyes-costs $50/year works on Macs and can be downloaded from http://www.safeeyes.com

Free Filters to protect your kids Online C. K9 Blue Coat filter software-This is probably the best Free filter but it only works on Windows computers. Very easy to install and setup. This tracks the websites your kid visits and stops them from going to websites with key words that you enter. This can be downloaded from http://www.k9webprotection.com/license.jsp D. Naomi-Free filter with lots of options for Windows only. It can be downloaded at http://www.radiance.m6.net E. ICRA Filter- Internet Content Rating Association Free Filter. This is a good option too but only works on Windows computers. It can be downloaded at http://www.icra.org/icraplus/"

4. Defrag your Computer Lastly, defragging your computer will speed up your computer significantly. This organizes the information on your hard drive so it can be accessed more quickly. This is good to run at least once a year (or monthly if needed). A. Click on the start button B. Click on the All programs C. Click on Accessories D. Click on System Tools E. Click on Disk Defragmenter F. Click on Defragment button. This can take anywhere from 1 hour to a few days depending when this was last done. I usually start this process and leave it run overnight. 5. Free Windows Software A. Picasa (owned by Google) is free Picture software that allows you to create slideshows, edit red-eye as well as finds all the pictures on your hard drive. Download if from http://picasa.google.com/ B. ScreenHunter 5 Free is screen capture software. This means you can take screenshots for creating directions or you can select the area you want to capture from the web or any program and it copies it to Microsoft Word or a jpeg picture file on your desktop. Download it from http://www.download.com/3000-2192-10063246.html C. PhotoStory 3 allows you to create slideshow in 5 minutes using still pictures, music, and your voice. Very easy to use so no directions are needed. The Windows Media Player files are also small enough to email or share with others on the web. Download it from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx It does require Windows Media Player 10 which is a free download from Microsoft.com D. OpenOffice is free Word Processing, Spreadsheet, Drawing, and presentation software. It is excellent software to get if you don’t have Microsoft Office because it will open Word, Excel, or PowerPoint or save to those formats. It is a huge download so is recommended for only High Speed Internet users to download. This can be downloaded from http://www.openoffice.org/ E. Movie Maker allows importing and editing of your home movies. Add transitions and cool effects to your home movies and then create a DVD. Download it from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/moviemaker2.mspx

home