Recommended products for Protecting your computer
(free versions are available):
| Firewall: | Zone Alarm | www.zonelabs.com |
| Anti-Virus: | Norton | www.norton.com |
| AVG | free.grisoft.com | |
| Spyware cleaners: | Spy Sweeper | www.webroot.com |
| Ad-Aware | www.lavasoftusa.com | |
| Spybot Search & Destroy | www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html |
There are a vast number of programs that will keep your computer safe. We at the Internet Cafe recommend that everyone protect their computer using the programs listed above or others that will provide the same level of protection.
If you have to format and restore Windows:
Keep in mind that if you have to wipe your system and re-install Windows, your system may be vulnerable until you have turned on or installed firewalling and installed an anti-virus scanner and all the critical updates from Microsoft. Having your own SP2 disk (see #2, above) can make this process much less painful for Windows XP users.
1. ANTI-VIRUS: Install a good anti-virus scanning program and update it daily if possible. Anti-virus programs protect your computer from viruses that travel through email and file sharing, but will not necessarily catch those that transmit directly through your Internet connection. There are many good anti-virus products on the market. We highly recommend Norton and AVG Anti-Virus.
2. MICROSOFT UPDATES: Install critical updates from Microsoft on a regular basis. You can visit the website windowsupdate.microsoft.com for updates to Microsoft operating systems. Only install ‘critical' updates, as non-critical updates will often cause new problems. Friday is patch day for Microsoft, which means they post new security updates (patches) on their website on Fridays. It's a good idea to check at least once each week for new critical updates or set your computer to do automatic updates. As of October 2004, Microsoft has made Service Pack 2 for Windows XP available. This update contains all the security patches up to that date and also includes enhancements to Internet Explorer's firewall and adds a long-needed pop-up blocker. Service Pack 2 can be installed online through Windows Update, or you may request a free CD from Microsoft to be mailed to you. If you run XP, having this CD is very desirable and will save countless hours of downloading. The web address for ordering the free Service Pack 2 CD for Windows XP is: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/default.mspx
3. FIREWALL Turn on firewalling for your Internet connection if you are running Windows XP. If you run any other operating system such as Win95, Win98, WinME or Win2000, you should consider installing a third-party firewall such as 'Zone Alarm'. Firewalling helps to protect your computer from viruses and criminals that do their dirty work directly through your Internet connection. Please be aware that improper use of the firewall can have undesired effects, such as completely blocking your access to the Internet, or completely opening up your computer to attack. It is a good idea to have a basic understanding of how firewall's work, so that you will be able to use it properly.
4. SPYWARE CLEANER: Download and install a spyware cleaner. Use only recommended spyware cleaners because there are some products that are actually as bad or worse than the spyware they claim to clean up. 'Spy Sweeper' is a more advanced adware cleaner and is highly recommended. 'Ad-Aware’ is the easiest and safest one to use. 'Spybot Search & Destroy' is a more advanced spyware cleaner. Spyware cleaners remove spyware, malware, adware and other parasitic programs that inadvertently get installed on computers. These types of programs often result in the appearance of undesirable or obscene pop-up windows, security and privacy compromises as well as causing severe performance problems with computers. Run a spyware cleaner once every week or two, or immediately if you are experiencing system problems.
5. BEWARE OF SHAMS AND SCAMS: Beware of emails that make get-rich claims, or offers you something for free or claims to come from an official source (such as a bank or from your ISP). Do not try to open encrypted or password protected attachments as they may contain a virus. Many viruses try to entice or trick you into opening an email attachment. Do not presume that an attachment is safe just because it came from somebody that you know.
6. TURN ON FILE EXTENSION VIEWING AND BECOME FAMILIAR WITH COMMON EXTENSIONS: On Windows systems, each file consists of a file name and file extension separated by a dot, such as 'myfile.txt'. In this case the file extension is '.txt' which indicates the file is a plain text type file and usually a safe type of file. By default these extensions are hidden on Windows systems so you should enable viewing of these extensions by un-checking the option "Hide extensions for known file types" in Folder Options. There are many types of extensions, some of which are usually safe to open, and others that are usually unsafe to open. A short list of safe extensions: .eml .jpg .gif .png .txt .avi .mpg .mp3. A short, incomplete list of usually unsafe extensions: .scr .pif .exe .com .bat .vbs .lnk. If a file has more than one extension such as 'myfile.txt.scr', it is the final extension that matters, so in this example the file is an .scr file type. If your computer is not set to view extensions, this file will appear as 'myfile.txt', which may mislead the user to believe it is safe.