Helpful Tips

Windows Updates

Use the Windows Automatic Update feature. In Windows XP right click on My Computer and select Properties. On the Automatic Updates Tab check the option to "Keep my computer up to date...." Under Settings click "Automatically download the updates" if you keep your computer on over night. If you keep your computer off then select "Download the updates... and notify me..."

Anti virus

Only use leading anti virus software such as Norton AntiVirus, or McAfee Virus Scan. There are other products out there, but none do the job as well as these industry leaders. Both include subscriptions to manage automatic updates.

Spyware

Spyware is software that gets into your computer and reports your Web surfing habits, or opens pop-up ads, and some even install other software spyware products. Many of these programs are installed with other programs the user downloads for free. You should be suspicious of anyone providing a free program for you to use. The majority of spyware is installed by Web sites. Beware of any window that asks you to install something on your computer. Although some of these pests can be installed automatically because of security holes in Internet Explorer. Keep Windows Up to date by following the Windows Update Tip above. More information can be read at arstechnica.

Spyware Removal

I have high hopes for Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware tool for removing spyware and protecting against threats. It automatically updates and scans the computer daily. The product status is still Beta, but the software seems production ready. If your system is infected than I would stay with tried and tested methods for removal. You would be well advised to use Spybot Search and Destroy, and Ad-Aware by Lavasoft. These programs are free. You can download them by visiting www.download.com and searching for "Spybot" and "Ad-Aware" respectively. I routinely install both of these products as they each find items that the other leaves behind. Be sure to do the updates before performing a scan so your efforts are not in vain. Tips for removing certain pesky items can be found at PC HELL . An index of such sites at HowToWeb.

Spam

Oh, how something so wonderful has become so obtrusive. Unless your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or Web hosting company has tools to fight spam the only thing you can do to stop receiving it is to change your email address. I do not recommend tools that allow email only from people in your address book. These are often called "Challenge Response" tools. As a provider of email services I can tell you that these type systems increase mail traffic significantly and can cause complication for people sending you email. I routinely make these recommendations to email users:

1. Do not forward junk messages TO all of your friends and associates. If you feel you must, use the Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) feature of your email program. There are people on the Internet who are finding or creating email messages that they think people will forward to everyone in their address book. If you do and then a handful of those people do and so on, the original sender is likely to get back the same email 10, 100, perhaps 1000 times. They then harvest out the email addresses and sell them to spammers. JUST SAY NO TO FORWARDED EMAIL!
2. I always ask anyone who forwards me email with my address in the TO field with many others (unless it is business related and we are collaborating on something) to please not do it again. I am polite, but I ask that if they can not honor that request that they remove my email from their address book altogether.
3. Do not use your real email address to fill out forms on the Web unless you trust that the site will not spam you, or sell your information. Create an alternate email address, perhaps a free address from Yahoo, or Hotmail, or use one of the extra addresses your ISP provides. Consider this address disposable and use it until it gets to much spam and delete it. You can create another address, and begin again.
4. Do not put your business card in the punch bowls at the sandwich shop and elsewhere. Create an alternate business card to give to people at trade shows and the like. People can easily harvest your email address and create lists for spam.

© Copyright 2006 Brian Haines, Inc.