Windows XP Users

INSTALL A GOOD ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAM

Because XP will no longer get security updates, a good anti-virus program will be your computer and network's first line of defense against online evil-doers. To make matters worse, Microsoft stopped updating the Security Essentials software for XP, so their free anti-virus program will do you no good. Although there are some good, free anti-virus programs available, remember that your ISP (Xfinity or Uverse) provides a full-fledged security solution that is available for download from their website. Xfinity offers Norton and Uverse offers McAfee. If you would rather pay?! Then I recommend XP users invest in one of the top-of-the-line programs like Kaspersky, Trend Micro, or Webroot. These programs are updated regularly and will help you maintain the dependability of your network.

UPDATE YOUR SOFTWARE PACKAGES AND KEEP THEM UPDATED

You can prevent some invasions of your computer by making sure your keep the programs and other software you use up-to-date. This is particularly true of widely-used, web-based software like Adobe Acrobat, Flash, and Java. Since you will be using an unsecured operating system, vulnerabilities in these programs will be available for outside parties to exploit. If you continue to use XP, it will be essential that you keep all your software updated.

CHANGE YOUR WEB BROWSER

Internet Explorer 8, the most recent version of the browser available for XP machines, is fairly old and will no longer be updated with security patches. You need to change to another browser. Google says it will continue to support their Chrome browser (my browser of choice) on XP until April of 2015. Mozilla has no announced plans to stop supporting its Firefox browser on XP, so both Chrome and Firefox would be good choices for XP users.

UPDATE YOUR COPY OF MICROSOFT OFFICE XP OR 2003

Along with ending support for Windows XP, Microsoft is also going to stop supporting its Office 2003 software suite on April 8, 2014. So if you are running Office 2003 or it's older cousin Office XP, now would be the time to upgrade. Using these unsupported versions of Office without an updated operating system leaves you vulnerable to an attack. Be aware that the latest versions of Office will not work on an XP machine. The last version of Office that was compatible with an XP machine was Office 2010.

STOP USING OUTLOOK EXPRESS

If you are using Outlook Express to access your email you have to stop. Express has traditionally been a route many cybercriminals have used to spread malware. Using it without a secure, updated operating system only makes the program more insecure. We strongly suggest you upgrade your email account to a full version of Outlook available as part of the Office software suite.

UPDATE YOUR DEVICE DRIVERS AND KEEP THEM UPDATED

Some device drivers can contain security flaws. There are a number of tools that claim to be able to check your drivers and identify those that need to be updated, but most are weighed down with adware and toolbars, so we recommend that clients just go to their device manager and check the drivers there. You should be able to check the dates in device manager against the dates on the drivers on the manufacturers' website. Be aware that manufacturers will likely start stepping away from updating drivers made for the XP version of Windows now that Microsoft is no longer supporting it.

DISABLE JAVA FOR WEB BROWSING

Java software has earned a reputation for exposing users to some serious security issues. Some software requires Java to work so some of us need it on our machines. But few, if any, of that functionality is web-based and works through your browser. The best way to prevent Java vulnerabilities from putting your computer at risk is to turn it off in your browser. To do this:

1. Go to the Control Panel and select "Java."
2. In the "Java Control Panel," select the "Security" tab.
3. Uncheck the "Enable Java content in browser" box and select "OK."

Again, if you are going to keep using XP after Microsoft stops supporting it, you should do each of the things we call out above. The unsupported XP will quickly spring security leaks and beefing up security measures around it is the only way to continue using it without putting your data at risk.

How can you tell if your computer is infected?

I will describe some symptoms and indications of Virus infection:

• Your computer has unwanted pop-ups informing you about computer infection. You aren't offered a safe way to remove the malicious files without paying;
• You are redirected to certain websites to purchase fake security software;
• You aren't able to access web site which offer antivirus software or any other security software;
• You aren't able to use windows update to patch your system;
• You can't access any Microsoft web sites;
• Your search engine redirects you to web sites that have no connection with the thing you were searching for;
• Running programs are closing by themselves;
• Your browsing is slower then before, your internet connection is slower due to traffic that's  made by your computer but not by your genuine programs.
• Limited or no access to Registry Editor(regedit), Task Manager (taskmgr.exe), Command Prompt (cmd.exe),
• System configuration utility (msconfig), Group Policy Editor(gpedit.msc), Folder options, Internet Options and other features is denied;
• In some cases you are denied to boot in Safe Mode or Safe mode with Networking;
• You will notice decreased system performance because system's resources are used by hidden malicious software;
• You can hear sounds in your speakers even if you aren't playing any music or movie files;  You system may restart without any warning;
• Your installed programs stop responding frequently.

Note: These are common signs of infection, but these signs may be caused also by hardware or software issues, that have nothing to do with a computer virus.
In most cases once the computer is infected the user is denied access to various tools which can help him to disinfect the computer. If you find yourself in this kind of situation you will need to retake partial control of computer functionality to install a security software and run a full scan.

Recommended PC Maintenance Schedule

To keep your PC and network up and running all the time, just follow this recommended maintenance schedule.  Let Your Neighborhood PC Guy perform any of the following services for you.

Data Backup — Every Month

• Data protection helps keep all your files safe.  Whether its pictures from a past vacation, important records or your MP3 collection, it’s imperative that you back up your files every month.  Let me help you transfer your files to a safe device or online service.

System Security Check — Every Three Months

• My System Security Check keeps you protected from outside threats.  To ensure your machine is properly protected, get a System Security Check every three months through a complete System Analysis.  Your Neighborhood PC Guy will find out if your security protection software is doing its job.

PC Tune-Up — Every six months

• Let your PC perform at its best.  Get a PC tune-up every six months and keep your system safe and clean from uninvited visitors like viruses & spyware.

Wireless Network Security Check — Every six months

• Protect your network.  Just because your network is working doesn’t always mean it’s secure.  Your Neighborhood PC Guy will run a diagnostic on your network to check your settings, configurations and security features.

Prepping Your Computer for Disposal

Ready to give your old computer the heave-ho? Before you do, remember that computers often hold all kinds of personal and financial information that thieves could find valuable—passwords, account numbers, license keys or registration numbers for software programs, addresses and phone numbers, medical and prescription information, tax returns and other personal documents.
To ensure your hard drive doesn’t become a gold mine for thieves, there are things you must do before you shut down for the last time.

Save important files. Back up your files to an external hard drive or online backup service, or transfer them to a new computer. Drives as large as 1TB cost a little over $125 and there are good free and low-cost online backup options, such as Dropbox (2GB free), Carbonite (unlimited backup for $54.95 per year) or SugarSync (30GB for $49.99 per year).

“Wipe” your hard drive clean. When you delete a file, the file name is removed from the list of available files and the computer knows it can use that space to save new data. The old file data is still there, though, until it is overwritten. And the data can be retrieved with a data recovery program. To remove data from your hard drive permanently, it needs to be wiped clean—preferably overwritten multiple times with a dedicated hard-drive wiping program. For Windows PCs try Eraser (free) and for Macs try ShredIt X (free).
Ideally, you'll want to completely reformat your hard drive, as well. But if that sounds a little daunting to you, at least try to follow the additional steps we recommend below.

Uninstall your programs. Some programs, such as Microsoft Office, may contain personal information such as your name and address or other details. While others, such as iTunes, only allow you to install on a limited number of computers. So be sure to deactivate iTunes and uninstall any programs before disposing of your PC.

Delete your browsing history. Most browsers save information about your browsing history and, if you set them to, even your user names and passwords for sites you visit. So it is critical that you delete this information from your browser before disposing of your computer. For Internet Explorer, you click on the Safety tab and then Delete Browsing History. Make sure all of the check boxes are selected so everything gets removed. Repeat this for any other browsers on you computer—Firefox, Safari, Chrome.

Consult your employer about data disposal policies. If you use your computer for business purposes, check with your employer about how to manage business-related information on your computer. The law requires businesses to follow data security and disposal requirements for certain information that’s related to customers.

Once you have a “clean” computer, consider recycling, donating or trading it in – and keep the environment in mind when disposing of your computer.

Safe Computing

Like the rules of road safety we teach our kids, the rules for safe computing are simple and well known:

1. Be very careful where you surf. To help you stay away from bad sites install a website rating browser plug-in like WOT and make sure you only visit websites rated "Green" by the plug-in.
2. Never click on email attachments from unknown sources however tempting and attractive such attachments may seem.
3. Only download files from trusted sources. These include:

• Files hosted on reputable download sites such as download.com, snapfilescom, softpedia.com, majorgeeks.com and other similar sites.
• Files mentioned in the editorial sections of major computer websites and publications such as PC World, CNet, Lifehacker and Gizmo's Freeware.
• Open source software hosted on sourceforge.net, Mozilla.org and similar large open source sites.
• Files available for download from Microsoft, Google, HP, Dell and other reputable vendors.

4. Never install programs obtained from P2P networks including BitTorrent, eMule, LimeWire and others as many of these files are infected with malicious programs. Some of these malicious programs are so powerful they are capable of overwhelming all your security defenses.
5. Never install programs that friends give you on removable media unless you have verified that they are clean by submitting them to free web based file scanning services such as Jotti or Virus Total.
6. Never accept free toolbars, media players or other unsolicited software offered to you by a website.
7.  If you are not using Internet Explorer 8 then I recommend you upgrade to this version or better still, switch to an  alternate browser such as Mozilla Firefox, Opera or Google Chrome.  All these have a track record for better security than Internet Explorer and are arguably superior browsers as well.
8. Seriously consider using a Windows limited user account (LUA) rather than a normal account with full administrator privileges. LUA will block the majority of malware including, among others, all kernel mode rootkits. More details here.
9. You should seriously consider creating a fresh installation of Windows and then back up your PC using a drive imaging program. Then if in the future your PC ever becomes infected you can use the drive image to restore it to a pristine, infection free condition. If you are using the Business or Ultimate versions of Vista/Windows 7 you already have drive imaging capabilities built into Windows. See here for details. If you're using other versions of Vista/Windows 7 you can find a number of free drive imaging programs here.

By following these simple rules the chances of your PC becoming infected will be dramatically reduced. Combine these practices with the security software suggested above and you are well on the way to safe, secure, infection-free computing.

The Most Important Security Advice of all

The task of protecting your PC from infection is similar to crossing a busy road unharmed.
There are two, very different ways of crossing that road:

The first way is to be very careful about where you cross and to be watchful and aware of the dangers. In other words, make sure you don't get hit. The other approach is to protect yourself with something like an army tank and cross anywhere, anytime. If you get hit, you rely on the tank to protect you.

Now no sensible person would adopt the latter approach to crossing a road, yet when it comes to computer security that's exactly what many folks do.

If you want real computer security, you need to adopt safe computing practices rather than rely totally on security products to protect you. No security product or combination of products can or ever will, provide perfect PC security just like no car can provide you with perfect road safety.  With both cars and PCs you need to be careful  in your own behavior.

Data Backup List

1. Backup Plan Don't know where to start with backup? I do! With this option, Your Neighborhood PC Guy will meet with you, evaluate your individual backup needs and provide you with the best backup plan for your situation. You will have the information you need to execute the plan yourself, or you can pick from the services below and have Your Guy do the installation and setup for you.
2. Set Up Automated Recurring Backup (Online) Protect your valuable data off-site. This service helps you choose the best online backup solution for your situation, then provides installation and setup of your choice and teaches you how to use it.
3. One Time Data Backup A single backup is better than no backup at all! This value-priced service will provide a 1-time backup of your precious photos, music, financial files, etc to a DVD. If you're not sure, Your Guy will help you to identify the data that should be backed up. This is available up to 9.4G of data. If you have more data than 9.4G to back up, choose the External Hard drive Backup Solution above.