COMPUTING AND SURFING - DISCLAIMER
This page is for general information only. Views and opinions
expressed here are those of the author and not BAFM. No liability or
responsibility is accepted by either the author or BAFM for any views, opinions
or advice given here.
There is a lot of help out there on the internet and lots of sites
dedicated to keeping your computer up and running. The best advice is to
exercise caution and to ensure you understand what the programmes on your
computer are for, what they do, and how to keep them up-to-date and running
smoothly.
If you are in any doubt or unsure about any aspect of your computer
or the software on it you should consult a qualified technician, company or
expert before embarking on any changes to the operating system or
software.
COMPUTING AND SURFING - GENERAL
Surfing the internet can be great fun and quite rewarding; it offers
help and information across a wide range of topics and subjects. However, many
first-timers and computer novices often fall foul of all manner of strange and
sometimes very damaging bits of software and code which they allow onto their
computer either by accident or because they are unaware of how to protect
themselves.
Always ensure that whatever kind of computer you are
using you have up-to-date anti-virus protection and a firewall installed and
running (Windows XP and Vista have their own firewalls - but there is no harm in running
another one, like Norton) - some people simply assume that because the software
is on their computer it runs automatically: please make sure that this is the case -
don't leave it to chance or you may regret it.
This page offers a few
websites you can visit not only for information, but for tools which can help
you keep a check on your computer and help guard you against some of the worst
types of malicious software.
However, a word of
caution, be wary about downloading and running anything you do not understand -
if in doubt ask someone to assist you. And always, always read instructions
carefully and follow them closely.
Always make sure you
download and install updates - especially security updates for Windows, and
updates to your anti-virus and other protection programmes. There is little
point arming yourself with these tools if you do not keep them up-to-date. Internet Explorer 7 from Microsoft is an improvement on the previous
version and has some additional helpful tools - although like any other
software, knowing how and when to use them is the key. You can set your
computer either to notify you of when new updates are available, or to download
and install them for you automatically.
Once you have a problem it
can often be difficult, time consuming and costly to sort it out. When you've
been through it, you become a little paranoid and end up arming yourself to the
teeth with as much protection as you can manage!
It is a good idea to have a personal checklist to run through every day. For example: once the computer is on ensure that your
firewall and anti-virus software are running. Believe it or not, there are
times when a programme can fail to 'initialise' (start) and this can leave you
vulnerable. Then, before starting work on anything at all, or opening any
connections or files, e-mail etc., why not check for updates to your
security and virus software, including Windows updates. Most times there are no
updates, but at least you will know you are up-to-date before beginning
work.
If you are on broadband you may want to set your temporary internet
cache/memory to clear itself as soon as you close your browser. This helps get most
things out of memory which might prove harmful later. And how about running a quick spyware
scan?
At least once a day you should run a quick system anti-virus scan. At night,
before closing down, back up all of that day's work to a second drive and then
run full scans for spyware and viruses. This may sound paranoid - but when you
have lost data or had a virus, no matter how easy it is to remove, you really
do want to stay on top of things!
WEBSITES AND TOOLS
Windows Live OneCare
This is by far one of the best free tools Microsoft have made
available to Windows users. The scanner allows you to scan your computer for
viruses and for spyware, as well as checking and sorting out any registry
problems it finds, and then creating a restore point in case of any problems.
Opt for the Full Scan, although if you have a large hard drive full of stuff it
may take a while and as it scans over the internet connection you can't surf at
the same time, so set aside some free time to allow it to do its work. It
guides you through the scans and gives a detailed report on what it finds. At
the end it will ask if you want to install the scanner or just run it the one
time - opt for the one time, and then go back once a month to
re-scan again. A really useful free tool well worth using.
Lavasoft Ad-aware
There are many websites and tools for dealing with Spyware (bits of
software that get put onto your computer, often without your knowledge to
gather information about you, sometimes benign, sometimes more serious).
Lavasoft's product is called Ad-Aware and they have a FREE version of it for
download from their website.
Thinkbroadband
This is a great independent site for UK users new to the internet and
broadband who want to know some of the basics. It has a good news section
and explanatory guides, as well as a number of forums and ISP (internet service
provider) comparisons. It also has a great FREE tool to check the actual
speed of your internet connection (click on the Speed Test link and follow the
instructions). Always handy to use if you feel your connection is not behaving
as it should and you want to check its download and upload speeds. It also
gives you the option to rate your ISP, so you can say whether they, and the
service they provide you, are good or bad.
Broadband Choices
Ever wanted to know just how much material you are downloading from
the web? Worried about overstepping the limits imposed by your Internet Service
provider? Well this site has a FREE tool which monitors how much you use so you
can keep track of your usage and avoid having your connection restricted or
worse yet, having to pay for any usage over and above your ISP's limits. The
monitor is easy to use and just sits in the icon tray (next to your clock) and
simply adds up all the usage - nothing else, so there is no need to worry about
it tracking your movements or reporting information on you. The programme is
very small and takes next to no memory to run, it just sits in the background
doing its adding up. And you can even set it for a weekly, monthly or yearly
amount of usage with warning bubbles and sounds - so you need never worry again
about going over your download limit. |