What is it?
I'm talking about unsafe computing - which, just like unsafe-sex, can lead to a whole can of worms, such as If you use Microsoft Office, you may want to check out Office Update as well, since Office includes a feature called "Macros" - basically mini programs that run within a file. There are a lot of viruses that are ran with this feature. Caveat: the free version of Eudora is ad supported; you may be better off either paying for it (especially if you're a heavy email user), or use Mozilla's built-in mail software (which is similar to Outlook Express) Go to Edit->Preferences->Advanced->Scripts & Windows. Under "Enable JavaScript for:", uncheck Mail & Newsgroups. REMEMBER! UPDATE YOUR DEFINITION ONCE A WEEK! That is Internet Explorer's way of telling you: Now, here is my rule of thumb. Why always say no? Take Gator Setup, for example. When used properly, Gator Setup will install "Gator", a program that remembers your passwords & forms, while installing additional advertising software on your computer. (Note: Internet Explorer 5+ and Mozilla both can remember your password & form values). It's a bad thing. But when used improperly, Gator Setup will install ( Just so you know, HeavenGame's email policy is that your emails are NEVER shared with, rented to, or sold to anyone. We know the pain of receiving spam. ) In addition, if AOL asks you to re-verify your password, it's fake. If AOL asks you to re-verify your credit card number, Avoid their chatrooms!!! They have bots that "fish" your screenname out of the room, add @aol.com to the end of that screenname, and send to it a lot of nasty spam. Computer/internet use should always be supervised by you. The internet is a PG-medium - it always require Parental Guidance. If you can't supervise their internet usage, then you probably should install some software that lock them out of the internet, or just plain-old lock them out of your computer. Most kids don't know what safe computing is too, so they can throw all your safe computing efforts out the window. I leave the decision of when the kid is old enough to use the 'net unsupervised up to you Try not to share it if possible... otherwise, teach them safe-computing, but more importantly, if they don't own the computer, make sure they know you're the owner and you frown upon them installing any programs or downloading anything to the hard drive without your approval If you share your computer, make sure other users practice safe computing as well If you have a broadband connection and your computer is on a lot, you may want to install a firewall to protect your computer from hacking attemps that come from other computers on the internet. ZoneAlarm is a popular firewall package that is easy to use and is free. For more information, a great resource to start at is The easier way is to purchase backup software, such as Speaking of uninstalling, always uninstall by going to Start->Settings->Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs. Otherwise you risk breaking other software programs in more ways than one, or leave behind a dirty uninstall. (i.e. files that didn't get deleted, etc.) I think that's all... I'm sure ET and some of yous will have other ideas to tack on to this [This message has been edited by Angel Zen (edited 09-10-2003 @ 02:53 AM).]
How? Here are some of my suggestions:
This may seem to be a bit of a pain, but the fact is, software companies find bugs (or have bugs reported to them) in their software all the time. Some times these bugs are minor bugs that you can safely ignore, but some times these bugs open your computer to possibilites of harm. These bugs are called "vulnerabilities", or "exploits". They can cause your computer to lock up, give other people access to your files, infect your computer, etc.
Just about every computer user out there have used a MS Windows system, and has it running at home. Bad thing is that Microsoft included a Lot Of Extra Stuff on your computer that you may not need, or was "forced onto you" by Microsoft by way of convenience. But the good thing is that updating all these things normally is just a click away. Go to
The next important update check is for the many instant messaging software out there. The popular ones include
If you have followed some of the links in the introductory paragraph of this article, you will notice that some of the viruses are spread through email. Take precautions - install a virus scanner that scans your email (Norton AntiVirus), and disable JavaScript or any scripting for your email program:
Go to Tools->Options->Viewing Mail, and make sure "Use Microsoft's Viewer" is unchecked.
Don't use Outlook Express or Outlook. It's outright dangerous. Plus, many file-system based virus scanners
In case you're wondering, Mozilla is Netscape's next generation browser. You can read more about it at
Having an Anti-Virus scanner installed is only half the fix. You have to constantly update your virus definitions to keep it fresh - so that it can be prepared for new viruses. Also, if you hear news of a "new virus", it's generally a good idea to update your virus definitions for the next day or two (in case your vendor was slow in coming for updating their definitions) Some popular virus scanners include
Yeah, it's tough work, but here are a few websites that you can visit to keep you up-to-date:
Don't install things that you don't need. Ask yourself this question: Is this program worth 2 days of down time? If your answer is no, don't install it. But if you have a pressing need for it, take a few moments of your time to do a search for the program on google.com. What you are looking for is user-feedback, as well as any news items that might be of interest. Check on it, and see if the feedback is good, and read the news item to see what it says. If everything checks out good, then - in most cases - it's good to install.
Occasionally you will see something like this pop up:
"Can I install this program on your computer?"
If the program is distributed by Microsoft (various apps), Apple (Quicktime), Macromedia (Shockwave Director & Flash), Real (Real Audio/Real Video), and Google (Google Toolbar) then you normally would click ok. Otherwise
The less programs you have installed, the better. Less Programs = less memory and system resources used, thus allowing your computer to run faster.
Windows come with a utility called "scandisk" - and it does just that. It scans your drive(s) for errors, and attempts to fix them. It's recommended you do this once every two weeks.
Windows also come with a "disk defrag" program that improves performance of your hard drive. If you have a lot of drives, or have a huge drive (over 8GB), running defrag will take a long while. Do this every two weeks. (Normally right after a scandisk
You do have a virus scanner installed, right? No? Go get one. Then, do virus scans every week, or every two weeks, depending on how much time your computer gets used. I do a scan every Friday night. Don't forget to update your virus definitions!
Make sure all your computer equipment is hooked up to a surge protector. A simple powersurge (commonly caused by lightning) can take out your *entire* computer system - monitor, CPU, printer, and anything else that is not protected. Just two weeks ago over $20K of computer and video editing equipmet was saved by a fried $19.95 surge protector. I don't know about you, but $19.95 is always better than $20K.
I can't stress this enough - Whatever you do, always be conscious of who you are giving your personal details to. This includes your name, address, phone number, email address, credit card numbers, social security number, etc. - unless you absolutely trust the entity asking for it. Especially your CC numbers, SSN, and email addresses. It should be obvious why you shouldn't, but just in case you don't get it:
If you give away your credit card number, you're basically giving people a blank check.
If you give away your social security number (or ID number in some other countries), you're opening yourself to identity thief - something stealing your identity, thus ruining your credit history, your reputation, etc.
Three words:
If you are an AOL user, use a different screenname dedicated for chat rooms. And create yourself a different AIM screenname. Basically, keep secret the screenname you login to AOL with.
Don't forget to "backup" your computer once in a while. Or at least save all your data onto ZIP disks or CD's. Important Data include all your stuff in "My Documents", your email files, your ICQ database (C:\program files\icq\*), and anywhere else you save your stuff in.
Don't forget to clean out old files and uninstall old programs!
Zen