PC Security and Housekeeping

March 2015

Anti-malware programs

Always keep your firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware products up to date!
There are many good commercial products available, such as:
- Norton
- McAfee
- Kaspersky
- Vipre
There are several free options as well, including:
- Avast!
- AVG
- Microsoft Security Essentials (Win 7) and Windows Defender (Win8/8.1)
Make sure to run a full scan of your computer on a regular basis. Automatic scans usually can be set up.
Pick your scheduled scan time when you do not usually perform “computing-intensive’ tasks.
Set your security software to download and install updates automatically. Choose how often update checks should be made.
Firewall software also is a good idea, especially if you use your computer on the road a lot.
- Firewall software prevents unwanted access to/from a network.
Beware of insecurity software – you’re browsing along, and suddenly you see something like this:

(PICTURE)

Clicking on buttons such as OK or Click here to fix the problems may load malware onto your computer; some of this malware may force purchase of the infiltrator’s product before it can be removed. (“Ransomware”)

Set your computer to download and install operating system updates automatically.
This will assure that you have the latest security and performance fixes as soon as Microsoft or Apple releases them.

When your internal disk reaches 70% - 75% full, you may see performance begin to drop.
One answer to this problem: Create more space!
- Install a 2nd (or 3rd?) internal drive, and move your data files from your system drive to the new drive.
An easier solution: clear the clutter!
- Uninstall programs that you no longer use.
  - This is done from the control panel in Windows. (Never just delete the app’s folder.)
  - You can simply delete the app’s folder in OS X.
- Copy data files to an external drive, and then delete them from your internal disk. (See Mayfield’s law #1.)
- If you are using outlook or some other non-Web email client, delete unneeded emails.

Windows and OS Xwill run faster with an uncluttered desktop.
Have you ever spent too much time looking for a particular shortcut or file on a crowded desktop?
Suggestions:
- Move documents to the Documents folder or another logical location.
- Pin frequently used apps to the Start menu, Start page, or put them on the taskbar.
- Use the Windows search box or OS X Spotlight to find apps and other files.

While Internet Explorer is okay, consider test-driving other browsers:
- Mozilla Firefox
- Google Chrome
- Apple Safari
- Opera
You may find that you can navigate better/faster using a different browser than you currently are using.
You can have multiple browsers installed on your computer simultaneously.
Occasionally clearing out certain data from browsers, especially Internet Explorer, may also improve browser. performance.
In IE, select the menu item Tools
- Internet Options.
- Clear out temporary Internet file or cache files.
- Clear out browsing history
- Clear out cookies.
Use a product such as Delicious to manage your bookmarks. This product stores your bookmarks on the Delicious server and permits you to access those bookmarks from any browser on any computer.

Sometimes when you install an app, it puts items into the Startup folder.
The apps that are located in that folder are executed automatically when Windows starts.
Check the folder from time to time to see if there are any items you can safely remove.
When some apps are installed, they install other, “hidden” apps. These don’t appear in the Startup folder, but they also are run when Windows starts.
These apps tend to continue running once started, using up time and other resources on your computer.
Some of these programs are useful, but others are not, and they could even include spyware or other forms of malware.
There is a utility named msconfig that can be run to look at and remove such apps. DO NOT RUN MSCONFIG UNLESS YOU ARE SURE OF ITS USE!

Always use a surge protector with your computer and related equipment.
If you are concerned about power losses, consider purchasing an uninterruptable power supply (UPS).
- Purchase a UPS with enough capacity to power your computer &monitor for a few minutes.
- A UPS is not needed when using a laptop.
Change the power options (from the control panel) to put the monitor, hard disk, and computer into low-power modes during extended periods of inactivity.

Don’t start too many applications at the same time.
Don’t just switch off your computer’s power (unless it’s really frozen). Shut it down instead.
Defragment your hard disk occasionally.
- Be sure to back up your system before defragmenting!
- Defragmenting an external drive takes a lot of time.
- DO NOT defragment a solid-state drive (SSD)!
Occasionally use a registry cleaning app.
- There are both commercial and freeware versions available.
- Here is a list of 38 free registry cleaners: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/tp/free-registrycleaner-programs.htm
- Always back up your system before using a registry cleaner!
Empty the recycle bin.
Switch to Windows 10 when it is released.

If your data is important, keep a current backup.

Corollaries:
- Keep your current backup current.
- If your data is really important, keep two current backups.
- If you keep multiple backups, keep them in different locations.
- Rotate between at least two sets of backup media.
It’s seldom a good idea to purchase leading-edge computer technology. Going back even one generation can save big dollars.
- Besides, in three to six months, the leading-edge technology for which you paid extra no longer will be leading edge.