October 20, 2004

I got an email question this morning and decided to turn my reply (slightly edited) into my page update for October. Ok, so it's a little bit on the lazy side, but that shouldn't be a surprise to those of you who know me...

Question: What can I do to keep my computer safe from all the junk (viruses, spyware, etc.) that are on the Internet today?

Answer: The best things you can do to keep the machine safe and secure are: (1) keep your antivirus software up to date and schedule scans at least 1 time a week, (2) make sure that you update Windows with critical updates (go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and download the CRITICAL and/or SECURITY updates) If you've not ever done this it may take a while to download them all. (3) install at least one (I use two) anti-spyware programs and run them at least 1 time a week. I recommend SpyBot Search and Destroy (www.safer-networking.org) and Adaware (www.lavasoft.usa). Both are free for personal use. They are like an anti-virus program in that you run them, and they check for problems. Also, you need to make sure that you update them on a regular schedule so they will catch all the new spyware. If you are connected to the Internet via DSL then you also definitely want a firewall (I recommend a hardware solution between your PC(s) and the DSL modem) and you should still do the above three things as well.

This is the "tip of the tip of the iceberg" related to securing your PC. Other things you might want to consider are pop-up blockers and programs that monitor your system to let you know when a program is trying to install or modify your computer settings.

If you don't want to shell out $$$ for an antivirus program, there are a couple of free ones. AVG (http://www.grisoft.com) is one that I've used, and also Avast (http://www.avast.com)-- I've not used it tho'. Both of these are free for personal use.

One other thing that I recommend you do even with all the above things in place... go to the Trend Micro website and run their online virus scanner. It does require that you be connected to the Internet when you run it, but it's a good way to let an "outsider" scan your computer. Some viruses are smart enough to fool or disable your local antivirus tool.

Please remember that all the suggestions above come with no warranty, and as always, you should back up your important data before you begin the quest for a cleaner PC. (Actually, even if you aren't going to begin the quest right now back up your data anyway...)

Ken