5/5 I have only owned Macs until getting a cheap pc recently, so I don't
even know what registry is. What book/ resource do you recommend
that will help me become a competent windoze user, starting with
securing it from virus/attacks? tia
\_ get a router for internet access if you havn't done so already,
PC magazine recently had an article on how to secure your PC. At
the hardware level you need a firewall/router, then at the software
level you need anti-virus software, spyware scanner, and firewall.
and finally you should also keep your windows up to date with
windows update.
\_ Don't run programs you don't trust. Macs are not intrinsicly safer
in this respect but far fewer malwares exist for Macs. Also, learn
to recognize what can include executable code. A non-exhaustive
list includes EXE, BAT, COM, SCR, MSI, PIF...
\_ And beware of e-mail attachments with names like
"foobar.jpg.exe".
\_ Windows' default is 'Hide extensions of known file types',
which is really quite dangerous. You can show all file
extensions at Explorer->Tools->Folder Options->View->Advanced
\_ Ah, I always wonder who would fall for "foobar.jpg.exe",
now I know. I always enable extension display, but just
because I like it, not because of security.
\_ Create a normal user account for yourself that's not in the
Administrators or the Power Users group. Use the
Administrator account only to install new software and to
change settings.
\_ I wonder how often people actually do this... On unix
this is a given, but on windows I don't know anyone that
actually do this.
\_ Everyone who cares about security and who understands
the implications of being logged in as admin. all the time
(you don't have to be an uber-geek to see it)
\_ Are you saying I don't care about security and ...? I
always auto-login as Administrator, but then, none of my
Windows boxes can communicate with the outside world. I
do all my "internet" stuff on FreeBSD boxes and iBook.
\_ I started doing this a couple months ago. But now when I log
in as non-admin, I can't see in the Start menu some of the
programs that I installed as admin. So I still have to log in
as admin to run those programs.
\_ I don't. Never had a problem. If I had something nasty on my
PC it could screw me anyway. Just backup your shit. I guess
it might prevent some worm stuff from installing itself if
you're worried about that. So, I guess if you're new to the OS
it might be a prudent move. Too much hassle for me though.
\_ Use Firefox instead of IE as much as possible. That's the #1 thing
that I did when I was a windoze user (I switched to Mac last year)
\_ this is bullshit. i like firefox but yeah. not like firefox is
without bugs.
\_ Why did you get a Windows PC? |
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