You are currently browsing the Techno Blog weblog archives for October, 2008.
21. October 2008 by Rob.
I thought I would do a special blog on talking quickly about some ways to secure your personal computer. This Blog is directed at Windows 2000/Windows XP or Windows Vista users. I am going to focus on some free security tools and a low cost option to secure your pcs at home. This will focus on everything with the exception of WI-FI security which I will talk about in my next blog.
I personally do not believe in running any of the build in suites which ISP’s provide. They provide some protection which is fine and dandy but their are better low cost alternatives if not free ones which will give you as much protection that you require. The ISP suites are also pretty locked down which means you can not configure them to meet your needs.
At least every user should run a virus checker to prevent you from the most common viruses which are designed to bring down, steal your data and even use parts of your pc without you knowing it is happening. At work the hospital I work at uses the MCafee Anitivirus system. It runs great but I use a free one at home. On my home computers I am currently running AVG free by Grisoft. I have run this virus checker for over 3 years and never have had an issue. The thing I really like is the resource requirement is low. This means it does not use much system memory and that the package does not require a lot of CPU processing power to run.
Avast also provides a free virus checker which also runs very well and is less resource intensive.
Personally I would stay away from running Norton Antivirus. It is very resource intesnive and even slows a new pc down running 4 GB of Ram. Not good at all.
Spyware is becoming one of the most common reason’s computers slow down and get infected. Most of today’s spyware is either designed to steal information from you or to use part of your system to hack other systems. I use 2 free spyware checkers called Spybot and Adaware.
One thing that should be set on your pc is the Windows Firewall turned ON. This Setting can be done via your system control pane and clicking on Windows Firewall.
Speaking of firewalls, everyone should run a router even if you only have one pc. For a description of what a router is please see below:
The cost of a router is about $30-40 dollars.
The last thing that should be done is have automatic Windows updates turned on. This will automatically install all the latest security patches for Windows. Security patches are generally put out once a month by Microsoft but sometimes more often as the need exists.
That is it for now. I will do two more posts in the next 2 days on Wi-FI security as well Backups. These two topics play into the security mix as well.
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Posted in Spyware, XP, Virus, Firewall, Vista, Windows | No Comments »
14. October 2008 by Rob.
I now have my test virtual machine running on my Vista pc at home. As a result I am now in position to do some more testing of software as well as commenting about them after I complete my testing.
The first piece of software I will be testing this week is the new Open Office version 3.0 . I should have a blog post on this package towards the end of the week.
Posted in Open Office, Testing | No Comments »
13. October 2008 by Rob.
A copy of new Google products have come out in the last while that I have been meaning to comment on. The first is Google’s entry into the browser market with Chrome. I believe Google will be hard pressed this time. Internet Explorer/Safari(if you have a Mac) and Firefox already have most of the market. Why do we need another browser?
I played with Chrome a little bit lately and I am really not that impressed. Chrome seems to have a real issue with Flash web sites and this is a big issue for me since I am browsing the web all the time. One thing chrome is optimized for is other Google services such as Gmail. Chrome seems to run faster with Gmail.
The second Google update I have been playing with is one that I really like - Picasa 3 Beta. Picasa 3 Beta is a slick as version 2 and it runs even faster. The folks at Google have added more editing features and more light adjustment features for version 3. Transfering files to your Picasa Web Album is much faster on the same Internet connection then with version 2. A must download for anyone trying to manage their photo collection.
Chrome download:
Picasa Beta 3 Download:
Posted in PIcasa, Chrome, Google | No Comments »
6. October 2008 by Rob.
I found a great site for transferring large files. It is called You Send It. This site will let you send files of up to 100MB (free version) or 2 GB (paid version) to anyone without the use of an FTP program. It is all done via a web Interface.
This is faster and easier to use then FTP or sending files via email.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
6. October 2008 by Rob.
Well I finally have most of my home network updated. I managed to get my print server up and running as well as my network printer so all is well. I managed to get things reorganized and I am really happy. It has taken me a while with work and life going on.
Posted in home | No Comments »
1. October 2008 by Rob.
Well one of the things technology has done for me is I can now subscribe to one of my favorite daily newspaper’s electronically. I now receive a daily link to the Toronto Sun which I can log into in order to read my paper.
The display looks like a real newspaper and it is easy to use. The pages flip like a real news pages. I point and click and it zooms into the article. I can zoom in and zoom out on sections of the paper.
The best part is it costs me $4.99 a month instead of $4.99 a week
Posted in newspaper | No Comments »