Home > Technobuddy > Archives > 2008 > January > 11 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USCleaning house
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s no hope of getting my house in order. Squirrels have invaded the attic, Lucy the beagle has a love affair with my socks and has them scattered about, and - as I write this - the Christmas tree is still up.
But the New Year is a new beginning. So today we will talk about how you can get your computer system in order. You’ll note I said “system” because that’s what it is - computer, monitor, network and various gadgets connected to it.
Since there’s so much to cover, I’ll give the short version here but rely on Web links to fill in details.
Computer: I hope it’s silly for me to remind you that you need to use an anti-virus program and a firewall. But I’ll do it anyway.
Also let me remind you to occasionally defragment your hard disk and eliminate files and programs that you no longer use.
While you’ll need an add-on program for anti-virus protection - there are many fine choices - Windows XP and Vista have built-in firewalls.
I’m fine with the firewall that comes with Windows Vista. If you have an earlier version of Windows you might consider firewalls from Norton or Zone Alarm.
Network: Keep in mind that your router also serves as a firewall of sorts. So that’s a good first step.
If you use a wireless router, it’s a giant doorway into your computer for anyone within radio range. There are ways to make it comparatively safe. You should find complete instructions in the manual that came with it, or on the manufacturer’s Web site.
Just to be sure that we cover all the bases, here’s a Web site that discusses wireless security in detail:
To be doubly safe, I usually turn off a wireless router when I’m not using the computer. If you follow all the security tips that’s probably not necessary, but - if you’re in doubt - there’s no harm in following my example.
Passwords: If any of your passwords are words that can be found in the dictionary, or names, you need new ones. A good password should contain both letters and numbers.
Monitor: If you have an LCD monitor, heat build-up is no problem. But if you still use a tube type monitor you need to make sure that it doesn’t become an extra storage shelf. I’ve literally seen these monitors catch on fire because of newspapers placed on top.
Printer: Do yourself a favor if you have an ink jet printer. Turn off your printer when you aren’t using it. That parks the printhead in a way that prevents ink from clogging. My wife has ignored this advice for years; we buy a lot of printers.
If you print a lot of documents, strongly consider a laser printer. You can buy a black and white laser printer and hang on to the ink jet for times you need color. The cost of printing a black and white page is much lower using a laser printer.
UPS: You need an uninterruptable power supply. It provides the power needed to shut down your computer when the power goes out. It also makes sure that the current that your computer used is is relatively clean and free of spikes.
I favor the APC brand of UPS. Regular readers know that I avoid specific brand recommendations when I can. But the quality in this case makes it worth consideration.
No matter what brand you buy make sure it offers protection for your telephone line and - if you use a cable modem - the cable line. Lightning strikes are more likely to come through the cable or phone line than they are through the electrical line.
Finally, take a moment to straighten up any wiring - especially ethernet cable - around your computer. Kinks in ethernet can slow the data speed. And kinks can lead to breaks in the tiny wires inside the cable.
Enough housecleaning for today. Take a well-deserved break.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Columns
Comments
By The Prophet
January 11, 2008 8:16 PM | Link to this
Great article, technobuddy. If I could ask about the odds of contracting a virus by clicking on any link, or email, in any blog, etc.
I make a habbit of warning the people in any chatroom or blog about the dangers of clicking on the links that are provided by the general population in the site. But I’m guessing. I dont know the odds of actually contracting a virus by blindly trusting the other bloggers and their links.
By Bill
January 11, 2008 8:46 PM | Link to this
Yeap, Prophet, the bad guys are a lot different than they were when I was just starting with computing. In those days, there were folks who were true hackers - they messed around with networks, including finding ways in, for the fun of it. I’m not saying there was no harm done in the early days but, by and large, it was a group of computer enthusiastics that were testing the limits of what could be done.
The big change is that the crime out there is real and that the computer criminals who are doing it are professionals - very good at what they do, and making money at it.
I sure don’t know the odds of coming across a link that is dangerous. Used to be I told people that if they stayed out of the xxx-rated and hacker sites they were fairly safe (like staying in a safe neighborhood in real life).
But even on a gaming site that I use there have been a few attempts to pull users over to a site where they were urged to download a file (it contained a trojan).
By Tim Eckles
January 12, 2008 7:51 AM | Link to this
I read where you turn off your wireless router when not in use. I found an ethernet switch at Radio Shack that allows you to disconnect the connection without turning off the router. I usually leave my computer on, and may go online several times a day. With this, I don’t have to keep turning my router off and on. It also has a timer that will disconnect after an hour if I forget to switch off the connection.
By Bill
January 12, 2008 9:00 AM | Link to this
It’s a good solution for you Tim.
My own network is wired. But it also includes a wireless access point. So most of my computing is done using the wired network that, of course, stays active all the time. And I guess I should have been more precise in the column explaining that. The wireless access point is only turned on when someone - most often my wife - wants to use a laptop in another part of the house. So that means the wireless part of the network isn’t often needed.
If my network was mostly wireless, then I’d sure do the same thing as you’re doing.
By The Prophet
January 12, 2008 9:37 AM | Link to this
Wait a minute, technobuddy, wouldn’t you need a trojan to visit the xxx-rated site?
I am the Prophet. I sure wish I knew more about stuff.
By Bill
January 12, 2008 10:39 AM | Link to this
what I need is a miracle, my wife will be back soon from San Diego and between Lucy the Beagle and my inclination to fry food, things are not good for her return. I see no high tech way out of this mess, so I’m gonna start pushing things into closets - maybe including Lucy the Beagle.
By CT Graeff
January 14, 2008 1:21 PM | Link to this
Bill: Defraging XP . After defraging I go back and ask it again to analyze & it says to defrag again, and again. Can you help please??
By Bill
January 14, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this
I’m not positive that I have the answer. Generally, if the cause - most common one I know - is that programs are running in the background and writing to the disk you’ll get a message that indicates that when it finishes.
When that’s the case - and it’s not a bad idea any time - the thing to do is start in Safe Mode, do the defrag, then restart.
I’ll paste in a Web site that explains that process here but that doesn’t exactly fit the scenario.
Try the Safe Mode technique and see if it helps. It won’t hurt. Meanwhile, maybe someone else has a better idea.
By T. Bramblett
January 19, 2008 12:28 PM | Link to this
In the article on UPS systems, you did not spec whether the APC model UPS output 60 Hz is a sine wave or some variant like a sawtooth or square wave. I thought some power supplies did not like to be fed a non-sine wave input. Can you clarify?
Thanks
By Bill
January 19, 2008 1:52 PM | Link to this
T. - the Smart series of the APC has a pure sine wave.