Over the last few months I have been helping more and more of my clients deal with spyware and viruses that infected their computers.  Many of my clients are like you - professionals who work from home.  Although not in every case, many of them let their kids or teens use their computer after hours.  Not that you shouldn't trust your kids, but it may not be a good idea to get a separate computer for the kids.

No matter your intentions, your kids may end up infecting your computer with a spyware or virus (or to an equal extent spill a food or drink in it).  This could result in a slew of pop-up ads, fake spyware programs installing themselves, losing the ability to connect to the Internet, inability to send or receive email, or even worse.

If you are thinking that a new computer isn't in the cards for your kids consider getting a new one for yourself and give the old one to your kids.

If this isn't viable, then consider getting your kids a used one.  Goodwill's Computer Works (in Austin) http://www.austincomputerworks.org/store.html and DiscountElectronics (in Austin) http://www.discountelectronics.com/ are excellent sources of refurbished computers that are ready-to-use.

Be sure to install protection software on the kid's computer (Perhaps AVG AntiVirus 8.0 Free http://www.avg.com/product-avg-anti-virus-free-edition).  For the kiddos, install some parental control software so you can make sure they don't visit sites they shouldn't (http://www.consumersearch.com/parental-control-software).

As an extra measure, set a password for your computer.  (In Windows XP: Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Click your Account Name > Change my password.  Be sure to set your computer to turn-on the screen saver and the password when it kicks in (Start > control Panel > Display > Click the Screen Saver-tab > Check 'On resume, password protect', Click Apply, Click OK.)

A few hundred bucks now to purchase your kids a computer will be much cheaper in time and money it would take to recover your computer to get your operations up & running.  Something to think about.

That's it!

Originally Posted June 2 2008

If you are using AVG AntiVirus Free you may have noticed it warning that it will no longer be available on May 31.  What this really means is that AVG AntiVirus Free 7.5 is being phased out in lieu of AVGAntiVirus Free 8.0.  To upgrade to 8.0, here's what you have to do:

Delete the AVGAntiVirus Free and AVGAntiSpyware free by:
1. Click Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs (If you have AVGAntiSpyware Free, it should be listed next to AVGAntiVirus Free.  Keep this in mind since you will need to delete this program too).
2. Click the AVGAntiVirus Free
3. Click Delete
4. Click the AVGAntiSpyware Free program if you have it
5. Click Delete
6. Restart the computer
7. Click on this link: http://free.grisoft.com/ww.download-avg-anti-virus-free-edition
8. Click on the AVG AntiVirus Free Edition 8.0 at the bottom, center of the page.
9. Click RUN when prompted
-AVGAntiVirus 8.0 Free downloads and installs

If you are wondering if you need to get an anti-spyware program don't worry.  AVGAntiVirus 8.0 combines the AntiVirus and AntiSpyware functions into one program.

In case you are wondering, AVGAntiVirus Free is licensed for non-commercial use for a single computer.  That translates into person who uses a their computer at home for checking their email and surfing the net.

If you like AVGAntiVirus and want to use it for your business computer, then the paid version (for only $51.99 with a 1 year subscription) is a good deal.  Not to mention AVG provides excellent protection without bogging down your computer.  Here's the link to paid AVGAntiVirus: http://www.grisoft.com/ww.product-avg-anti-virus 

Aug 13 2007
If you purchased and installed an external hard drive to backup your computer, you were probably asked this question when setting up the backup software.  You may have been inclined to just backup your My Documents Folder, but you should probably backup more.  The reason is many times popular programs save their critical data in a Folder other than My Documents.

For example, Outlook Express/Outlook (emails, calendarcontacts, etc), Quicken, and QuickBooks (all financial transactions) are just some of these type of programs.  Each of these programs save your critical information in Folders deep within your computer.

The best practice is to setup your backup software to do a complete backup of your entire hard drive, not just your My Documents Folder.  This way all your critical data is saved and can be retreived in the event your computer crashes.

April 16 2007
If you are like many of our clients, you may use your laptop at public hot spots where you can access the Internet ususally for free.  You may not realize it, but accessing the Internet through a hot spot isn't as secure as you may think.

When you access a hot-spot you are using that establishment's wireless network to access the Internet.  The problem is that without the proper protection others can access YOUR computer and YOUR files while connected to the hot-spot.  Here's a few safeguards that will protect you when using a hot-spot:

• Be sure you have the latest Windows updates.  Updates usually contain patches that address security issues in Windows.  Having the latest will lessen your change of being hacked
  You can check at:  http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/bulletins/
  200704.mspx
  
• Be sure you have a firewall.  Firewalls protect your computer from unauthorized (or uninvited) users trying to access your computer.  If you have Windows XP with SP2, Norton Internet Security, or McAfee Internet Security Suite you probably have a firewall.  If you are not sure, then it's time to explore your security software (Having an anti-virus software is not good enough)!
  ZoneAlarm, a free firewall is available from Zone Labs can be downloaded at: http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/
  sku_list_za.jsp?dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en
  
• Before connecting, change your Workgroup.  Your computer is shipped with either MSHOME or WORKGROUP as the default workgroups.  This makes connecting to your computer while connected to a a hot-spot very easy.  Change it to something else by:
  1. Right click on your My Computer icon
  2. Click the 'Computer Name' tab
  3. Click the 'Change...' button
  4. Enter a new Workgroup name
  5. Click the 'OK' button
  6. Click the 'OK' button to restart your computer
  7. Connect to the hot-spot
  **If you have Domain selected, do not make the above change
  **If your computer is part of a network, be sure to change the Workgroup back when you return  to your office
  
• Before connecting, turn-off Windows file sharing:
  1. Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall
  2. Click the 'Exceptions' tab
  3. Unselect 'File and Printer Sharing'
  4. Click the 'Apply' button
  **If your computer is part of a network, be sure to reverse this setting when you return to your office

If you are frequently, mobile you may want to invest in a data card from your Cellular phone company (Like Sprint Mobile Broadband or Cingular Laptop Connect cards.  These data cards allow you to connect to the Internet without having to rely on a hot-spot and with much better security built-in.I hope this Tip helps!

This article was inspired by 'Four Ways to Surf Safely at Starbucks'.  If you want to read the entire article, its at:  http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2109464,00.asp

April 24 2006
Q: When I try to log on to my bank website using Internet Explorer, I get a blank screen and the technical support at my bank hasn’t been able to help.  Is there anything I can do?

A: This problem usually stems from a security feature called the Pop-up blocker which is a new security feature included in the Windows SP2 update.  When the SP2 update is downloaded to your computer (usually automatic) it installs itself into your Internet Explorer.  This feature is designed to suppress unwanted windows from popping up uncontrollably if you land on a less-than-scrupulous website, but it sometimes it suppresses the ones we need to access.

What we need to do is to add the friendly websites to the Allowed list for Pop-ups.  Here’s how:

In Internet Explorer:
1. Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Pop-up Blocker Settings…
2. Type in the website you want to allow in the ‘Address of Website site to allow:’ field (be sure to include the ‘www’ & ‘.com, .net, etc’
3. Click the ‘Add’ button
4. Click the ‘Close’ button

Note:  If you have installed a Toolbar plug-in from Yahoo, Google or another search site into your Internet Explorer and are still having the same problem, you have to turn-off the Pop-up blocker that is included with the respective plug-in (Yes, these Toolbar plug-ins have their own pop-up blocker that runs separately from the one in Internet Explorer).

Each one of these differs slightly, but what you want to do is look for the Tools > Options menu that is on the specific Toolbar or look for a button that has cross-hairs or a target icon and click on it.  Once there, you will see an option to turn-off the pop-up blocker.  Select this option since Explorer already is doing the Pop-up blocking duty.
 

June 27 2005
Q: My company has a firewall that includes a Junk Mail Filter.  We use Outlook 2003 which also has a Junk Mail Filter feature.  Consequently, many 'friendly' emails are diverted into the Outlook Junk Mail folder.  How can I turn this feature off?
A: The Junk Mail filter feature is great if you have a stand-alone computer, but becomes redundant if you have a filter that your IT department has installed or even if you installed a 3rd party filter like Norton Anti-Spam, McAfee Anti-Spam, or similar).  Here's how to turn-off the Junk Mail filter in Outlook:

-In Outlook:
1. Tools > Options...
2. 'Preferences' tab, under the E-Mail section
3. Click the 'Junk E-Mail...' button
4. Select ‘No automatic filtering’
5. Click ‘Apply’
6. Click ‘OK’
That's it!

June 13 2005
Q: My company has anti-spam filters on our network.  My Outlook 2003's Junk Email filter is capturing legitimate emails.  How do I turn-off this filter?
A: Here's how:
-In Outlook 2003
1. Tools > Options...
-In the 'Preferences' tab
2. Click 'Junk E-Mail...'
-In the 'Options' tab
3. Select 'No automatic filtering'
4. Click 'Apply'
5. Click 'OK'
6. Click 'OK'
That's it!

August 22 2005
Q: Does Microsoft Office update as part of the Automatic Updates sent to Windows XP?
A: Microsoft Office does not automatically update.
You have to do this manually.  Here's how:

1. Go to the Microsoft website: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdate/default.aspx
-Under the 'Office Update' section
2. Click 'Check for Updates'
Note: You may be asked to insert your Microsoft Office CD so be sure you have it handy before you start this process.

April 10 2006
Q: Is deleting my personal files all I need to do before I sell or donate my computer?
A: No, there are a few extra steps you have to take

Today, I want to talk about a tip that may not save you time, but perhaps will save you some frustration.  If you are planning on giving away or selling your computer, you may have deleted you sensitive files, purged your Recycle Bin, or even reformatted your hard drive to try to eliminate any sensitive information that you may not want others to gain access to.  This is not enough.  There are several software programs that can be purchased at any computer store that can recover these files.  You need to take an extra step.

Before you sell or give away your computer, you need to install and run a program that will delete your files then overwrite them with random data making them unrecoverable.  Some of the programs are: Symantec Wipe Info (comes with Norton System Works), Disk Wipe, and Window Washer to name a few.  These programs are available at retail stores or even on-line. 

Some of these programs will even search all the nooks and crannies of your computer to find and delete shortcuts related to sensitive files and even websites that you have visited.

When you run any of these programs, it will take some time so plan accordingly.  It may be best to start the process at the end of the day and have it run through the evening.