Cool cool cool. We already have 80% of that stuff, just didn't know how to
put it all together.
tnx again
| Rob Giordano (Crash) wrote:
| > Wow, ok great...I think I got it now. Thanks a bunch!
| >
| > One last thing...what do you mean by "...integrate SP2 into said CD
| > and probably a whole heap of post-sp2 hotfixes as well..." Do you
| > mean just put SP2 Windows XP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe on a CD with SP1?
| >
| > I "think" its OEM it came with a little sticker to put on the case,
| > but I know he buys volume licenses - so I'm not really sure.
| >
| > The only reason I'm really messing with it is son needs to do work
| > on that machine before he goes back to school, otherwise I'd just
| > let him reformat when he gets back there with his orig. CD.
| >
| > Thanks for all your help...really appreciate it.
|
| Okay - a clean install and all the information I can think of you might
| need...
|
| For #3 directly below here - you could use that list to download all the
| patches and then integratethem into your Windows XP installation CD.
| You could use a tool to make your life simpler in doing this:
|
http://www.nliteos.com/nlite.html
| It will even create an ISO image you can burn to CD - a plus.
| (Yes - you must have a fully functional PC to do this...)
|
| ** You may want to print this **
|
| 1) Download and install Belarc Advisor onto the current Windows XP
| machine. Use it to get a list of hardware from the
| machine as well as the CD Key used to install it. Print it if you
like.
|
http://www.belarc.com/
|
| You may be able to obtain other product keys from here as well.
| You will see everything that is installed listed here - so you have
| a record of what you will be putting back - if you have the
| installation media. Now is the time to find the installation media!
|
| 2) Using the list of hardware you obtained - visit the hardware
| manufacturer(s) web page(s) and download the software drivers
| for each of the components.
|
| If it is a "vendor" computer (Dell, HP, IBM, Gateway, etc..) - simply
| visit the vendor's page and go to the support/downloads for the
| particular model and download all hardware drivers. Write those
| to external (to that computer) media. CD/DVD/USB/Network.
|
| If it is a piece-meal computer, take the Belarc list and visit each
| manufacturer's web page. Be sure - at a minimum - to obtain the
| motherboard chipset drivers, the hard drive controller card drivers,
| the video card drivers, the modem drivers, the network card
| drivers and the sound card drivers. Technically - if you have the
| drivers for the hardware that will allow you to access the Internet,
| everything else can be gotten later. However - there is something
| to be said about going in prepared.
|
| 3) Now that you have the software and hardware drivers covered -
| you can get to the business of obtaining Service Pack 2 and most
| of the post-sp2 updates you will need. I have a list with links
| below this - if you grabbed everything on this list - installed them
| (after installing Windows XP) in numerical (by KB Article #) order
| - rebooting when asked to - before ever connecting to the Internet
| - you might (at this time) have 5-10 more to grab from the update
| web page.
|
| Essentially - visit each of these pages, download the update for
| Windows XP (32bit) w/SP2 and save them to an external location.
| CD/DVD/USB/Network. Consider yourself an "IT Professional" in
| order to get to the page with the actual file download link for each
| update.
|
| You could get away with (pretty much) installing them in the order
| given.
|
| Direct Download of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP
|
http://snipurl.com/8bqy
|
| Critical Updates
| ----------------------
| Released: -- [ Web Page Address ] -- Description:
| 9/14/2004 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885626 ]
| -- Critical Update for Windows XP
| 11/22/2004 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887742 ]
| -- Update for Windows XP
| 12/13/2004 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885835 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 12/13/2004 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885836 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 12/13/2004 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/886185 ]
| -- Critical Update for Windows XP
| 12/13/2004 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873339 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 2/7/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/891781 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 2/7/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888302 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 2/7/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887472 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows Messenger
| 4/11/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890859 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 5/18/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894391 ]
| -- Update for Windows XP
| 5/24/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896344 ]
| -- Update for Windows XP
| 6/13/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896358 ]
| -- Security Update for Microsoft Windows XP
| 6/13/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896428 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 6/24/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900930 ]
| -- Update for Windows XP
| 6/27/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/898461 ]
| -- Update for Windows XP
| 7/11/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/901214 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 8/8/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896423 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 8/8/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/899587 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 8/8/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/899591 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 8/8/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893756 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 10/10/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/901017 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 10/10/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/902400 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 10/10/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905749 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 10/10/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905414 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 10/10/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900725 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 11/7/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896424 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 12/12/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/910437 ]
| -- Update for Windows XP
| 12/13/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/904706 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 1/5/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/912919 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 1/9/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908519 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 2/13/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911927 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 4/10/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911562 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 4/18/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/904942 ]
| -- Update for Windows XP
| 4/25/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900485 ]
| -- Update for Windows XP
| 4/25/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908531 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 5/9/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/913580 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 6/6/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/916595 ]
| -- Update for Windows XP
| 6/8/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918439 ]
| -- Vulnerability in ART Image Rendering Could Allow Remote Code
| Execution in Internet Explorer for Windows XP SP2
| 6/12/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914389 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 6/12/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917953 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 6/13/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917344 ]
| -- JScript 5.6 Security Update for Windows XP SP1 and SP2
| 6/27/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911280 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 7/10/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917159 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 7/10/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914388 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 8/7/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917422 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 8/7/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920670 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 8/7/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922616 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 8/7/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920683 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 8/7/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/921398 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 8/17/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920872 ]
| -- Update for Windows XP
| 9/11/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920685 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 9/11/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922582 ]
| -- Update for Windows XP
| 9/11/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919007 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 9/26/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925486 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP SP2
| 10/9/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922819 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 10/9/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924496 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 10/9/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923414 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 10/9/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923191 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows XP
| 11/14/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920213 ]
| -- Vulnerability in Microsoft Agent could allow remote code
| execution
| 11/14/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923789 ]
| -- Vulnerabilities in Macromedia Flash Player from Adobe
| could allow remote code execution
| 11/14/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924270 ]
| -- Vulnerability in Workstation Service could allow
| remote code execution
| 11/14/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928088 ]
| -- Vulnerability in Microsoft XML Core Services could
| allow remote code execution
| 11/14/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923980 ]
| -- Vulnerability in the Client Service could allow remote code
| execution
| 12/12/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925674 ]
| -- Vulnerability in Visual Studio 2005 could allow remote code
| execution
| 12/12/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926247 ]
| -- Vulnerability in Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
| could allow remote code execution
| 12/12/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926255 ]
| -- Vulnerability in Windows could allow elevation of privilege
| 12/12/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923694 ]
| -- Cumulative security update for Outlook Express
| 12/12/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926121 ]
| -- Vulnerability in Remote Installation Services could allow
| remote code execution
| 12/14/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925454 ]
| -- Cumulative Update for Internet Explorer for
| Windows XP Service Pack 2
|
|
| Media Player:
| -------------------
| Released: -- [ Web Page Address: ] -- Description:
| 9/2/2004 -- [
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=30984 ]
| -- Windows Media Player 10
| 11/7/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/902344 ]
| -- Update for WMDRM-enabled Media Players
| 2/13/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911564 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows Media Player Plug-in
| 4/11/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911565 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows Media Player 10 for Windows XP
| 6/12/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917734 ]
| -- Security Update for Windows Media Player 10 for Windows XP
| 12/12/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923689 ]
| -- Vulnerability in Windows Media Format Could Allow Remote
| Code Execution
|
| .NET Framework:
| ------------------------
| Released: -- [ Web Page Address: ] -- Description:
| 3/30/2004 -- [
http://snipurl.com/10bde ]
| -- Microsoft .NET Framework Version 1.1 Redistributable Package
| 8/30/2004 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885055 ]
| -- Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1
| 2/8/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887219 ]
| -- ASP.NET Security Update for Microsoft NET Framework 1.1
| Service Pack 1
| 3/22/2006 -- [
http://snipurl.com/10bdv ]
| -- Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0 Redistributable
| Package (x86)
| 7/11/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917283 ]
| -- NDP 2.0 ASP.Net Security Update
| 10/10/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922770 ]
| -- NET Framework 2.0 SYSTEM.WEB.DLL Security Update
|
| Other Updates:
| ---------------------
| Released: -- [ Web Page Address: ] -- Description:
| 9/14/2004 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873374 ]
| -- Microsoft GDI+ Detection Tool
| 9/2/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893803 ]
| -- Windows Installer 3.1 Redistributable (v2)
| 10/14/2005 -- [
http://snipurl.com/10bex ]
| -- Windows Media Connect 2.0
| 11/29/2005 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909520 ]
| -- Microsoft Base Smart Card Cryptographic Service Provider
| Package: x86
| 10/10/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890830 ]
| -- Microsoft® Windows® Malicious Software Removal Tool
| - November 2006
|
| Purely OPTIONAL:
| ----------------------
| 10/18/2006 -- [
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/ ]
| -- Internet Explorer 7.0
| 12/8/2006 -- [
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925876 ]
| -- Remote Desktop Connection 6.0 client
|
|
| 4) Now that you have all the updates you will need to install Windows
| XP, all the hardware drivers you will need to get the
| operating system to communicate with your hardware, all your
| installation media and product keys in a pile - you can install
| Windows XP by simply changing the boot order in
| the system BIOS to CD first, putting in your Windows XP
| CD and following the prompts. When it asks where you
| would like to install - delete the partitions shown and create a new
| partition to install on. Format it NTFS. Continue following the
| prompts.
|
| 5) Once the installation is done - break out whatever external media
| you saved all the 2nd & 3rd list items to and connect/insert it into
| the system and begin installing all the hardware drivers (1st) and
| then all the patches and such. It'll take a while and probably 10+
| reboots.
|
| 6) Install your favorite AntiVirus software (I am including a tips list
that
| has several free alternatives as tip (9)) and immunize your system
| against most spyware (see tip (10) in the same list below) and connect
| to the Internet. Visit
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and scan
| your system for more updates. Do not install hardware drivers from
| here.
|
| 7) Install whatever other software you need this system to have. Plugins
| like quicktime, flash, shockwave, real player (or real alternative),
| acrobat reader and so on... Full applications like Microsoft Office,
| WordPerfect, Photoshop, etc. Any special software for
| cameras/scanners/printers. Anything and everything you want this
| computer to have.
|
| 8) Create an additional administrative user. Log out and log in as that
| user. Make sure it has a password that is good and that you can
| remember. Log out and log back in as the original user. That new
| user is your 'just in case' account.
|
|
| Good luck to you!
|
| Microsoft has these suggestions for Protecting your computer from the
| various things that could happen to you/it:
|
| Protect your PC
|
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/
|
| Outfitting a new computer for the Net
|
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/newcomputer.mspx
|
| Getting started with a new PC
|
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/yournewpc.mspx
|
| Although those tips are fantastic, there are many things you should
| know above and beyond that. Below I have detailed out many tips
| that can not only help you clean-up a problem PC but keep it clean,
| secure and running at its best.
|
| I know this text can seem intimidating - it is quite long and a lot
| to take in for a novice - however I can assure you that one trip
| through this list and you will understand your computer and the
| options available to you for protecting your data much better -
| and that the next time you go through these steps, the time it
| takes will be greatly reduced.
|
| Let's take the cleanup of your computer step-by-step.
| Yes, it will take up some of your time - but consider what you use
| your computer for and how much you would dislike it if all of your
| stuff on your computer went away because you did not "feel like"
| performing some simple maintenance tasks - think of it like taking
| out your garbage, collecting and sorting your postal mail, paying
| your bills on time, etc.
|
| I'll mainly work around Windows XP, as that is what the bulk of this
| document is about; however, here is some places for you poor souls
| still stuck in Windows 98/ME where you can get information on
| maintaining your system:
|
| Windows 98 and 'Maintaining Your Computer':
|
http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/usingwindows/maintaining/
|
| Windows ME Computer Health:
|
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsME/using/computerhealth/articles/
|
| Pay close attention to the sections:
| (in order)
| - Clean up your hard disk
| - Check for errors by running ScanDisk
| - Defragment your hard disk
| - Roll back the clock with System Restore
|
|
| Also - now is a good time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
| information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:
|
| Search using Google!
|
http://www.google.com/
| (How-to:
http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )
|
|
| Now, let's go through some maintenance first that should only have to be
| done once (mostly):
|
| Tip (1):
| Locate all of the software you have installed on your computer.
| (the installation media - CDs, downloaded files, etc)
| Collect these CDs and files together in a central and safe
| place along with their CD keys and such. Make backups of these
| installation media sets using your favorite copying method (CD/DVD Burner
| and application, Disk copier, etc.) You'll be glad to know that if you
| have a CD/DVD burner, you may be able to use a free application to make a
| duplicate copy of your CDs. One such application is ISORecorder:
|
| ISORecorder page (with general instructions on use):
|
http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm
|
| More full function applications (free) for CD/DVD burning would be:
|
| CDBurnerXP Pro
|
http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
|
| DeepBurner Free
|
http://www.deepburner.com/
|
| ImgBurn (burn ISO images)
|
http://www.imgburn.com/
|
| Final Burner
|
http://www.protectedsoft.com/products.php
|
| Another Option would be to search the web with Pricewatch.com or
| Dealsites.net and find deals on Products like Ahead Nero and/or Roxio.
|
| Ahead Nero
|
http://www.nero.com/
|
| Roxio Easy Media Creator
|
http://www.roxio.com/
|
| Tip (2):
| Empty your Temporary Internet Files and shrink the size it stores to a
| size between 128MB and 512MB..
|
| - Open ONE copy of Internet Explorer.
| - Select TOOLS -> Internet Options.
| - Under the General tab in the "Temporary Internet Files" section, do the
| following:
| - Click on "Delete Cookies" (click OK)
| - Click on "Settings" and change the "Amount of disk space to use:" to
| something between 128MB and 512MB. (Betting it is MUCH larger right
| now.)
| - Click OK.
| - Click on "Delete Files" and select to "Delete all offline contents"
| (the checkbox) and click OK. (If you had a LOT, this could take 2-10
| minutes or more.)
| - Once it is done, click OK, close Internet Explorer, re-open Internet
| Explorer.
|
| Tip (3):
| If things are running a bit sluggish and/or you have an older system
| (1.5GHz or less and 256MB RAM or less) then you may want to look into
| tweaking the performance by turning off some of the 'resource hogging'
| Windows XP "prettifications". The fastest method is:
|
| Control Panel --> System --> Advanced tab --> Performance section,
| Settings button. Then choose "adjust for best performance" and you
| now have a Windows 2000/98 look which turned off most of the annoying
| "prettifications" in one swift action. You can play with the last
| three checkboxes to get more of an XP look without many of the
| other annoyances. You could also grab and install/use one
| (or more) of the Microsoft Powertoys - TweakUI in particular:
|
|
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
|
| Another viable (decently inexpensive) option is to increase the amount
| of memory (RAM) your computer has. You can get an idea of what you
| need by visiting:
|
| Crucial Memory Advisor™ Tool
|
http://www.crucial.com/
|
| Then either buy direct from there or write down the specs you get and
| visit:
http://www.pricewatch.com/ and locate the best price on what you
| need. 512MB up to 1GB total memory should be more than enough for
| the normal home user.
|
| Tip (4):
| Understanding what a good password might be is vital to your
| personal and system security. You may think you do not need to password
| your home computer, as you may have it in a locked area (your home) where
| no one else has access to it. Remember, however, you aren't always
| "in that locked area" when using your computer online - meaning you likely
| have usernames and passwords associated with web sites and the likes that
| you would prefer other people do not discover/use. This is why you should
| understand and utilize good passwords.
|
| Good passwords are those that meet these general rules
| (mileage may vary):
|
| Passwords should contain at least six characters, and the character
| string should contain at least three of these four character types:
| - uppercase letters
| - lowercase letters
| - numerals
| - nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !,
|
| Passwords should not contain your name/username.
| Passwords should be unique to you and easy to remember.
|
| One method many people are using today is to make up a phrase that
| describes a point in their life and then turning that phrase into their
| password by using only certain letters out of each word in that phrase.
| It's much better than using your birthday month/year or your anniversary
| in a pure sense. For example, let's say my phrase is:
| 'Great new job in November 2006'
| I could come up with this password from that:
| 'Gr8n3wj0bNOV2006'
|
| The password tip is in the one time section, but I highly
| recommend you periodically change your passwords. The suggested time
| varies, but I will throw out a 'once in every 3 to 6 months for
| every account you have.'
|
| Also - many people complain that they just cannot remember the passwords
| for all the sites they have - so they choose one password and use it for
| everything. Not a good idea. A much better method would be to use a
| Password Management tool - so you only have to remember one password,
| but it opens an application that stores your username/passwords for
| everything else - plus other valuable information. One that I can
| recommend:
|
| KeePass Password Safe
|
http://keepass.sourceforge.net/
|
| It can even generate passwords for you.
|
|
| Tip (5):
| This tip is also 'questionable' in the one time section; however -
| if properly setup - this one can be pretty well ignored for most people
| after the initial 'fiddle-with' time.
|
| Why you should use a computer firewall..
|
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/fwbenefits.mspx
|
| You should, in some way, use a firewall. Hardware (like a nice
| Cable Modem/DSL router) or software is up to you. Many use both of
| these. The simplest one to use is the hardware one, as most people
| don't do anything that they will need to configure their NAT device
| for and those who do certainly will not mind fiddling with the equipment
| to make things work for them. Next in the line of simplicity would
| have to be the built-in Windows Firewall of Windows XP. In SP2 it
| is turned on by default. It is not difficult to turn on in any
| case, however:
|
| More information on the Internet Connection Firewall (Pre-SP2):
|
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320855
|
| Post-SP2 Windows Firewall Information/guidance:
|
http://snipurl.com/atal
|
| The trouble with the Windows Firewall is that it only keeps things
| out. For most people who maintain their system in other ways, this is
| MORE than sufficient. You may feel otherwise. If you want to
| know when one of your applications is trying to obtain access to the
| outside world so you can stop it, then you will have to install a
| third-party application and configure/maintain it. I have compiled a
| list with links of some of the better known/free firewalls you can choose
| from:
|
| BlackICE PC Protection (~$39.95 and up)
|
http://blackice.iss.net/
|
| Comodo Free Fireall (Free)
|
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/
|
| Jetico Personal Firewall (Free)
|
http://www.jetico.com/index.htm#/jpfirewall.htm
|
| Outpost Firewall from Agnitum (Free and up)
|
http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpostfree/
|
| Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) (Free and up)
|
http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html
|
| Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall (~$49.95 and up)
|
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/
|
| ZoneAlarm (Free and up)
|
http://www.zonelabs.com/
|
| You should find the right firewall for your situation in that
| list and set it up if you feel the Windows XP firewall is
| insufficient.
|
| Every firewall WILL require some maintenance. Essentially checking for
| patches or upgrades (this goes for hardware and software solutions) is
| the extent of this maintenance - you may also have to configure your
| firewall to allow some traffic depending on your needs.
|
| ** Don't stack the software firewalls! Running more than one software
| firewall will not make you safer - it would possibly negate some
| protection you gleamed from one or the other firewall you run. It is
| fine (and in many ways better) to have the software firewall as well
| as a NAT router.
|
|
| Now that you have some of the more basic things down..
| Let's go through some of the steps you should take periodically to
| maintain a healthy and stable windows computer. If you have not
| done some of these things in the past, they may seem tedious - however,
| they will become routine and some can even be scheduled.
|
|
| Tip (6):
| The system restore feature is only a useful feature if you keep it
| maintained and use it to your advantage. Remember that the system
| restore pretty much tells you in the name what it protects which is
| 'system' files. Your documents, your pictures, your stuff is NOT
| system files - so you should also look into some backup solution.
|
| Whenever you think about it (after doing a once-over on your machine
| once a month or so would be optimal) - clear out your System Restore
| and create a manual restoration point.
|
| 'Why?'
|
| Too many times have I seen the system restore files go corrupt or get
| a virus in them, meaning you could not or did not want to restore from
| them. By clearing it out periodically you help prevent any corruption
| from happening and you make sure you have at least one good "snapshot".
| (*This, of course, will erase any previous restore point you have.*)
|
| - Turn off System Restore.
|
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310405
| - Reboot the Computer.
| - Review the first bullet to turn on System Restore
| - Make a Manual Restoration Point.
|
http://snipurl.com/68nx
|
| That covers your system files, but doesn't do anything for the files
| that you are REALLY worried about - yours! For that you need to look
| into backups. You can either manually copy your important files, folders,
| documents, spreadsheets, emails, contacts, pictures, drawings and so on
| to an external location (CD/DVD - any disk of some sort, etc) or you can
| use the backup tool that comes with Windows XP:
|
| How To Use Backup to Back Up Files and Folders on Your Computer
|
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422
|
| Yes - you still need some sort of external media to store the results
| on, but you could schedule the backup to occur when you are not around,
| then burn the resultant data onto CD or DVD or something when you are
| (while you do other things!)
|
| Another option that seems to still be going strong:
|
| Cobian Backup
|
http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm
|
| A lot of people have wondered about how to completely backup their system
| so that they would not have to go through the trouble of a reinstall..
| I'm going to voice my opinion here and say that it would be worthless to
| do for MOST people. Unless you plan on periodically updating the image
| backup of your system (remaking it) - then by the time you use it
| (something goes wrong) - it will be so outdated as to be more trouble than
| performing a full install of the operating system and all applications.
|
| Having said my part against it, you can clone/backup your hard drive
| completely using many methods - by far the simplest are using disk cloning
| applications:
|
| Symantec/Norton Ghost
|
http://snipurl.com/13e00
|
| Acronis True Image
|
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/
|
| BootIt™ NG
|
http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html
|
| Tip (7):
| You should sometimes look through the list of applications that are
| installed on your computer. The list may surprise you. There are more
| than likely things in there you know you never use - so why have them
| there? There may even be things you know you did *not* install and
| certainly do not use (maybe don't WANT to use.)
|
| This web site should help you get started at looking through this list:
|
| How to Uninstall Programs
|
http://snipurl.com/8v6b
|
| How to change or remove a program in Windows XP
|
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307895
|
| A word of warning - Do NOT uninstall anything you think you MIGHT need
| in the future unless you have completed Tip (1) and have the installation
| media and proper keys for use backed up somewhere safe!
|
| Tip (8):
| Patches and Updates!
|
| This one cannot be stressed enough. It is SO simple, yet so neglected
| by many people. It is really simple for the critical Microsoft patches!
| Microsoft put in an AUTOMATED feature for you to utilize so that you do
| NOT have to worry yourself about the patching of the Operating System:
|
| How to configure and use Automatic Updates in Windows XP
|
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525
|
| However, not everyone wants to be a slave to automation, and that is
| fine. Admittedly, I prefer this method on some of my more critical
| systems.
|
| Windows Update
|
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
|
| Go there and scan your machine for updates. Always get the critical ones
| as you see them. Write down the KB###### or Q###### you see when
| selecting the updates and if you have trouble over the next few days,
| go into your control panel (Add/Remove Programs), insure that the
| 'Show Updates' checkbox is checked and match up the latest numbers you
| downloaded recently (since you started noticing an issue) and uninstall
| them. If there was more than one (usually is), uninstall them one by one
| with a few hours of use in between, to see if the problem returns.
| Yes - the process is not perfect (updating) and can cause trouble like I
| mentioned - but as you can see, the solution isn't that bad - and is
| MUCH better than the alternatives.
|
| Windows is not the only product you likely have on your PC. The
| manufacturers of the other products usually have updates. New versions
| of almost everything come out all the time - some are free, some are pay
| and some you can only download if you are registered - but it is best
| to check. Just go to their web pages and look under their support and
| download sections. For example, for Microsoft Office you should visit:
|
| Microsoft Office Updates
|
http://office.microsoft.com/
| (and select 'Check for Updates' and/or 'Downloads' for more)
|
| You also have hardware on your machine that requires drivers to interface
| with the operating system. You have a video card that allows you to see
on
| your screen, a sound card that allows you to hear your PCs sound output
and
| so on. Visit those manufacturer web sites for the latest downloadable
| drivers for your hardware/operating system. Always get the manufacturers'
| hardware driver over any Microsoft offers. On the Windows Update site I
| mentioned earlier, I suggest NOT getting their hardware drivers - no
matter
| how tempting.
|
| How do you know what hardware you have in your computer? Break out the
| invoice or if it is up and working now - take inventory:
|
| Belarc Advisor
|
http://belarc.com/free_download.html
|
| Once you know what you have, what next? Go get the latest driver for your
| hardware/OS from the manufacturer's web page. For example, let's say you
| have an NVidia chipset video card or ATI video card, perhaps a Creative
| Labs sound card or C-Media chipset sound card...
|
| NVidia Video Card Drivers
|
http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
|
| ATI Video Card Drivers
|
http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html
|
| Creative Labs Sound Device
|
http://us.creative.com/support/downloads/
|
| C-Media Sound Device
|
http://www.cmedia.com.tw/?q=en/driver
|
| Then install these drivers. Updated drivers are usually more stable and
| may provide extra benefits/features that you really wished you had before.
|
| As for Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP, Microsoft has made this
| particular patch available in a number of ways. First, there is the
| Windows Update web page above. Then there is a direct download site.
|
| Direct Download of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP
|
http://snipurl.com/8bqy
|
| Order Windows XP Service Pack 2 on CD
|
http://snipurl.com/d41v
|
| If all else fails - grab the full download above and try to use that.
| In this case - consider yourself a 'IT professional or developer'.
|
| Tip (9):
| What about the dreaded word in the computer world, VIRUS?
|
| Well, there are many products to choose from that will help you prevent
| infections from these horrid little applications. Many are FREE to the
| home user and which you choose is a matter of taste, really. Many people
| have emotional attachments or performance issues with one or another
| AntiVirus software. Try some out, read reviews and decide for yourself
| which you like more:
|
| ( Good Comparison Page for AV software:
http://www.av-comparatives.org/ )
|
| AntiVir (Free and up)
|
http://www.free-av.com/
|
| avast! (Free and up)
|
http://www.avast.com/
|
| AVG Anti-Virus System (Free and up)
|
http://free.grisoft.com/
|
| ca Anti-Virus (~$49.99 and up)
|
http://snipurl.com/13e0u
|
| eset NOD32 (~$39.00 and up)
|
http://www.eset.com/products/
|
| Kaspersky Anti-Virus (~$39.95 and up)
|
http://www.kaspersky.com/kav6
|
| McAfee VirusScan (~$39.99 and up)
|
http://www.mcafee.com/
|
| Panda Antivirus Titanium (~$39.95 and up)
|
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/antivirus2007.htm
| (Free Online Scanner:
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/)
|
| Symantec (Norton) AntiVirus (~$39.99 and up)
|
http://snipurl.com/13e12
|
| Trend Micro (~$44.95 and up)
|
http://www.trendmicro.com/en/products/desktop/tav/
| (Free Online Scanner:
|
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp)
|
| Most of them have automatic update capabilities. You will have to
| look into the features of the one you choose. Whatever one you finally
| settle with - be SURE to keep it updated (I recommend at least daily) and
| perform a full scan periodically (yes, most protect you actively, but a
| full scan once a month at 4AM probably won't bother you.)
|
| Tip (10):
| The most rampant infestation at the current time concerns SPYWARE/ADWARE.
| You need to eliminate it from your machine.
|
| There is no one software that cleans and immunizes you against
| everything. Antivirus software - you only needed one. Firewall, you
| only needed one. AntiSpyware - you will need several. I have a list and
| I recommend you use at least the first five.
|
| First - make sure you have NOT installed "Rogue AntiSpyware". There are
| people out there who created AntiSpyware products that actually install
| spyware of their own! You need to avoid these:
|
| Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites
|
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
|
| Also, you can always visit this site..
|
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
| For more updated information.
|
| Install the first five of these: (Install, Run, Update, Scan with..)
| (If you already have one or more - uninstall them and download the
| LATEST version from the page given!)
|
| Lavasoft AdAware (Free and up)
|
http://www.lavasoft.de/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php
| (How-to:
http://snipurl.com/atdn )
|
| Spybot Search and Destroy (Free!)
|
http://www.safer-networking.net/en/download/
| (How-to:
http://snipurl.com/atdk )
|
| SpywareBlaster (Free!)
|
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html
| (How-to:
http://snipurl.com/ate6 )
|
| IE-SPYAD2 (Free!)
|
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/resource.htm#IESPYAD
| (How-to:
http://snipurl.com/ate7 )
|
| CWShredder Stand-Alone (Free!)
|
http://www.trendmicro.com/cwshredder/
|
| Hijack This! (Free!)
|
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html
| (Log Analyzer:
http://hjt.networktechs.com/ )
|
| Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner (Free!)
|
http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/
| (How-to:
http://snipurl.com/ate3 )
|
| ToolbarCop (Free!)
|
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/toolbarcop.htm
|
| Ccleaner (Free!)
|
http://www.ccleaner.com/
|
| Browser Security Tests (Free Tester)
|
http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/BrowserSecurity/
|
| Popup Tester (Free Tester)
|
http://www.popuptest.com/
|
| The Cleaner (~$49.95 and up)
|
http://www.moosoft.com/
|
| Sometimes you need to install the application and reboot into SAFE MODE in
| order to thoroughly clean your computer. Many applications also have
| (or are) immunization applications. Spybot Search and Destroy and
| SpywareBlaster are two that currently do the best job at passively
| protecting your system from malware. None of these programs (in these
| editions) run in the background unless you TELL them to. The space they
| take up and how easy they are to use greatly makes up for any
inconvenience
| you may be feeling.
|
| Please notice that Windows XP SP2 does help stop popups as well.
|
| Another option is to use an alternative Web browser. I suggest
| 'Mozilla Firefox', as it has some great features and is very easy to use:
|
| Mozilla Firefox
|
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/
|
|
| So your machine is pretty clean and up to date now. If you use the
sections
| above as a guide, it should stay that way as well! There are still a few
| more things you can do to keep your machine running in top shape.
|
| Tip (11):
| You should periodically check your hard drive(s) for errors and defragment
| them. Only defragment after you have cleaned up your machine of
| outside parasites and never defragment as a solution to a quirkiness in
| your system. It may help speed up your system, but it should be clean
| before you do this. Do these things IN ORDER...
|
| How to use Disk Cleanup
|
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312
|
| How to scan your disks for errors
|
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265
|
| How to Defragment your hard drives
|
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314848
|
| I would personally perform the above steps at least once every three
months.
| For most people this should be sufficient, but if the difference you
notice
| afterwards is greater than you think it should be, lessen the time in
| between its schedule.. If the difference you notice is negligible, you
can
| increase the time.
|
| Tip (12):
| SPAM! JUNK MAIL!
| This one can get annoying, just like the rest. You get 50 emails in one
| sitting and 2 of them you wanted. NICE! (Not.) What can you do? Well,
| although there are services out there to help you, some email
| servers/services that actually do lower your spam with features built into
| their servers - I still like the methods that let you be the end-decision
| maker on what is spam and what is not. I have a few products to suggest
| to you, look at them and see if any of them suite your needs. Again, if
| they don't, Google is free and available for your perusal.
|
| SpamBayes (Free!)
|
http://spambayes.sourceforge.net/
|
| Spamihilator (Free!)
|
http://www.spamihilator.com/
|
| MailWasher
|
http://www.mailwasher.net/
|
| As I said, those are not your only options, but are reliable ones I have
| seen function for hundreds+ people.
|
| Tip (13):
| ADVANCED TIP! Only do this once you are comfortable under the hood of
your
| computer!
|
| There are lots of services on your PC that are probably turned on by
default
| you don't use. Why have them on? Check out these web pages to see what
all
| of the services you might find on your computer are and set them according
| to your personal needs. Be CAREFUL what you set to manual, and take heed
| and write down as you change things! Also, don't expect a large
performance
| increase or anything - especially on today's 2+ GHz machines, however - I
| look at each service you set to manual as one less service you have to
worry
| about someone exploiting.
|
| Service Configuration Tips
|
http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/xptweaks/supertweaks6.htm
|
| Configuring Services
|
http://smallvoid.com/tweak/winnt/services.html
|
| Task List Programs
|
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm
|
| Processes in Windows NT/2000/XP
|
http://www.reger24.de/prozesse/
|
| There are also applications that AREN'T services that startup when you
start
| up the computer/logon. One of the better description on how to handle
these
| I have found here:
|
| Startups
|
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php
|
|
| If you follow the advice laid out above (and do some of your own research
as
| well, so you understand what you are doing) - your computer will stay
fairly
| stable and secure and you will have a more trouble-free system.
|
| --
| Shenan Stanley
| MS-MVP
| --
| How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
|
|
|
