Some Hard-earned Advice to New XP users.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Buddy B buddyb
  • Start date Start date
B

Buddy B buddyb

After installing, or getting a new cpr with xp, strongly recommend you
do the following before going online:
1. install a firewall. Zone Alarm has a free one that has a good rep.
free
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp

2. a.Install a good anti-virus program. I use F-prot for Windows and it
does a fine job on mail and programs. $35 per year and worth it.
www.f-prot.com

b. KAspersky`s Antiviral Toolkit Pro is another good one ( I use
both).
http://www.avp.ch/E/dlwin35.stm
KAV AVP 3.5
for Windows95/98/ME/NT workstation/win2000 workstation
Swiss/International Distribution archives, Metropolitan
Network BBS Inc.
This is the most popular vers (according to posters in trhe .virus
newsgroups due to being smaller and still very effective).
There are newer versions.


3. RUN the AV program on all your hard drives.

4. Get ALL MS critical and highly recommended windows updates that
apply to your cpr with the AV running.

5. NOW you can go on the web and surf, probably fairly safely.
If you use Internet Explorer there are some things that you should do to
make to make the use safer but I can`t help you.
Check several of MS newsgroups about XP.


Regards Buddy B
 
This is a bit dated but valid none the less
http://www.nwinternet.com/~pchelp/security/advice.htm

I certainly agree that one should protect themselves. Many viruses do not
just affect the system that they have infected but also send themselves out
to others clogging bandwidth and infecting countless other systems. So we
should all be cognizant of the responsibility we have a netziens to ensure
that we do not help to spread these plagues.

However I disagree with the belt and suspender idea that one should run more
than one AV program on the same system at the same time. AV programs operate
at a low level and can end up fighting with each other. This can lead to
system instability. I often wonder how many times when we see posts where
people are complaining about how slow their system is that perhaps they are
running multiple levels of "protection".
 
After installing, or getting a new cpr with xp, strongly recommend you
do the following before going online:
1. install a firewall. Zone Alarm has a free one that has a good rep.
free
Click to expand...
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp

Question here; XP contains it's own firewall that can be selected on or off
at will. I'm not trying to be sarcastic here but, what's the advantage of
another firewall over the default firewall already on the system?
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt
 
The default firewall only protects against incoming attacks but doesn't stop
or even warn when something is being transmitted from the system. Many
spyware applications, trojans and all manner of options within various
applications attempt to transmit from your system. Most other firewalls,
including the free versions will alert the user and provide the option to
stop these outgoing transmissions, XP's built-in firewall does not.
 
Many thanks. Only one additional question on this. I'm puzzled; probably
because I'm not up on this stuff as I should be I guess!
I don't understand how the default protects against incoming and yet you
need another program to protect you from outgoing that wouldn't be there had
the default prevented it from being there.
Is it that the default firewall doesn't protect you from all that's out
there?
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt
 
Simple, the default XP firewall wasn't designed with that feature. Other
firewalls were. You only need one firewall, I'm not suggesting using XP's
firewall in conjunction with another though there are people who do so.
Personally, I turn off XP's firewall and use third party software. XP's
firewall is quit limited, doesn't give much information or much flexibility
and even if it did, it doesn't protect against outgoing transmissions which,
as far as I'm concerned is a fatal flaw.
 
If people properly maintain their systems it is unlikely that they will need
to monitor outbound transmissions.
 
Many programs will try to activate a server function, which
is not needed and does raise some security questions. Zone
Alarm will ask you, at least you know.


| If people properly maintain their systems it is unlikely
that they will need
| to monitor outbound transmissions.
|
| --
|
| Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell\User]
| www.webtree.ca/windowsxp
|
|
message
| | > Many thanks. Only one additional question on this. I'm
puzzled; probably
| > because I'm not up on this stuff as I should be I guess!
| > I don't understand how the default protects against
incoming and yet you
| > need another program to protect you from outgoing that
wouldn't be there
| had
| > the default prevented it from being there.
| > Is it that the default firewall doesn't protect you from
all that's out
| > there?
| > Dudley Henriques
| > International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
| > Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
| > For personal email, please replace
| > the z's with e's.
| > dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt
| > "Michael Solomon (MS-MVP Windows Shell/User)"
| > message | > > The default firewall only protects against incoming
attacks but doesn't
| > stop
| > > or even warn when something is being transmitted from
the system. Many
| > > spyware applications, trojans and all manner of
options within various
| > > applications attempt to transmit from your system.
Most other
| firewalls,
| > > including the free versions will alert the user and
provide the option
| to
| > > stop these outgoing transmissions, XP's built-in
firewall does not.
| > >
| > > --
| > > Michael Solomon MS-MVP
| > > Windows Shell/User
| > > Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
| > > DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
| > >
message
| > > | > > >
| > > > | > > > > After installing, or getting a new cpr with xp,
strongly recommend
| you
| > > > > do the following before going online:
| > > > > 1. install a firewall. Zone Alarm has a free one
that has a good
| rep.
| > > > > free
| > > > >
| > > >
| > >
| >
|
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.js
| > > p
| > > >
| > > > Question here; XP contains it's own firewall that
can be selected on
| or
| > > off
| > > > at will. I'm not trying to be sarcastic here but,
what's the advantage
| > of
| > > > another firewall over the default firewall already
on the system?
| > > > Dudley Henriques
| > > > International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
| > > > Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
| > > > For personal email, please replace
| > > > the z's with e's.
| > > > dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt
| > > >
| > > >
| > >
| > >
| >
| >
|
|
 
Thanks much. This information helps.
D
Michael Solomon (MS-MVP Windows Shell/User) said:
Simple, the default XP firewall wasn't designed with that feature. Other
firewalls were. You only need one firewall, I'm not suggesting using XP's
firewall in conjunction with another though there are people who do so.
Personally, I turn off XP's firewall and use third party software. XP's
firewall is quit limited, doesn't give much information or much flexibility
and even if it did, it doesn't protect against outgoing transmissions which,
as far as I'm concerned is a fatal flaw.

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/


http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.js
Click to expand...
 
I use CA EZAntiVirus with daily updates along with the XP firewall.
I have no idea to what extent this combination protects me, but my scans
come up ok. I think I understand that the spyware stuff won't show up on the
scans or be caught by the AV program however.
D
Harry Ohrn said:
If people properly maintain their systems it is unlikely that they will need
to monitor outbound transmissions.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell\User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp


Dudley Henriques said:
Many thanks. Only one additional question on this. I'm puzzled; probably
because I'm not up on this stuff as I should be I guess!
I don't understand how the default protects against incoming and yet you
need another program to protect you from outgoing that wouldn't be there had
the default prevented it from being there.
Is it that the default firewall doesn't protect you from all that's out
there?
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt
doesn't
stop
Click to expand...
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.js
advantage
of
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
However I disagree with the belt and suspender idea that one should run more
than one AV program on the same system at the same time. AV programs operate
at a low level and can end up fighting with each other. This can lead to
system instability. I often wonder how many times when we see posts where
people are complaining about how slow their system is that perhaps they are
running multiple levels of "protection".
Click to expand...

I wasn`t clear that I don`t run both at the same time.
Only one is the real time protector.
I use both for on demand checks of downloaded files.

Regards Buddy B
 
Personally, I turn off XP's firewall and use third party software. XP's
Click to expand...

That is why I run Zone Alarm. and even though I use spybot and others
weekly, I have been to NON-PORN sites and picked up something I didn`t
want trying to call out, no matter how benign.
I have used God!zilla for years and found out that a newer version
installed a bot that Spybot found and deleted.
I do not like such activity.
I also found one because I was suspicious as to why my computer seemed
to be running more slowly and the CPU was almost always busy.
Spybot found it.

If you want to find out just how secure your computer is go to:
http://grc.com/x/ne.dll?rh1dkyd2

and let it wring out your computer.
Regards Buddy B
 
Many thanks. Only one additional question on this. I'm puzzled;
probably because I'm not up on this stuff as I should be I guess!
I don't understand how the default protects against incoming and yet
you need another program to protect you from outgoing that wouldn't be
there had the default prevented it from being there.
Is it that the default firewall doesn't protect you from all that's
out there?
Click to expand...

A firewall won't protect you from programs you install. Many programs,
especially shareware, come with spyware bundled with them. Spyware are
programs that send data, such as websites visited or even persoanal
information back to the authors. Often, a user isn't even aware that
spyware has gotten on to his system.

A decent firewall will prevent these programs from sending the data (
outgoing packets ) by asking you if you want a certain program to access
the Internet. XP's firewall does not have this capability.

--

David

Programmers write "Help Files" for a reason. use them.

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Graphic violence is advised"

http://www.HeroicStories.com/
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