Four hours. That's how long it took me to prepare my new notebook computer for the workaday world. And that includes restoring all my data files and e-mail.
I've got the process down to 12 steps:
Step 1: Establish a network connection.
My computer is pretty useless without an Internet link. (Well, less useless than it was before Google Gears arrived; more on that in Step 12 below.) I discovered this fact last fall when I was networkless in the wilds of southeastern Maine. Getting on my home's wireless network was a breeze using Vista's Network and Sharing Center. Click "Connect to a network" in the left pane, choose your network, click Connect, enter your network's password, and click Connect again.
I described my search for a solution to a recurring wireless-network problem in a post from last July. Microsoft's Help and Support site offers help with XP wireless-connection glitches and Vista wireless woes.
Step 2: Update Windows.
No matter how recently the machine's version of Windows was installed, there's probably an important security patch--perhaps several--waiting for it on the Microsoft Update site. To download and install it, click Start > All Programs > Windows Update. The Microsoft service will determine whether your system is missing any critical updates.
Step 3: Download Firefox.
It's ironic that the one and only time I'm likely to open Internet Explorer is to download Mozilla's Firefox browser. (Actually, I need to use IE to restore my online data backups; see Step 11 below.) Then I used Firefox to download the Opera and Google Chrome browsers as well. You never know when you're going to need another browser, and they don't cost anything.
Step 4: Download NoScript.
Giorgio Maone's NoScript script-blocking plug-in (donationware) is the one-and-only Firefox add-on I consider mandatory. The program lets you block scripts on a site-by-site and source-by-source basis.
Step 5: Install security software.
Personally, I prefer the convenience and relative simplicity of an all-in-one security suite. However, lots of PC users want to avoid the heavy-handedness of security suites from such big-name vendors as Symantec and McAfee. Choosing best-of-breed antivirus, antispyware, and software-firewall programs gives you more control over your security settings. However, using multiple security utilities increases the chances of a conflicts with Windows.
People tend to have strong opinions about their security software. The fact is, a security configuration that works great on one person's PC will crash and burn someone else's system. You have to experiment to find the right security-software strategy for your machine and tastes.
Step 6: Download and install your bookmarks from Delicious.
Last October, I described how to upload your bookmarks to the Delicious bookmark site. To export your bookmarks from Delicious, click Settings in the top-right corner of the Delicious site, choose Export/Backup Bookmarks in the Bookmarks section, and click Export.
Export your Delicious bookmarks to your new PC via the site's Export options.
(Credit: Delicious)To add the bookmarks to Firefox, click Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks > Import and Backup > Import HTML. In the Import HTML wizard, choose From an HTML File, click Next, browse to and select the file you just exported from Delicious, and click Open. Your bookmarks should be back where they belong.
Step 7: Clear out the trialware.
There are plenty of utilities that will help you remove the trialware versions of programs that your PC vendor likely loaded onto your hard drive. I use Piriform's free CCleaner for this and other system-maintenance chores. CCleaner makes it easy to uninstall the adware and other programs your system can do without.
Click Tools in the left pane, choose Uninstall, select the programs you want to remove one at a time, and click Run Uninstaller on the right side of the program window. You can also use CCleaner to pare down the list of apps that start automatically with Windows, among other useful tools in the program.
Step 8: Customize your desktop.
I like an iconless desktop, but that doesn't keep me from having easy access to the items I place on my desktop. I'd rather choose them from a Desktop menu that pops out of the taskbar. To clear the icons from the desktop, right-click anywhere on it, choose View, and deselect Show Desktop Icons.
Now right-click the taskbar, uncheck Lock the Taskbar, and choose Toolbars > Desktop. Drag the Desktop toolbar to the right--toward the notification area (aka the system tray)--until only the word "Desktop" and the double chevron are showing. To reach one of your desktop items, click the double chevron and select it from the menu that pops up.
My next stop is the Web Museum, where I choose my desktop wallpaper. Once you find a painting you like (and that generally matches your desktop dimensions), right-click it and choose Set as Desktop Background (in Firefox). Click Stretch to ensure that the picture will fill your screen. Just be sure you don't violate any copyrights for the artwork you select.
Step 9: Install and update Office (optional).
This is the step I would like to skip, but for now, my work requires that I have Office on my system. Installing Office 2007 from disc is one of the most time-consuming of the 12 steps, in part because you have to install Service Pack 1 via Microsoft Update after the disc installation completes. One of these days....
Step 10: Download your Outlook mail.
I have my ISP e-mail account set to save all messages on the server, so once I create the new account in Outlook, all my mail downloads automatically. Likewise, I use the Flexadex online contact manager, which I described in a post last month. Flexadex lets you export your contacts as a .csv file that you can import to Outlook.
Once you have the .csv file saved locally, open Outlook, click File > Import and Export > Import from another program or file > Next > Comma Separated Values (Windows) > Next. Browse to and select the .csv file, click Next, choose Contacts in the folder tree, click Next again, choose the appropriate fields for the data (if necessary), and click Finish. Your contacts may require a little cleanup, but the process beats relying on Outlook for your contacts backup (in my humble opinion).
Step 11: Download your online data backup.
I use the IDrive online-backup service, which does a good job of backing up my data in the background. To restore a backup, log into your account on the IDrive site (using Internet Explorer--the service doesn't support Firefox, unfortunately), choose Folder Restore, and follow the prompts.
Step 12: Download Google Gears.
I waited a long time for Google's offline component to support Gmail, which finally arrived early last month. The service also lets you work with your Google Docs & Spreadsheets and other Web services without an Internet connection. I'm happy to report that I haven't yet needed offline access to my Gmail account or other online services, but I know it's only a matter of time. With Gears in place, I'll be ready for my next network failure. Well, sort of.
My previous post on free alternatives to Windows' built-in utilities confused the Windows Firewall with Windows Defender, which protects against viruses. (My thanks to the folks who pointed out the error.)
The fact is, I stopped paying attention to both programs a long time ago. First, I decided security is too important to leave up to Microsoft. Second, I can do without the hassle of managing separate applications for various security tasks. To me, the time I recover repays the cost of a security suite many times over.
So what's wrong with the Windows Firewall? It doesn't monitor outbound connections by default, and not at all in Windows XP. You can change some Windows Firewall settings in the Security Center (click Windows Firewall in the left pane and then choose "Change settings"). However, the majority of firewall settings are accessed via the Administrative Tools Control Panel applet, which you can open in Vista by pressing the Windows key, typing wf.msc, and pressing Enter.
The Windows Firewall with Advanced Security applet lets you customize the security program's rules.
(Credit: Microsoft)The best reason to use a third-party firewall is because they're clearly better than the Windows Firewall, and several are free. Top Windows Tutorials compares the XP and Vista versions of the Windows Firewall to the ZoneAlarm and Outpost firewalls. (Note that the free version of the Outpost Firewall is no longer supported.)
The top-rated firewall in Matousec Security's most recent shootout is the free Online Armor Personal Firewall, which was the only product to merit a rating of "excellent." Seven other software firewalls were rated "very good," two of which are also free.
You'll find technical details about the Windows Firewall in this Microsoft TechNet article and information on customizing the program in this article on the same site.
Microsoft offers a troubleshooting tool for the Windows Firewall in XP. If you're having problems with Vista's built-in firewall, check out this troubleshooting guide on Microsoft's TechNet site.
Three years ago, I attempted to condense PC security into 10 steps you could finish in about an hour. After a recent false-positive on a virus scan, I returned to that advice and realized that those tips are sorely out of date.
I'll re-examine the first three tips here and will cover the rest in posts later this week.
Step one: Set Windows to download and install updates automatically.
I don't do that anymore. Windows updates often cause problems, so I set Windows to download but not install updates. Then I wait a couple of days before actually applying the patches to see whether there are any reports of problems related to the fix. If all is quiet on the update front, I install the patches. I don't have to worry about forgetting because Windows will keep a little update icon in my system tray.
To change your Automatic Update settings in XP, click Start > Control Panel > Security Settings (in Category view) > Automatic Updates. Select "Download updates for me, but let me decide when to install them" and click OK. You'll find more about XP's automatic-update settings on Microsoft's Help site.
To access Vista's update controls, press the Windows key, type windows update, and press Enter. Click "Change settings" in the left pane, choose "Download updates but let me choose whether to install them," and click OK.
Set Vista to download updates but let you decide whether to install them via Windows Update's Change Settings dialog.
(Credit: Microsoft)Step two: Visit the Windows Update site (or Microsoft Update, as the case may be) to download updates manually if the PC has been off for a long while.
Perhaps a better destination for your first stop after an extended period offline is Secunia's Online Software Inspector or free Personal Software Inspector.
Both the online scan and downloaded program will check Windows and many applications on your PC to ensure that you're using the latest versions available. The client-based scan recognizes more programs than the Web-based service.
Step three: Enable Windows' built-in firewall.
This tip is way out-of-date. On the good side, the defenses built into Windows XP and Vista have improved considerably over the last three years. Unfortunately, they haven't improved enough to trust the safety of your system and private information to Windows alone. In my opinion, you simply have to use a security suite.
In the absence of a commercial security suite, you should activate the firewall and other security features in Windows Defender. But that's just not good enough. There are plenty of free antivirus programs, bidirectional firewalls, and anti-spyware programs. You'll also find a lot of security add-ons for the Firefox browser.
The problem is in managing several different security programs, any of which could conflict with some other app on your PC or with Windows itself. That's one of the principal advantages of a security suite: you can be pretty sure the various components will work well together, and you're dealing with only one vendor, for better or worse.
You can compare the virus-detecting ability of various security programs by perusing AVTest's most recent results, which include tests of the 2009 editions of most big-name security apps.
Next up are steps four, five, and six, which include keeping your browser safe. That will be the subject of my next post.
When the free trial of the security software that shipped with my Vista PC expired, I decided to uninstall it and give the free versions of competing antivirus and firewall programs a try. For some reason, this caused my Internet connection to drop intermittently.
When I uninstalled the new programs and ponied up for the full version of the security suite, the network outages ceased. I never did figure out why my system didn't take to the new security apps, but the hassles I avoided by taking the suite approach to security justified the cost of the program.
The experience got me thinking about whether I need any antivirus software at all. I've got a near-real-time backup service that saves my data files regularly, and I don't usually frequent the Internet's dicier locations.
Ultimately, I decided that security software is really PC insurance. Even careful, cautious, tech-savvy people can fall prey to a malware attack. It would take only one thwarted infection for the program to prove its worth. And sticking with a single security vendor whose products are proven effective is the best way I know to reduce the chances of compatibility problems.
In PC World's most recent review of security suites, Symantec's $70 Norton Internet Security finished a couple of notches above the $80 Kaspersky Internet Security and $70 McAfee Internet Security Suite.
Sometimes it's okay to put down your defenses
Most security programs have some components that are always active. This robs your system some processing power and memory. Just how much processing power and memory depends on the program and how it's configured.
When you're running an application that requires all the system resources your PC can muster, you can reclaim a few by temporarily closing your antivirus program. The fastest way to do this may be to right-click its icon in the system tray and choose Exit or Close. It's a good idea to keep your firewall running at all times, but if none of your open apps have an Internet link active, you can do without virus protection.
If your browser fails to open certain sites or your network link starts acting up in some other way, a short-term solution may be to shut down your security program temporarily. (You can also try clearing your browser's cache.) If closing the security app restores the network connection, add the balky sites to the program's white list of safe Web destinations.
Wikipedia's antivirus page provides loads of background on the programs. Of particular interest are the page's "Issues of concern" and "Effectiveness" sections (scroll down to find them).
About five years ago I installed the family version of Symantec's Norton Internet Security software on one of my PCs, rendering the machine unusable. Not only couldn't I get any access to the Internet, it was impossible to uninstall the program. I ended up having to reinstall the operating system and all my applications--except Norton Internet Security. At the time I said I would never again install a Symantec security program on any PC, but about a year ago I bought a PC that came with 90 days of Norton 360, and the program won me over. When the free trial period was over I even coughed up $80 for a year's subscription. Apart from the frequent nags about my need to back up (I prefer to use my own manual backup strategy), I'm happy with the Norton 360.
Now the other side of the coin: I've used CheckPoint's ZoneAlarm firewall--both the free and pro versions--for many years, and on many different PCs. The program would occasionally prevent a legitimate program from performing some operation, but on those rare instances I merely shut the firewall down long enough to complete the task, and then turned it back on. No problem.
Until this morning, that is. I spent four hours trying to update a Web site via ftp, only to be told that access to my ISP's ftp server was denied. I tried using the WS_FTP Pro ftp program, Windows Explorer, Firefox, and even a WYSIWYG Web editor, but nothing could get through to the server. I could access the remote system on another PC on my network, but I wanted to avoid having to move the files in question to that PC to complete the transfer. Just last week I had ftp'ed some files without a problem.
After several calls to my blameless ISP, a tech suggested that I uninstall ZoneAlarm. Not just shut it down (which I had already tried), but completely uninstall the app. This struck me as somewhat extreme, but after spending so much time trying to figure out the glitch, I thought it was worth a try. And what do you know: as soon as ZoneAlarm was off the system, I could access the ftp server without a hitch.
Customize your firewall's ftp access using these settings in the free Comodo Firewall Pro.
I suppose I could try to figure out why ZoneAlarm all of a sudden threw a monkey wrench into my server access, but it's quicker and simpler to rely on another free firewall. My ISP's tech guy said he trusted the firewall built into XP, which he claims Microsoft has improved tremendously. But its protection is one way: it doesn't monitor traffic from the PC to the Internet, just stuff inbound. Instead, I loaded the free Comodo Firewall Pro, which also scans your system for viruses, spyware, and other threats. Since I use a remote-access service to log into this PC while on the road, I chose to review requests for incoming connections rather than to block them automatically, which means I'll have to click through a few more pop-ups. But for me this is a small price to pay for the added convenience of remote access.
After you install the Comodo firewall it starts to train itself.
After you install the program and reboot, Comodo "learns" your system, running through the standard processes and services. It also learns as you open your browser and other network-connecting applications for the first time. Once its training is complete, you can click the Comodo icon in the system tray to view your blocked and allowed connections, as well as other traffic data. You also get a snapshot of your running applications, and your choice of five security and alert-frequency settings.
Get a snapshot of your system security on the Comodo Firewall Pro's summary page.
So what did my morning in tech-support hell teach me? First, that my ISP's tech support staff is worth their weight in gold (even if I did assume at first that it was all their fault). Second, that I'm glad there's a myriad of free options when it comes to PC security software. Third, that things change quickly in the computer world, and it doesn't pay to be glued to your assumptions. And fourth, if a program encounters a problem accessing the Internet, check for a conflict with your security software before you get on the horn to your ISP's tech support.
Tomorrow: tweak Windows XP for optimum performance.
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