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If this guide is distributed it is furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with
the terms of such license. Except as permitted by any such license, no part of this guide may be Introduction...................................................................................... 2
reproduced. This guide may be stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise. Please note that the content in this guide is protected Notational Conventions ................................................................. 2
under copyright law.
Mintywhite will not be responsible for damages to your computer, software, or data resulting from use of Security 101 .................................................................................. 2
information contained in this document.
The content of this guide is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and How to Avoid Malware ...................................................................... 4
should not be construed as a commitment by Windows Guides. Windows Guides and Microsoft Corp Keep Your Computer up to Date ....................................................... 4
assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in the informational
content contained in this guide or for any damages resulting from use of the information contained herein. Keep Your Browser up to Date........................................................... 4
Please remember that existing artwork or images that you may want to include in your project may be
protected under copyright law. The unauthorized incorporation of such material into your new work could Internet Explorer ........................................................................... 4
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Mintywhite, Windows Guides, and the Windows Guides logo are trademarks of mintywhite.com
Microsoft, Windows and Office are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the Install Good Antimalware .................................................................. 5
property of their respective owners.
AVG Internet Security .................................................................... 5
What Do I Get If I Use the Coupon? ............................................. 6
ESET Smart Security ....................................................................... 6
About the Author System Scanning ........................................................................ 6
Scheduled Protection ................................................................. 7
Rich Robinson is the author and creator of Windows Guides, Harm Prevention ........................................................................ 7
Windows Forums, and MyWindowsPC. Rich is a Microsoft MVP in Harm Protection ......................................................................... 8
the Desktop Experience category and authored Windows 7 –The Resource Usage ......................................................................... 9
Pocket Guide, Windows Vista – The Pocket Guide, and Windows Real-time Status ........................................................................ 9
Vista – Customization Manual. His hobbies include spending In Conclusion .............................................................................. 10
time with family, web design, programming, running, soccer,
Put Your Antimalware to the Test ................................................ 10
skiing, and swimming.
AVG ......................................................................................... 11
See more books Rich authored. ESET ....................................................................................... 11
Backup Your Data Online ................................................................ 11
Online Data Backup ..................................................................... 11
MozyHome Features .................................................................... 12
Download Mozy for Free .............................................................. 13
What Next? ..................................................................................... 13
About this Handbook ...................................................................... 13
Click: move the cursor to the referenced item and press the left
This handbook is designed to help you find ways to protect mouse button.
your Windows XP/Vista/7 PC and ensure your data is safe. I get
countless emails from site visitors who ask about the best anti- Press: push on a keyboard key.
virus software, firewall program, backup utilities etc. and there Select: choose from a list.
are often questions in the forums of a similar nature.
Blue Links: Links to external websites.
I set up PCs for companies, friends, and family; the advice I
give in this manual is what I use when building any PC. My tips
Security 101
are tried and tested and have left hundreds of people satisfied
with the way their computer works. I hope you too can follow Many terms in this handbook may be new to you; I make every
these instructions and enjoy an error-free, spyware-free, and effort to explain things in a simple manner that is easy to
speedy PC. digest. Before we begin with solutions, I present some key
terms and phrases that will assist you as you work your way
The purpose of this book is not to define the ultimate solution; through the rest of this handbook. These phrases are
its purpose is to give you simple, unbiased advice on what I’ve commonly thrown out in conversation and in online discussion
found to be the best options out there. In this handbook, I only forums, but it’s hard to know exactly what they mean.
give advice and share programs that I’ve used for at least a
year. Some programs seem good when you first use them, but Malware – The generic term used for all forms of software
quickly annoy you or slow down your PC. designed with malicious intent. Viruses, worms, spyware etc.
are all forms of malware. The term virus is often used when
If you have any questions about PC security or PCs in general, malware should really be used as it describes all forms of
you can head to Windows Forums where you’ll find friendly, malicious software.
knowledgeable members who are happy to assist in your
learning. If you disagree with anything in this handbook, please Virus – A computer virus acts very much like a human virus.
join us also and share your solutions. Human viruses are spread, via thumb drives, floppy discs,
network connections etc., to other PCs. Viruses need a host
(like a free screensaver program) to spread. By pure definition:
Notational Conventions
a virus has the ability to spread itself, via a host, to other
In this handbook, I have used these notational conventions: computers.
Italic: Text from the current dialogue you are working with. Worm – A worm is much like a virus. The key difference is
Bold: the name of a keyboard key. worms can spread between PCs without a host (free
screensaver program, downloaded game etc.) These programs
Adware – Like spyware, adware is software that may track Real-time Scanning – Good antimalware programs scan files in
visited websites and act as a key logger. Adware tracks this real time; as you download, copy, and install files on to your
information to automatically display downloaded or installed computer, your antimalware program will scan these files for
adverts to a user. You may wonder why you are being offered infections and malicious code. You should only have one real-
“PC Super Anti Spyware 2011” when using your PC; this is time scanner installed at any time—otherwise they will conflict
adware at work. AIM, FlashGet, Deamon Tools, and RealPlayer as they compete to scan the same files.
are all examples of adware.
Now you have your jargon set straight, you’ll learn how to avoid
Backdoor - A backdoor is a point of access to a computer that malware, some specific steps to ensure you are protected, and
does not require authentication. An unlocked house back door how to protect your files from data loss.
gives access to an otherwise secure home; a computer
backdoor allows access to your PC without your knowledge or
permission.
As this is your security 101 class, I won’t bore you with the
details—I’ll get straight to the point. AVG protects you from:
3. If updates are available, follow the on-screen
instructions. • Web browsing threats.
• Targeted hacker attacks.
• Viruses and spyware.
Install Good Antimalware From AVG’s homepage:
AVG helps you stay safe while you shop, bank online
In this section, I recommend antimalware software that I’ve
watch videos, search or surf the web, download
used for years. I highly recommend these programs and am
music, documents and pictures, and email or chat.
confident they will protect your PC and minimize system
Every document or file you download, every web page or
slowdowns, which are an all-too-common side effect of
link you click on, is scanned by AVG before you open it.
security software.
Unlike other security products, we stop the threats
The two programs I recommend are AVG Internet Security and before they reach your hard drive and become a
ESET Smart Security. Both of these are paid programs; however, problem. Safe internet surfing is now possible.
I really feel you get what you pay for and will not be
AVG Internet Security also comes with a Firewall, which relies
disappointed by either choice. AVG also has a free version and
on existing data to determine whether a connection attempt is
ESET gives you a 30-day trial, which I recommend you take
a threat.
before paying for a license. I recommend either of the two
different programs because they will both provide the level of I recommend try AVG Free to start with. If you are satisfied with
protection you need, not bog down your computer, and are how well AVG works, I have a 25% off 1 year subscription to
reasonably priced. You should give both programs a try if you AVG Internet Security coupon for you to use.
are unsure which one to use. However, try them at different
I’ve reviewed ESET in more detail here. For sake of brevity, I’ll The system scanning is both quick and efficient and in, in my
explain the best details in this handbook. opinion, quicker than any other virus program I’ve ever used.
You are shown a simple interface while the system scans your
When you first start the program, you will be presented with files, which is an improvement over many programs which
the simple menu. You can enable the advanced menu by show an elaborate display when checking your computer.
clicking at the bottom of the main menu. The interface for this
program is simple and intuitive with a clean dashboard that
shows you the most recent statistics from the program. From
the main menu, you can see the status of the different modules
of ESET Smart Security. If you are going to use this program, I
Real-time Status
The final aspect of ESET I want to cover is the virus radar. While
this may not be useful to you, it’s nice to see that ESET are
monitoring current threats and sharing them with you so you
can keep an eye out for any suspicious activity on your PC.
Resource Usage
Virus checkers are a notoriously bloated and slow your system
down to a halt when I running a scan. Many people who use
ESET hold it high because it uses such low system resources.
I’ve never completely tested this rely on the fact my computer
still runs just fine when the scans are running. For this review, I
decided to run a deep system scan and monitor system
resources. The results of this experiment are shown below
(click to enlarge):
Paste the following text into Notepad and save the text file to
your desktop:
X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*
In Conclusion
ESET Smart Security 4.0 is an excellent program and I You should see the following:
recommend it to everyone. You can download a 30 day trial
from ESET’s website here. You can also buy it with a 25%
discount here.
You can specify what types of files to backup or specify MozyHome Features
folders— it’s up to you:
• Open/locked file support: Mozy will back up your
documents whether they're open or closed.
• 128-bit SSL encryption: The same technology used by
banks secures your data during the backup process.
• 448-bit Blowfish encryption: Secures your files while in
storage, providing peace of mind that your private data
is safe from hackers.
• Automatic: Schedule the times to back up and
MozyHome does the rest.
• New and changed file detection: MozyHome finds and
saves the smallest changes.
• Backs up Outlook files: Disaster-proof email protection.
• Block-level incremental backup: After the initial backup,
MozyHome only backs up files that have been added or
changed, making subsequent backups lightning fast.
What Next?