Terry's Computer Tips - Newsletter
September 23, 2007

Volume 3, Number 15 — Sunday, September 23, 2007

Part 1 | Part 2 

4.  My Computer Security Software Recommendations

Anti-Virus

For your anti-virus needs (and, yes, you do have anti-virus needs!) I recommend anti-virus software from Trend Micro (PC-cillin Internet Security, if you want a combination package) or ESET (NOD32, my choice).

I'm glad to see that Trend Micro has taken a major, user-friendly step with their PC-cillin Internet Security 2007 by licensing it for up to 3 home users. (You can also get a 3-year license.) TrendMicro provides an easy-to-use product that is from one of the big names in the anti-virus world.

I'm often asked about several other popular anti-virus or anti-virus combination packages. Yes, I realize that they are not in my recommendation list. "Enough said..."

My personal choice is the ESET's small, fast NOD32 anti-virus program, which offers a FREE 30-day evaluation license. I consider NOD32 to be the cream of the crop in anti-virus protection. Unlike some of the others, ESET offers multiple-year licenses also, including updates to the program in the multiple-year license.

Many antivirus programs will offer you an anti-virus signature subscription renewal when your subscription renews. I strongly recommend against this option. Vendors routinely improve the capabilities and speed fo the programs also.

If you update only the signatures, you miss any program improvements. Fortunately, NOD32's subscriptions include both program updates and signature updates.

Read more about anti-virus programs on my web site.

Firewall Software

If you get the PC-cillin Internet Security package above, you are covered from a firewall point of view.

While the Windows XP firewall is much better than no firewall at all, don't count on the Windows XP firewall to meet your needs. You need a two-way firewall, which the Windows XP firewall is not!.

The Windows XP firewall does not control outbound communications originating from your computer — and you should want to have control if adware/trojans/spyware or even commercial products want to talk to the Internet.

Do you want Windows Media Player to call home every time you play something? It does! Do you use the Search function in Windows Explorer to find things on your hard drive? Did you know that every time you search, Windows Explorer talks to Microsoft — I didn't know that when I ran ZoneAlarm, but the Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall flags that for me, and I can stop or allow it to happen.

Many other programs call home when you run them, too.

If you don't get either of the above multi-function packages, I recommend my choice for a firewall program is Sunbelt Personal Firewall.

You can try the full-featured "paid version" of Sunbelt Personal Firewall free for 30 days — after that, you can register it or, if you're using it on a home non-business computer, you can let it revert to the free, lesser-function license. Sunbelt Personal Firewall is $19.95 (with discounts for multiple computers!) for a non-expiring license for the program and includes one year of their updates subscription.

Related articles:

• The Internet Versus You
• Do I Need a Firewall Program? articles.

Anti-Spyware / Anti-Adware Software

CounterSpy, from Sunbelt Software, has received many kudos from the computer press for its always-running and periodic full system scans. It is also my personal choice for my PC's and my family's PC's.

Sunbelt released their CounterSpy v2 in early February and I promptly updated my computers to it. Version 2 greatly improved CounterSpy's performance and reduced its load on the computer when it was scanning.

Recently (late July, 2007), Sunbelt released v2.5 of CounterSpy, which again both improved CounterSpy's performance against malware and reduced its impact on system resources and responsiveness when its scanning.

Anti-spam Software

In today's Internet world, the question is not "if" you will get spam, but "how much will you get?"

I use and now I recommend POPFile as my first choice for handling spam. POPFile sits on your computer, between your email program and your ISP mailbox, and handles emial as it downloads.

POPFile uses a different approach to handle spam than some other programs do — it does nothing to reduce spam. It is designed as an email classification tool — you train it to recognize spam and any other type of email that you want to classify. These classifications can help you sort your emails into appropriate folders in your email program.

Sunbelt Software, who makes the anti-spyware program CounterSpy (which I use and recommend) and the firewall that I use and recommend (Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall) also has a well-regarded, award-winning anti-spam program called iHateSpam for Outlook and Outlook Express. Since I don't use Outlook or Outlook Express for email, I haven't tried iHateSpam.

Mailwasher Pro is my first choice to handle spam before it ever gets into your computer's Inbox. Mailwasher Pro uses on-line Realtime Black Lists mail servers sending spam recently, "training" by you of what you think is spam, and your own "friends" and "blacklist" lists.

Mailwasher Pro can even bounce spam messages, as if your email address was not valid, although the usefulness and appropriateness of this is questionable. There is a free version called "Mailwasher," but it omits the functions that I consider critical for this purpose -- such as safely previewing the emails safely before they ever get to your email inbox.

Cable/DSL Router

If you have a cable modem or a DSL modem, you need to have another layer of inexpensive protection between you and the Internet. A cable/DSL router isolates your computer from direct connection to the Internet. Your computer can easily request your email, web pages, etc. through the router. The responses come back to the router and are smoothly routed to your computer. But, someone on the Internet side of the router can not initiate a connection to your computer — they can only respond to your request.

Even if you only have one computer to connect to your cable or DSL modem, I recommend that you purchase and use a cable/DSL router because of the protection it can give you against attempts to attack through some flaws in Windows itself.

A router isolates your local network, whether it is only one computer or several, from the Internet by actually making it a separate network. The router gets the "public" IP address and handles all your outbound communications and the responses to them. But, it blocks computers on the Internet side from being able to initiate communications with your computer! This will prevent you from falling prey to many worms that try to attack security holes in Windows itself.

For a wireless router, I recommend the Linksys WRT54G wireless router. I'm using the relatively new version 6 of this router.

If you don't want wireless, I recommend the Linksys BEFSR41 wired router. Either way, based on my experience, I recommend Linksys routers for price, reliability and Linksys' habit of releasing updated firmware for their products..

See these related articles:

• Wireless Security
• Wi-Fi Hotspots and Computer Security
• Wireless Networking Problems & Wireless Networking Security

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5.  Feedback from Readers

Subscriber Alan Minnear of New Zealand wrote after last week's issue to suggest a password storage alternative:

Re passwords and using a PDA. Have you tried RoboForm? I.ve been using it for 2 or 3 years and its great. A master password unlocks all the others you need. WWW. roboform.com

I took a quick look at Roboform, but it wasn't what I need right now. Roboform is mainly a PC application and is designed to make your life with web browsing and passwords much easier. There is a version for PalmOS PDA's like I use and one for Pocket PC's, too.

The PalmOS version has a password generator and will synchronize with the PC version. However, it only allows display of existing Roboform data (e.g., passwords), not editing the data.

I have several friends who, like Alan, have used Roboform for years and love it.

---

Long-time subscriber Janusz Lukasiak also wrote about my password article:

Dear Terry,
In your recent newsletter you wrote: "Is there a way to have the encryption/decryption happen automatically in any program?". Call me stupid, but I don't see why automatic encryption and decryption is such a desirable feature. If I get hold of a secret file of yours and I can decrypt it automatically, without being asked for a password, what's the point in encrypting it in the first place ???

Am I missing something obvious here ?

Kind regards
Janusz Lukasiak

Good question. As you point out, decrypting automatically without asking for the password is useless.

I really meant to ask if there is a way that every program can handle an decrypting and encrypting a file, by stopping to ask for the decryption or encryption password when you access it.

I don't know of a program to add to Windows to make that happen.

Janusz wrote back to tell me about whole-disk encryption options:

If you do a websearch for 'disc encryption' you'll find a multitude of offerings (usually for $$$...). Of course this means the whole disc is protected which may be an overkill for ordinary users, OTOH you have to give the password only once.

---

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6.  HOWTO: Stopping Blue Screen of Death Reboots

Reader Russ Tinley wrote about a strange problem he was having:

Terry, My computer is connected to a Verizon DSL Modem, and everytime I connect the modem to my PC I get a blue screen and the system reboots. I called Verizon and they replaced my Modem but it still does it. So I called adn they said that my computer must be the problem, so just to test it I plugged my Notebook directly to the DSL modem and same blue screen. I called Verizon and they are giving me the run around saying it is my hard ware. Can you give me any tips on what I should look for or how to work with Verizon to get this corrected. Thank you, Russ

Russ had a strange problem. But, let's look at the pieces:

1. the original modem caused the bluescreen/reboot on your desktop.
2. Verizon replaced the modem
3. The desktop still does it with the new modem.
4. The notebook also does it when connected to the modem.

So, you've got two computers doing it with two modems.

I suspect the cable that connects the modem to the computer. I assume this is an Ethernet cable -- it's possible that the cable is shorted internally (run over by a desk chair too many times, for example) or such. I think I'd try another Ethernet cable.

Once you solve the problem, put a router between your computer and the dsl modem. I recommend that for anyone connected to a cable or dsl modem, even if they're only connecing one computer.

Here are a few of my articles on the subject:

• Why Use a Router?
• Using a Router With Cable or DSL

Also, Windows by default will blue-screen on certain errors and automatically reboot. Unfortunately, the reboot happens so fast you don't have a chance to see what error is displayed. Fortunately, you can prevent the automatic reboot so you can have a chance to read the blue screen:

Follow this route:
Start > Control Panel > System > Advanced > Startup and Recovery Settings
then, uncheck "Automatically restart"

(click on the image for a larger version)

Russ subsequently replaced the Ethernet cable and added a router to his system. At that point, his computers worked fine with the router, so he knew they weren't damaged.

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Part 1 | Part 2 

Volume 3, Number 15 — Sunday, September 23, 2007

Copyright © 2007 Terry A. Stockdale.  All rights reserved.

 

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