Terry's Computer Tips - Newsletter
August 10, 2008
Terry's Computer Tips Newsletter
http://www.terryscomputertips.com
A computer tips newsletter for users of PC's.
Volume 4, Number 9 — Sunday, August 10, 2008
IN THIS ON-LINE ISSUE:
1. First Look At VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware
2. Wireless Printer Setup Problem
3. My Computer Security Software Recommendations
4. Tabs in Firefox versus Tabs in Internet Explorer 7
5. Recommend my Terry's Computer Tips Newsletter to Your Friends
My emailed newsletter is sent weekly to individuals who have subscribed to the newsletter.
Click here to subscribe. It's free!
Welcome to the on-line edition of my Terry's Computer Tips newsletter.
Sponsored Advertisement
Swift...Nimble...Relentless...ESET NOD32 Anti-virus v3.0
NOD32 has consistently been rated as one of the best protections against
zero-day outbreaks and attacks. Multi-computer & multi-year discounts.
Click here to save 25% on NOD32 Anti-virus
1. First Look At VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware
This week, I began my evaluation period on Sunbelt Software's new VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware program. I was promptly shocked.
I had read several reviews about VIPRE and had read phrases like "high performance" and "low resources." I had even read comments that where the writer said that VIPRE was virtually unnoticeable on their computer and that their computer suddenly had more speed that it had in a long time.
Naturally, I discounted those comments and claims, thinking that they were advertising exaggeration and hyperbole. They usually compare the computer's performance to when it had been running one of the big-name suites, so that wasn't too surprising any way.
I was shocked when I installed VIPRE on my notebook computer. I saw for myself that VIPRE didn't interfere with my activities. My computer really was faster with VIPRE, even faster than the speedy combination of CounterSpy and NOD32.
One evening I even ran a deep scan of my whole hard drive while I continued to do other things on my computer — like web browsing, email, Excel, web page editing, Usenet news reading, and other of my typical evening computer activities. I had no desire to stop VIPRE and let it run later — and that's amazing!
Tech Tip
Sometimes I get emails from readers who want to know if they should drop a particular product and buy the one I use and recommend. Note the term "use and recommend" — if I don't use it, I won't recommend it.
Let's take a look at some of the screens that we see in VIPRE.
First, we see the main control screen in VIPRE, with the default Overview tab selected. A click on any of the checkmarks opens the Settings dialog box, which is used for setting most of the program's options.
We also can see the date, time and type (deep, quick or custom) of scan — not just the most recent, but also the next one scheduled. We can see whether Active Protection is enabled or not (a click gives us a dialog box to set options), whether Email Protection is turned off or on (inbound and outbound are separately controlled), Updates status, and Subscription status (I hae 8 more days in the 15 day fully-functional free trial).
In the right image, we see the Manage tab, which lets us view the history, act on the items in Quarantine (including return items from quarantine or delete them from your system), act on items that are Always Blocked or Always Allowed, and schedule automated scans of your computer.
 (click on the image for a larger version)
|
 (click on the image for a larger version) |
Now let's take a look at the details when VIPRE finds a file it thinks is suspicious. In this case, because of the things that Spinrite 6.0 (which is a legitimate hard disk maintenance program from Gibson Research) does, VIPRE has identified it as suspicious and wants me to tell it whether to block it or to allow it.
The program does not run in Windows, though, so why is it being flagged? It's because I had opened the file's directory using Windows Explorer. If the computer even touches a file, the file is scanned for viruses, trojans and other malware.
In addition to asking me whether to block the program (if I block it, VIPRE will Quarantine the file) or to allow it to stay where it is, VIPRE gives me another tip. The following dialog box advises me to run a deep scan to look for other problems.
 (click on the image for a larger version) |
 (click on the image for a larger version) |
Now, let's see the information that was available in the Show Details... link in the Attention! message above.
The first box tells us that the warning was triggered by a file access. The next box tells us which program was operating and tried to access the file. The final box identifies the program and it's location on the computer.
 (click on the image for a larger version) |
 (click on the image for a larger version) |
The final box identifies the program and it's location on the computer.
 (click on the image for a larger version) |
Now, let's look at the other end of the spectrum — a trojan program that arrived as a zipped attachment to an email. There are several variations going around right now, including an eticket receipt, a claim notice for a package at UPS and others.
In the left-hand image, we see VIPRE's Quarantine management image (accessed by selecting the Manage tab and then Quarantine). We can see at this point that identified a commercial keylogger (which is in a zipped file), a trojan spyware (which is in a zipped file) and a trojan downloader program (also in a zipped file). The two trojans arrived as attachments to recent emails.
Tech Tip
A "trojan" is a program that is presented or portrays itself as doing one thing, while it really does something else, usually of a malicious nature. A "trojan downloader" is a trojan that exists to automatically download other nasty malware onto your computer.
In the left image, I selected the trojan downloader and clicked on the Risk Details... button. The right image shows the information about the item, including which file on my computer has the trojan in it.
In the left image, I can then choose to Restore from Quarantine (which I did on the two entries for Spinrite.exe, which I had given different file names) or Delete from Computer. I chose to delete the keylogger and the two trojans.
This was excellent evidence that VIPRE could recognize malware even when it was within a zip file and with different file names.
 (click on the image for a larger version)
|
 (click on the image for a larger version) |
I haven't upgraded my CounterSpy copy to VIPRE yet, but I have uninstalled it and also the NOD32 antivirus that I've used routinely for the last five years. My real question, though, is whether I'll upgrade only my notebook to VIPRE now, or whether I'll go ahead and upgrade my other computers at the same time.
VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware is $29.95 for one year/one computer, with discounts for multiple computers and/or multiple years. An Unlimited Home Site License, only $49.95 for a year, is good for all your home computers at one location. At this point, I believe that VIPRE will be on all my Windows computers within the next few months, when my other licenses expire.
I continue to use the "paid version" of Sunbelt Personal Firewall to provide for all my family's firewall needs.
2. Wireless Printer Setup Problem
This week, I received a question from a site visitor who was having a problem setting up her new wireless printer. She asked:
I just bought a wireless lexmark printer for my laptop. I didn't know I needed a wireless router. Could I use a wireless card? I don't know the difference between a wireless router and a wireless card. Thank you!
A wireless printer is a nice choice for a lot of people. You can eliminate the cables. You don't have to have the printer close to your computer. You can easily share the printer with other computers, too.
On the negative side, it's just not as easy as using a printer that is connected to your computer by a USB cable, or connected to another computer on your network, or even one of the types that are stand-alone printers on a network.
First, you have to establish an actual IP address for the wireless printer and it has to be an address on your network. You don't have a network? You will if you want to use a wireless printer! Lexmark has several wireless multi-function printers that use the 802.11b and 802.11g "Wi-Fi" wireless networking protocols in order to communicate. Several also can use USB connections in case you don't want to use wireless.
Anyway, if you're going to use them wirelessly, you will have to create a wireless network. The easiest way, by far, is to get a wireless router. The router includes a built-in DHCP server, which will assign IP addresses to your computer and printer. You connect the router to your DSL or cable connection.
Tech Tip
If you use a dialup Internet connection, you're out of luck on wireless routers.
If you don't use a router, you'll have to manually assign IP addresses on your computer for your wireless interface and on the printer. This is not a task for a beginner. I recommend that you use a wireless router if you want to use a wireless printer.
It's possible to set up your "network" of your computer and your printer with static, unchanging addresses that you set manually.
If you do that, though, your static network settings will keep you from being able to use wireless networking anywhere else, without changing your wireless card to automatically get its IP address. (and then, you'll have to set it up manually again when you get home).
Related articles:
3. My Computer Security Software Recommendations
I review my security software recommendations and update them, for each weekly newsletter issue, if I think they need to change.
My Philosophy: Many people want to pick their most economical solution and prefer an all-in-one anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall solution. In concept, that's a great idea. In actual practice, this type of package is not likely to be the best in all the protection categories you need.
Other people want to pick the best of each type program. I'm one of the these folks. Read about my security software choices.
Anti-Virus
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 — buy the full program or make sure you get program updates with the subscription renewal (like NOD32 does). Vendors routinely improve the capabilities and speed of the programs, too.
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.
Related articles:
- Anti-Virus Programs and Online Scanners
- Free Online Antivirus Scan
- NOD32 Anti-Virus Review - A Look at NOD32
Firewall Software
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!. Microsoft woke up and supplied a two-way firewall with Windows Vista.
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. Whether they are calling home or spewing spam, you want to be able to control your computer.
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 Personal Firewall flags that to me, and I can stop it or allow it to happen. Many other programs try to call home when you run them, too.
I recommend my choice for a firewall program, which 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 regularly $19.95 (with discounts for multiple computers and/or multiple years!) for a non-expiring license for the program and includes one year of their updates subscription.
Related 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 February 2007 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.
In 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.
Sunbelt continues to release updated program versions. Nicely, they do NOT install the updated programs automatically. You have to use the Update process in the program, which means that you'll know that something significant has changed!
Related articles:
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 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.
Related articles:
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..
Tech Tip
By the way, if you get tempted by the new "802.11n" routers, please pay close attention. So far, the 802.11n specification has not been approved and finalized.
If you buy one, you may be locked into a specific vendor's implementation of a draft of a standard that never got approved. I recommend choosing 802.11g for now.
See these related articles:
4. Tabs in Firefox versus Tabs in Internet Explorer 7
Subscriber Greg wrote about Firefox to say:
I started using Firefox and things seem to be moving more quickly. The only thing I don't like about Firefox is that there is no tabbing at the top for multiple instances of websites. In Explorer you can just click a new tab right at the top. With Firefox, I have to open another discrete internet window. They really need to incorporate tabbing into their browser.
I wrote back to Greg to tell him that Firefox had tabs and had some great features with its tabs that were missing from Internet Explorer 7's tabs.
Firefox had tabs long before IE7 came along " and is probably the reason IE7 has tabs.
With Firefox, you can create a new tab by (1) File > New Tab, or (2) once you've got a tab, right-clicking on the tab bar and selecting New Tab.
But, much easier, is to open a link directly into a new tab:
- Center-click with your mouse on a link (also works in IE7, but IE6 doesn't have tabs), or
- Hold down control and left-click on a link (IE7 also does this, but IE6 does not have tabs).
There's a Firefox tab feature that I use all the time — and that Internet Explorer 7 does not have.
I can open a whole bunch of sites in new tabs by using holding down Control and then center-clicking (with the mouse's scroll button) on a folder of bookmarks. This opens all the bookmarks in the folder, with each in its own tab.
Firefox also has a very valuable "Undo Close Tab" which reopens a tab that you just closed. I don't know any web browser that will reopen a Window that I've just closed, but the ability to reopen a tab has been very helpful to me.
5. Recommend my Terry's Computer Tips Newsletter to Your Friends
If you like my Terry's Computer Tips email newsletter or the online edition, you can help me increase the number of subscribers to my free emailed newsletter.
Tell a Friend about Terry's Computer Tips!
With my email newsletter, not only do you get notices that the newsletters are available and content that is not in the online newsletter, but subscribing is the only way to get my Special Edition Newsletters which go only to subscribers.
If you get my free Terry's Computer Tips email newsletter, please feel free to forward your copy of the newsletter to a friend or friends that you think would be interested. Be sure to forward the entire newsletter, including my copyright notices and any advertising.
Of course, if you do not get my free email newsletter, I invite you to subscribe, too!
Volume 4, Number 9 — Sunday, August 10, 2008
Copyright © 2008 Terry A. Stockdale. All rights reserved.
|
|
Thank you for visiting my site — I hope you found the site and articles helpful. If you did, please consider supporting my efforts by making a purchase (if you have one to make) via one of the links in my articles, one of my recommendations, or in my "Ads by Terry" to purchase the item. You can also shop via these links to major Internet retailers
Amazon.com
TerrysComputerTips.com
Contact |
Join Mailing List
Hosted at HostGator
Copyright © 2005-2010 Terry A. Stockdale. All rights reserved.
Terms & Conditions Disclaimer Privacy Sitemap