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Subject: Internet safety for your family
My sister just bought a new PC 'cause the old one was stuffed full of malware and other shit that kept her computing experience from being anything approaching enjoyable. In order to keep the new one as trouble-free as possible, I gave her some quick advice:
Got any additional suggestions? Let's hear 'em.
Tick adds: Install Microsoft's Security Essentials. It's free and it works. It'll keep you from harm when your own efforts don't.
- 1. Do not use internet explorer, except for your bank or other sites you MUST use (ie: no games or video streaming or other frivolities) that simply don't work with Opera. Just don't do it. IE is a huge vector for auto-installing rubbish you don't want.
- 1b. Don't install any browser toolbars. Ever. Just don't fucking do it. You're not an idiot, you can use bookmarks or google without needing a bullshit resource-sucking toolbar to do it.
- 2. Don't open the attachments of emails that aren't things you asked for or need to see. No chain mails with power points, no funny videos group-mailed from the office funnyguy. Just don't do it. Delete it and live happy. (and if you can help it, don't use outlook either).
- 3. Don't use the Adobe PDF reader. Download the Foxit PDF reader instead: smaller, faster, and not a massive fucking security hole.
- 4. Get an external 1TB drive, they're less than $100. There's easy, free software to automate your backups. Set it to run at 3am, and back up all your media (photos, docs, anything you actually want to keep). Then when you have to nuke and pave your PC again, nothing important will be lost. Also, it's easier to carry in a flood.
Got any additional suggestions? Let's hear 'em.
Tick adds: Install Microsoft's Security Essentials. It's free and it works. It'll keep you from harm when your own efforts don't.
BLEARGH
This post was edited on 2011-02-11, 09:33 by