This is the Nitty Gritty

This is the cut-to-the-chase list of what to do to make your computer secure and more usable. Many people have gone through these steps and found dramatic improvements in speed and in the ease of use of their computer. If your computer is horribly broken you might need to take other steps first to get it well enough to do this. One good example is a system that won't boot properly or one that has a virus that disables security software or hosts files. Read through this whole page first. Have a note pad by the computer so you can jot down things as necessary.

The things you need to do if you follow all of our advice is:

Use either Firefox or Opera instead of Internet Explorer
Use Thunderbird instead of Outlook (Express)
Install a hosts file
Remove Norton, Symantic and McAfee products
Remove Windows Defender
Install all of the security software we recommend
Stop unecessary processes

Since we are organized to the point of lunacy, we listed all the Windows software we talk about on this web site here. This way, you can download everything to your mydocuments/security folder you created then burn it to a CD for safe keeping or to give away.

Tappity... Tappity... Tappity... OK, so now you have all of the software you need in the mydocuments/security folder.

First, install Firefox or Opera. From here on out, use Firefox or Opera. Do NOT use Internet Explorer unless it is to go to Microsoft's own web site, where they actively block other, better, web browsers. You can download both of then and use them at the same time if you like.

Second, go to one of two sites listed and download and install a hosts file. The one from MVPS is prefered as it is more inclusive. Read what both sites have to say and make a choice. Back up your old hosts file manually before you install the new one. Navigate to the folder the hosts file is in. In Windows XP it will be at C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC and in Windows 2000 it will be at C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC. Right-click the hosts file, choose rename, then type in old-hosts. You might have to log in as administrator to do this. This way, if something was put in your hosts file to help your internet connection work, you can add the relevant lines back in to the new one.

Third, make the hosts file read only. Disconnect from the internet then log in as administrator. Navigate to the folder the hosts file is in. In Windows XP it will be at C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC and in Windows 2000 it will be at C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC. Right-click the hosts file, choose Properties from the context menu and read the popup. Click the read-only check box at the bottom of the Properties window, then click OK. This will make it harder for the bad guys to reroute your internet traffic.

Fourth, uninstall the old security software. You do this by disconnecting from the internet then going to Start>Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs. Select anything that is Norton, Symantic or McAfee. Also locate Windows Defender if you have it and remove it also. Reboot the computer to make sure you got it all and that their icons are not showing back up in the task bar. If they return, you can do a Google search for "Remove ..." and follow the instructions. Wait to do this until you have sucessfully installed the new firewall and anti-virus software.

Fifth, install one of the firewall programs. Either one will do, read their respective web sites and pick one. A firewall closes open ports and stops programs of your choice from accessing the internet. The Windows firewall is useless as it does neither. After installation, it will want you to reboot the computer. Go ahead and reboot making sure you plug the internet back in. The program will want to check for updates. You will start getting notices from the firewall program asking you if this or that is OK to talk to the internet. Since the only programs running right now that should be accessing the intenet will be the firewall and possibly Windows update, check "always allow" and click yes to those two. This is where paying attention becomes critical. When a popup comes up telling you this or that wants to connect, read the whole thing. Actually other things might want to connect now too, like updaters for printers etc.. Just be careful what you click yes to. If you are not sure, click no for now but don't check the box that says "always deny" until you Google to see what it is.

Sixth, install an anti-virus. Again, pick one from the list. Rumor has it that AVG is on their way out so you might want to try Avast. After installation, it will want to reboot the computer then run a scan. You get a firewall pop up, click "yes always". Remember to read what you see on the screen. Just don't click "next". Some viruses might be found that will need to be fixed in safe mode after a reboot. This process is fairly automatic, just follow the on screen prompts and remember to read and follow the instructions.

Seventh, Now that the anti-virus has gone through your system, install Spybot S&D, CCleaner, AdAware and lastly, Hijack This. Do each one completely before moving on to the next one. Let them connect to the internet, update and reboot as necessary. Each one has different strengths, so if you use all of them, you will catch everything on your system. One big note of caution- sometimes there is a virus or a trojan of some kind that is so stuck in your system that none of these will get it out. Make note of the name and Google for an answer on how to remove it.

Eighth, Stop unneeded processes or services. Years ago, a guy named Black Viper had a great web site that had this information in detail. The site is gone as of 2004, but the information remains. Click here for Windows 2000 and here for Windows XP. Read the page and follow the instructions. The goal is to turn off things that aren't needed for your computer to run. These services that are running but not doing anything are slowing down your system and possibly allowing things to remotely attack your computer. Pay attention to the instructions (is that a theme here?) and read about each services to see if that is one you don't need. If you aren't sure, put in manual, use your computer for a while then check to see if it was turned on because it was needed. You may also download a nice Black Viper XP PDF for printing here.

Nineth, install Thunderbird. Thunderbird can check multiple email accounts as well as multiple Gmail accounts. Like Firefox, it is much more secure than the Microsoft counterpart. Make sure to use text email, not HTML email. HTML email is a great way to spread viruses and spyware.

Tenth, Go back to The Firefox Addons Site and download some extensions. The two most important ones are the Adblock and Flashblock extensions. There are plenty more, go through the list and see what you like.

Eleventh, In Windows you have administrator accounts and user accounts. User accounts have restricted access to the core of the operating system. You can get some increased protection from nasties taking over your computer by creating restricted user accounts for all users including you. Only use the account with administrator priviliges when you need to install something or perform other tasks that affect the core.

There are many other things that a person can do to increase performance and security. You need to realize that security is a relative thing. Windows is an extremely non-secure operating system. The more you do, the better chance you have of keeping nasties away. Being that this site is mainly for showing normal everyday users how to do a few simple things to greatly increase security, we aren't going to go into every little thing you can do. You can Google to your hearts content to find other sites that will go into greater detail. Two additional things do bear mentioning however. One important thing on the hardware side is if you have a high speed internet connection, get a router with a built-in hardware firewall. Get one even if you only have one computer. That firewall will be your first line of defense against attackers targeting various open ports and running processes. Going through the registry and deleting orphan entries is another way to increase performance. Doing things with the registry takes strict attention to the smallest details. Be careful, take your time and pay attention to everything on the screen.

[ Back ]