Does anyone know of a simple guide to securing Windows XP? My wife uses a stock Dell computer which shipped with Windows XP, and it's constantly complaining about virus protection (it came with some sort of McAfee limited trial, which at this point amounts to an extremely annoying buzz and pop-up window).
Is virus protection just one of those things which you're expected to pay for if you want to use Windows?
I'm not too concerned about the firewall front, since I have a hardware firewall/router and I'm familiar with its configuration. My main security worry is that if somehow some malicious code finds its way onto my wife's computer. I could limit the potential damage by removing her write access rights to the file server, but this still doesn't solve the basic problem.
How to secure Windows XP Home for dummies? For free?
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If you are secure XP and are a sensible user, then virus protection is unnecessary. If you want it anyway, then there are some decent free options; ClamWin springs to mind.
Limit the risk of infection by securing the browser. A good choice is Firefox with the NoScript and AdBlock Plus extensions.
Don't use Outlook Express for e-mail. I would suggest Thunderbird instead.
A software firewall is still useful, not to protect from outside attack (as you said, the hardware firewall takes care of that), but to prevent information from being sent out from the computer after it's been compromised. It's good for privacy anyway, since a lot of otherwise harmless software feels the need to phone home for no good reason, sending who-knows-what information out onto the internet. I think the built-in XP firewall should do ok, but Sunbelt do a good free one (it says 30 day trial, but the basic functionality keeps working after that).
But all this only gets you so far. Real security comes from the user knowing what the risks are an avoiding them, e.g. not opening unexpected e-mail attachments, not running any old program found lying around on the web etc.
Limit the risk of infection by securing the browser. A good choice is Firefox with the NoScript and AdBlock Plus extensions.
Don't use Outlook Express for e-mail. I would suggest Thunderbird instead.
A software firewall is still useful, not to protect from outside attack (as you said, the hardware firewall takes care of that), but to prevent information from being sent out from the computer after it's been compromised. It's good for privacy anyway, since a lot of otherwise harmless software feels the need to phone home for no good reason, sending who-knows-what information out onto the internet. I think the built-in XP firewall should do ok, but Sunbelt do a good free one (it says 30 day trial, but the basic functionality keeps working after that).
But all this only gets you so far. Real security comes from the user knowing what the risks are an avoiding them, e.g. not opening unexpected e-mail attachments, not running any old program found lying around on the web etc.
My solution would be to
1) Reinstall Windows on your wife's machine to get rid of every last vestige of the pre-installed virus software. It adds tons of registered DLLs that persist after you uninstall it.
2) Install Firefox and Thunderbird b/c they are a bit more secure than IE/OE.
3) Sit down with her and explain how not to get a virus--don't open attachments that she didn't request or that don't make sense, don't install free software or games, only download her porn from reputable sites in English, etc. (one of those was a joke, btw).
4) Just in case she does experience system corruption (virus or otherwise), install some sort of backup software that writes to a limited-access folder on your file server. You can have a simple file-scanning anti-virus program running on the server to check the incoming files, and thus you'll catch anything quickly enough, but without system slow-down on the user-end.
5) Oh and of course, swap out the PSU and all fans and suspend the hard disk. That way you'll be able to hear any viruses that try to invade the system.
1) Reinstall Windows on your wife's machine to get rid of every last vestige of the pre-installed virus software. It adds tons of registered DLLs that persist after you uninstall it.
2) Install Firefox and Thunderbird b/c they are a bit more secure than IE/OE.
3) Sit down with her and explain how not to get a virus--don't open attachments that she didn't request or that don't make sense, don't install free software or games, only download her porn from reputable sites in English, etc. (one of those was a joke, btw).
4) Just in case she does experience system corruption (virus or otherwise), install some sort of backup software that writes to a limited-access folder on your file server. You can have a simple file-scanning anti-virus program running on the server to check the incoming files, and thus you'll catch anything quickly enough, but without system slow-down on the user-end.
5) Oh and of course, swap out the PSU and all fans and suspend the hard disk. That way you'll be able to hear any viruses that try to invade the system.
Thanks for the replies! AVG sounds like what I've been looking for. My wife isn't an average "ignorant" user; she knows the basics. But not all Windows vulnerabilities require user intervention.
As for using Linux...well, some music videos and movie trailers don't seem to work right under Linux. They seem to work with Firefox under Windows XP. Mostly, it seems to boil down to either Shockwave or WMP10.
I think if Adobe ever gets around to Shockwave on Linux, then my wife could make the switch.
As for using Linux...well, some music videos and movie trailers don't seem to work right under Linux. They seem to work with Firefox under Windows XP. Mostly, it seems to boil down to either Shockwave or WMP10.
I think if Adobe ever gets around to Shockwave on Linux, then my wife could make the switch.
Have you tried VLC? I've only used the Windows version myself, but it should be the same on all OSes. It plays pretty much everything you throw at it. The only one obviously missing is Real, but Real is an abomination, so lack of support could be seen as a good thing!IsaacKuo wrote:...well, some music videos and movie trailers don't seem to work right under Linux...
About software firewall - try out Comodo firewall. Free and very efficient, easy to use too.
XP native firewall doesn't block outgoing calls (or at least doesn't do that effectively). Comodo tracks both applications, trying to go online AND their parent applications - this way you can easily allow IE (or other browsers) to net, when launched manually (from explorer), but block it, if launched by some malware.
About browser - I'm using Opera for example. No flash, no unnecessary ads, no java, no iframes, no google spying scripts - except in sites, explicitly enabled to use such techniques. Of cource Firefox is not worse, I'm just liking Opera more. Oops, this reads like advertisment now
About antivirus - I don't use AV software myself, but can recommend AVG Free - like many posters above.
And maybe you should create non-administrative account for your wife? This way most part of her computer will be safe. Few programs, which do not like running under user rights, can usually be reconfigured - change security settings for some ini files or smth similar.
XP native firewall doesn't block outgoing calls (or at least doesn't do that effectively). Comodo tracks both applications, trying to go online AND their parent applications - this way you can easily allow IE (or other browsers) to net, when launched manually (from explorer), but block it, if launched by some malware.
About browser - I'm using Opera for example. No flash, no unnecessary ads, no java, no iframes, no google spying scripts - except in sites, explicitly enabled to use such techniques. Of cource Firefox is not worse, I'm just liking Opera more. Oops, this reads like advertisment now
About antivirus - I don't use AV software myself, but can recommend AVG Free - like many posters above.
And maybe you should create non-administrative account for your wife? This way most part of her computer will be safe. Few programs, which do not like running under user rights, can usually be reconfigured - change security settings for some ini files or smth similar.
Another vote for AVG (free in my case) and another vote for Comodo for the software firewall.
I also use Opera and FF (some extensions I just can't do without...).
I can recommend some form of anti-spyware utility (I recommend at least two different tools) I use a combination of MS Defender, SpyBot Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware.
I also use Opera and FF (some extensions I just can't do without...).
I can recommend some form of anti-spyware utility (I recommend at least two different tools) I use a combination of MS Defender, SpyBot Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware.