Dear clients and friends,

This issue of the NetSpedite Bulletin deals with the need to pay attention to the care and feeding of your computers and network.  I am continually amazed by the lack of discipline in mastering some of the basics, which if followed on a regular basis will protect your system from bugs and system failures.  I urge you to take the time to master some of the basic concepts that are described below.

As always, I welcome your feedback and comments and especially your referrals to friends and family.  In return, I would be pleased to provide you with a one hour consulting session.  There is a coupon at the end of the newsletter.

Thanks in advance for your continued confidence in NetSpedite.

Respectfully,

Scott

Care and Feeding of the PCs in your Windows Network 

Windows Explorer

Learn how to use it, including folder options & file associations.

Virus protection

Our computers need to be protected from virus infection. Potential sources for virus infection include diskettes, CD-ROMs, flash drives, the Internet, and networks (particularly wireless).

Operating System (OS) updates

Occasionally, Microsoft releases updates that correct problems with their OS. More frequently, Microsoft releases "patches" that close loopholes (vulnerabilities) that hackers use to cause problems. No matter what OS you use, you should download updates! When patches and updates since the original release of the OS are numerous, Microsoft will release a Service Pack. A service pack is just the combination of all the patches and updates since the OS was first released. As additional patches and updates come out, there may be an additional service pack. A second service pack will only contain the patches and updates since the previous service pack. Thus, Microsoft XP had two-denoted SP1 and SP2. Some users prefer to wait a month or two before applying a service pack. For example, XP SP2 had a problem that decreased the data transfer rate on firewire from 800 mbps to 100 mbps. Those using video camcorders found transfers were taking 8-10 times as long!

Security/Firewall

A computer firewall refers to a piece of hardware or software which prevents undesired transfers of information or other communications forbidden by your policy. It has the basic task of preventing intrusion from a connected network device into other networked devices. It is needed if you connect your computer to any type of network, including wireless networks (business, home, school, library, etc.) and the Internet. When you connect to a network, other computers on that network may be able to steal information from your computer, put viruses on your computer, or use your computer to commit an illegal act which could be traced back to your computer. A firewall is an attempt to block these attempts. Connecting to the Internet or any network without firewall protection is asking for serious trouble! Windows XP comes with a basic firewall, but a more robust firewall is advisable.

Windows Task Manager

It varies according to which operating system you're using. The task manager has four tabs-applications, processes, performance, and networking. There is a lot of information available in these four panels. Watching the data on the performance panel can help diagnose or prevent problems.

System tray and startup

The task bar at the bottom of the screen has a notification area. Every icon in that area represents a process that is using your computers resources. Know what each icon represents. You can close unnecessary processes to conserve resources and make your system run faster. But when you reboot, they may come back. To permanently remove them, use www.windowsstartup.com to install a utility that tells you what each process does and whether it is safe to remove it, then will remove it at your request.

Adware, spyware

This is when someone is able to gather information about your computer, your habits, or your activities and have that data transferred to them when you connect to the Internet without you knowing about it. If you connect to the Internet, it is essential to have a utility to detect this.

Web Browser

Use a less security-flawed web browser. Firefox is a smash hit. In the fourth quarter of 2004 alone, 5% of Internet Explorer users switched to Firefox.