Everyday Tips from the ComputerMom

November 2014

Wow November already - where did this year go? I know I'm looking forward to all the family time coming up - hope you are as well.

In the past few months I've seen quite a few Apple computers with virus or spyware infections. I know you folks who switched from PC to Mac have been feeling pretty immune to issues, but it seems it's time to worry about safe computing on your Mac. So, this newsletter will have some suggestions for you.

Not to leave the PC folks out, there's been a lot of Windows news lately, so I've written a little update for you all.

Hope everybody has a great Thanksgiving!

Regards,

Julie Marto

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PS - Don't forget to check out my Newsletter archive. Click here to access my newsletter archive of back issues. And don't forget to check out my Facebook page for more tips and links.

Oops - I thought Macs didn't get infected! iMac

I have been seeing more and more problems I consider "PC issues" on my client's Mac computers. Yes, Macs are still safer than PCs, but the gap is narrowing!

Most of what I've seen on client's computers qualifies as adware, not "real" viruses. That means most problems consist of annoying pop-ups, browser redirects, and search engine hijacks. You want to go somewhere but your computer seems to have other ideas! So far I have been able to clear up most of these infections relatively easily. However I have also seen a few Macs with full-fledged virus infections that could only be cured by doing a factory restore - a major endeavor, especially if you are not backed up!

So how should you protect yourself? Since most Mac infections require your permission to download and install, whether you know you are giving it or not, the most effective action is to be very cautious about what you download. Don't think you are invulnerable - you should follow the safe computing guidelines I've been advocating to PC users for all these years:

Don't download from sites like Download.com that bundle spyware with applications - whenever possible download directly from the application developer's site.

Don't download movies, games or applications illegally from the web, especially from torrent sites - they are often booby-trapped with malware. This is an especially important point to go over with your kids, as they are the biggest users of torrent sites and you may not even be aware of their use

Don't believe it when a website says you need a video codec or and update to your flash player to view their content on the web. If you don't know what they are asking you to install don't trust it. You can live without watching that video

Read what you are agreeing to before you click "next" or "ok" and be sure to uncheck or decline anything you didn't plan to install. I published a newsletter about this topic with plenty of pictures to show you what to watch out for.

Should I get an antivirus for my Mac?

There is a lot of debate about the efficacy of antivirus software for Macs, and I have gone back and forth on this issue. However, at this time my recommendation is to leave the antivirus software to the PC world, and avoid installing one on your Mac. That doesn't mean you are off the hook - in lieu of antivirus software you need to make sure to keep your Mac OS software up to date.

People think Macs just natively don't get viruses, but actually there is a combination of factors that keep the infection rate down. One is that Mac viruses are more difficult to write than PC viruses. Another is that there are far more Windows systems out there to be attacked. However, a rarely mentioned reason is that Apple quietly added a built in trojan detection and quarantine system, called XProtect, that has been part of OS X since Snow Leopard (10.6). Whenever a new threat is uncovered Apple issues an update to XProtect to thwart it. Additionally, starting with OS X Lion (10.7) they have also included a feature called Gatekeeper which attempts to prevent you from running programs that are not properly digitally signed by Apple.

Apple stops updating older versions of its OS much faster than Microsoft does - after about 4 years. So if you have a 4 year old Mac and you haven't upgraded your operating system, you are not getting any new protections for new threats. Additionally, later versions of OS X contain additional safety features that address the greater risks of today's world.

The latest version of OS X is called Yosemite, and it's so new I haven't installed it on my own MacBook yet. Personally I believe in waiting a few months before upgrading to a newly released version to make sure they have worked out any bugs. Apple's OS upgrades are free, but there are some pitfalls involved in bringing an older Mac to the latest OS. I'm happy to safely upgrade your older Mac, including backing up your computer and making sure everything works well after the upgrade, as a flat-rate drop off service.

Windows 7. . . Windows 8 . . . Windows 10?

Those of you who read my newsletter know I advise people to buy Windows 8 machines no matter how despised it is (although I almost always tweak it to make it much more like Windows 7). Microsoft isn't going backwards, and Windows 7, much loved though it was, is now over 5 years old and definitely showing its age. Microsoft is pushing this agenda along as well. As of October 31st there will be no more consumer computers manufactured with Windows 7 installed. If you absolutely MUST have Windows 7 you will have to purchase a business machine online from the corporate sales side of Dell, HP or Lenovo.

Microsoft sure knows everybody hates Windows 8 and has released the first preview versions of Windows 10. What happened to Windows 9? Well there are lots of theories, but my favorite is that it was a programming decision. As software developers build on older programs that are backwards compatible to older versions of Windows, programming code would include references to Windows 95 and Windows 98. I saw a snippet of old code that read "If Windows version starts with 9". Hmm, Microsoft certainly wouldn't want their spiffy 2015 program to be lumped with one that is 20 years older!

Microsoft still hasn't confirmed any information about pricing and actual release dates yet, but the rumor is release in the second quarter of 2015 and a very low price, especially for people upgrading from Windows 8. I haven't downloaded the preview of 10 yet, but I will certainly do so soon. The initial reviews are very positive, so I'll be sure to keep you posted.