Re: Shenan-B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L

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Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2004 13:43:05 -0700

Thanks, Shenan! Super.

Everyone should have a copy of your tips!

M.

>-----Original Message-----
>idhazza wrote:
>> I have Norton Firewall, Ad Aware SE Pro, SpyBot, Spy
Sweeper
>> and a download prog called Shareaza v2. Just yesterday
it
>> all went wrong...Internet Explorer 6 now has a toolbar
>> planted there I don't want and it defaults to msn.com
as my
>> default homepage...I don't want to know about MSN, never
>> have.
>> I can't get rid of it.
>> Nothing is recognising it as a bad news bear. I tried
>> uninstalling IE 6 and the thing is still ripping
through my
>> system. Everytime Ad Aware sees it it tries to get rid
of it
>> by returning my home page to where it should be, but 30
>> seconds later on the dot, this msn intruder is back.
>> See this from Ad Aware...
>> <06-September-2004 12:00:49 AM - Registry modification
>> detected
>> Root:HKEY_CURRENT_USER
>> Key:Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
>> Value:Start Page
>> Data:http://www.msn.com
>> New Data:about:blank>
>
>Not a bad start....
>
>*WARNING* This is a LONG spill, all in plain text and
simplified so that
>even non-techs should be able to understand it.
Hopefully this will
>assist some people in not only repairing their systems,
but in making
>them faster and more stable tools for them to use. It
contains advice
>on many things, many considered "common knowledge"
to 'IT' people
>everywhere. It is split into major sections, hopefully
this will make
>it easier to navigate. *WARNING*
>
>If you don't wish to follow all of the advice
immediately, just want to
>get rid of your current dilemma, then you are welcome to
scroll down to
>the section titled
>"SPYWARE/ADWARE/POPUPS/HIJACKS", where your problem as
>stated should be resolved by the applications and
suggestions found in
>that section. If this helps solve your problem then I
again HIGHLY
>suggest you follow the rest of the advice below (matter
of fact, I
>suggest it either way.)
>
>Suggestions on what you can do to secure/clean your PC.
Every attempt
>has been made to be general and an assumption of
a "Windows" operating
>system is made here as well - although in some ways, this
could be
>adapted to any OS.
>
>
>GENERAL UPKEEP AND CLEANUP
>--------------------------
>
>You should periodically defragment your hard drives as
well as check them
>for errors.
>
> How to Defragment your hard drives
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314848
>
> How to scan your disks for errors
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=315265
>
> How to use Disk Cleanup
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310312
>
>You should also empty your Internet Explorer Temporary
Internet
>Files and make sure the maximum size for this is small
enough not to cause
>trouble in the future. Empty your Temporary Internet
Files and shrink the
>size it stores to a size between 120MB and 480MB..
>
>- Open ONE copy of Internet Explorer.
>- Select TOOLS -> Internet Options.
>- Under the General tab in the "Temporary Internet Files"
section, do the
> following:
> - Click on "Delete Cookies" (click OK)
> - Click on "Settings" and change the "Amount of disk
space to use:" to
> something between 120MB and 480MB. (Betting it is MUCH
larger right
> now.)
> - Click OK.
> - Click on "Delete Files" and select to "Delete all
offline contents"
> (the checkbox) and click OK. (If you had a LOT, this
could take 2-10
> minutes or more.)
>- Once it is done, click OK, close Internet Explorer, re-
open Internet
> Explorer.
>
>Uninstall any software you no longer use or cannot
remember installing
>(ask if it is a multi-user PC) - but only if you are sure
you do not
>need it and/or you have the installation media around to
reinstall if
>you need to. http://snipurl.com/8v6b may help you
accomplish this.
>
>If things are running a bit slow or you have an older
system
>(1.5GHz or less and 256MB RAM or less) then you may want
to look into
>tweaking the performance a bit by turning off some of the
memory
>using Windows XP "prettifications". The fastest method
is:
>
>Control Panel --> System --> Advanced tab --> Performance
section,
>Settings button. Then choose "adjust for best
performance" and you
>now have a Windows 2000/98 look which turned off many of
the annoying
>"prettifications" in one swift action. You can play with
the last
>three checkboxes to get more of an XP look without many
of the
>other annoyances. You could also grab and install/mess
with one
>(or more) of the Microsoft Powertoys - TweakUI in
particular:
>
>http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xpp
owertoys.mspx
>
>You should also verify that your System Restore feature
is enabled and
>working properly. Unfortunately, if seems to have issues
on occasion,
>ones that can easily be avoided by turning off/on the
system restore and
>make a manual restoration point as one of your periodic
maintenance tasks.
>This is particularly important right before installing
something major
>(or even minor if you are unsure what it might do to your
system.)
>
>(Turning Off System Restore, of course, will erase the
previous restore
>points you have - be sure your computer is working
properly first!)
>
> Turn off System Restore.
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310405
>
> Reboot.
>
> Turn on System Restore.
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310405
>
> Make a Manual Restoration Point.
> http://snipurl.com/68nx
>
>
>Also, you should look into backing up your valuable files
and folders.
>http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308422
>
>And keep your original installation media (CDs, disks)
safe with their
>CD keys and such. Make backups of these installation
media sets as
>well and always use strong passwords. Good passwords are
those that
>meet these general rules (mileage may vary):
>
> Passwords should contain at least six characters, and
the character
> string should contain at least three of these four
character types:
> - uppercase letters
> - lowercase letters
> - numerals
> - nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !)
>
> Passwords should not contain your name/logon name.
>
>
>UPDATES and PATCHES
>-------------------
>
>** Side Note: *IF* you are about to install Service Pack
2 (SP2) for
> Windows XP, I suggest you clean up your system first.
Uninstall any
> applications you do not use. Update any that you do.
Download the
> latest drivers for your hardware devices. Defragment
and run a full
> CHKDSK on your hard drives. Scan your system and
clean it of any
> Spyware/Adware/Malware and for Viruses and Trojans.
Below you will
> find advice and links to applications that will help
you do all of
> this. If this advice helps you, please - pass it on.
Print it,
> email it, forward it to anyone you think it might
help. A little
> knowledge might help prevent lots of trouble.
>
>This one is the most obvious. There is no perfect
product and any company
>worth their salt will try to meet/exceed the needs of
their customers and
>fix any problems they find along the way. I am not going
to say Microsoft
>is the best company in the world about this but they do
have an option
>available for you to use to keep your machine updated and
patched from
>the problems and vulnerabilities (as well as product
improvements in some
>cases) - and it's free to you.
>
> Windows Update
> http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
>
>Go there and scan your machine for updates. Always get
the critical ones as
>you see them. Write down the KB###### or Q###### you see
when
>selecting the updates and if you have trouble over the
next few days,
>go into your control panel (Add/Remove Programs), match
up the latest
>numbers you downloaded recently (since you started
noticing an issue) and
>uninstall them. If there was more than one (usually is),
install them back
>one by one - with a few hours of use in between, to see
if the problem
>returns. Yes - the process is not perfect (updating) and
can cause trouble
>like I mentioned - but as you can see, the solution isn't
that bad - and is
>MUCH better than the alternatives.
>
>Windows is not the only product you likely have on your
PC. The
>manufacturers of the other products usually have updates
as well. New
>versions of almost everything come out all the time -
some are free, some
>are pay - some you can only download if you are
registered - but it is best
>to check. Just go to their web pages and look under
their support and
>download sections. For example, for Microsoft Office
update, you should
>visit:
>
> Microsoft Office Updates
> http://office.microsoft.com/
> (and select "downloads")
>
>You also have hardware on your machine that requires
drivers to interface
>with the operating system. You have a video card that
allows you to see on
>your screen, a sound card that allows you to hear your
PCs sound output and
>so on. Visit those manufacturer web sites for the latest
downloadable
>drivers for your hardware/operating system. Always (IMO)
get the
>manufacturers hardware driver over any Microsoft offers.
On the Windows
>Update site I mentioned earlier, I suggest NOT getting
their hardware
>drivers - no matter how tempting. First - how do you
know what hardware
>you have in your computer? Invoice or if it is up and
working now - take
>inventory:
>
> Belarc Advisor
> http://belarc.com/free_download.html
>
>Once you know what you have, what next? Go get the
latest driver for your
>hardware/OS from the manufacturer's web page. For
example, let's say you
>have an NVidia chipset video card or ATI video card,
perhaps a Creative
>Labs sound card or C-Media chipset sound card...
>
> NVidia Video Card Drivers
> http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
>
> ATI Video Card Drivers
> http://www.atitech.com/support/driver.html
>
> Creative Labs Sound Device
> http://us.creative.com/support/downloads/
>
> C-Media Sound Device
> http://www.cmedia.com.tw/e_download_01.htm
>
>As for Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP, Microsoft has
made this
>particular patch available in a number of ways. First,
there is the
>Windows Update web page above. Then there is a direct
download site
>and finally, you can order the FREE CD from Microsoft.
>
> Direct Download of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP
> http://snipurl.com/8bqy
>
> Order the Free Windows XP SP2 CD
> http://snipurl.com/8umo
>
>Microsoft also have a bunch of suggestions, some similar
to these,
>on how to better protect your Windows system:
>
> Protect your PC
> http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
>
>
>FIREWALL
>--------
>
>Let's say you are up-to-date on the OS (operating system)
and you have
>Windows XP.. You should at least turn on the built in
firewall. That will
>do a lot to "hide" you from the random bad things flying
around the
>Internet. Things like Sasser/Blaster enjoy just sitting
out there in
>Cyberspace looking for an unprotected Windows Operating
System and jumping
>on it, doing great damage in the process and then using
that Unprotected OS
>to continue its dirty work of infecting others. If you
have the Windows XP
>FW turned on - default configuration - then they cannot
see you! Think of
>it as Internet Stealth Mode at this point. It has other
advantages, like
>actually locking the doors you didn't even (likely) know
you had. Doing
>this is simple, some helpful tips for the SP2 enabled
firewall can be found
>here:
>
>
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cableguy
/cg0204.mspx
>
>If you read through that and look through the pages that
are linked from it
>throughout - I think you should have a firm grasp on the
basics of the
>Windows XP Firewall as it is today. One thing to note
RIGHT NOW - if you
>have AOL, you cannot use this nice firewall that came
with your system.
> Thank AOL, not Microsoft. You HAVE to configure another
one.. So we
>continue with our session on Firewalls...
>
>But let's say you DON'T have Windows XP - you have some
other OS like
>Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, NT, 2000. Well, you don't have
the nifty built in
>firewall. My suggestion - upgrade. My next suggestion -
look through your
>options. There are lots of free and pay firewalls out
there for home users.
>Yes - you will have to decide on your own which to get.
Yes, you will have
>to learn (oh no!) to use these firewalls and configure
them so they don't
>interfere with what you want to do while continuing to
provide the security
>you desire. It's just like anything else you want to
protect - you have to
>do something to protect it. Here are some suggested
applications. A lot of
>people tout "ZoneAlarm" as being the best alternative to
just using the
>Windows XP FW, but truthfully - any of these alternatives
are much better
>than the Windows XP FW at what they do - because that is
ALL they do.
>
> ZoneAlarm (Free and up)
> http://snipurl.com/6ohg
>
> Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) (Free and up)
> http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html
>
> Outpost Firewall from Agnitum (Free and up)
> http://www.agnitum.com/download/
>
> Sygate Personal Firewall (Free and up)
> http://smb.sygate.com/buy/download_buy.htm
>
> Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall (~$25 and up)
> http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/
>
> BlackICE PC Protection ($39.95 and up)
> http://blackice.iss.net/
>
> Tiny Personal Firewall (~$49.00 and up)
> http://www.tinysoftware.com/
>
>That list is not complete, but they are good firewall
options, every one of
>them. Visit the web pages, read up, ask around if you
like - make a
>decision and go with some firewall, any firewall. Also,
maintain it.
>Sometimes new holes are discovered in even the best of
these products and
>patches are released from the company to remedy this
problem. However, if
>you don't get the patches (check the manufacturer web
page on occasion),
>then you may never know you have the problem and/or are
being used through
>this weakness. Also, don't stack these things. Running
more than one
>firewall will not make you safer - it would likely (in
fact) negate some
>protection you gleamed from one or the other firewalls
you run.
>
>
>ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
>------------------
>
>That's not all. That's one facet of a secure PC, but
firewalls don't do
>everything. I saw one person posting on a newsgroup
that "they had
>never had a virus and they never run any anti-virus
software." Yep - I used
>to believe that way too - viruses were something everyone
else seemed to
>get, were they just careless? And for the average joe-
user who is careful,
>uses their one to three family computers carefully, never
opening unknown
>email attachments, always visiting the same family safe
web sites, never
>installing anything that did not come with their
computer - maybe, just
>maybe they will never witness a virus. I, however, am a
Network Systems
>Administrator. I see that AntiVirus software is an
absolute necessity given
>how most people see their computer as a toy/tool and not
something
>they should have to maintain and upkeep. After all, they
were invented to
>make life easier, right - not add another task to your
day. You
>can be as careful as you want - will the next person be
as careful? Will
>someone send you unknowingly the email that erases all
the pictures of your
>child/childhood? Possibly - why take the chance? ALWAYS
RUN ANTIVIRUS
>SOFTWARE and KEEP IT UP TO DATE! Antivirus software
comes in so many
>flavors, it's like walking into a Jelly Belly store -
which one tastes like
>what?! Well, here are a few choices for you. Some of
these are free (isn't
>that nice?) and some are not. Is one better than the
other - MAYBE.
>
> Symantec (Norton) AntiVirus (~$11 and up)
> http://www.symantec.com/nav/nav_9xnt/
>
> Kaspersky Anti-Virus (~$49.95 and up)
> http://www.kaspersky.com/products.html
>
> Panda Antivirus Titanium (~$39.95 and up)
> http://www.pandasoftware.com/
> (Free Online Scanner:
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/)
>
> AVG 6.0 Anti-Virus System (Free and up)
> http://www.grisoft.com/
>
> McAfee VirusScan (~$11 and up)
> http://www.mcafee.com/
>
> AntiVir (Free and up)
> http://www.free-av.com/
>
> avast! 4 (Free and up)
> http://www.avast.com/
>
> Trend Micro (~$49.95 and up)
> http://www.trendmicro.com/en/home/us/personal.htm
> (Free Online Scanner:
>
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp)
>
> RAV AntiVirus Online Virus Scan (Free!)
> http://www.ravantivirus.com/scan/
>
>Did I mention you have to not only install this software,
but also keep it
>updated? You do. Some of them (most) have automatic
services to help you
>do this - I mean, it's not your job to keep up with the
half-dozen or more
>new threats that come out daily, is it? Be sure to keep
whichever one you
>choose up to date!
>
>
>SPYWARE/ADWARE/POPUPS/HIJACKS
>-----------------------------
>
>So you must be thinking that the above two things got
your back now - you
>are covered, safe and secure in your little fox hole.
Wrong! There are
>more bad guys out there. There are annoyances out there
you can get without
>trying. Your normal web surfing, maybe a wrong click on
a web page, maybe
>just a momentary lack of judgment by installing some
software packages
>without doing the research.. And all of a sudden your
screen starts filling
>up with advertisements or your Internet seems much slower
or your home page
>won't stay what you set it and goes someplace unfamiliar
to you. This is
>spyware. There are a whole SLEW of software packages out
there to get rid
>of this crud and help prevent reinfection. Some of the
products already
>mentioned might even have branched out into this arena.
However, there are
>a few applications that seem to be the best at what they
do, which is
>eradicating and immunizing your system from this crap.
Strangely, the best
>products I have found in this category ARE generally
free. That is a trend
>I like. I make donations to some of them, they deserve
it!
>
>Two side-notes: Never think one of these can do the
whole job.
>Try the first 5 before coming back and saying "That did
not work!"
>Also, you can always visit:
> http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
>For more updated information.
>
> Spybot Search and Destroy (Free!)
> http://www.safer-networking.net/en/download/index.html
>
> Lavasoft AdAware (Free and up)
> http://www.lavasoft.de/support/download/
>
> CWShredder (Free!)
> ** No longer updated as of July 29, 2004 - however,
still a great
> product and should still be ran **
> http://www.softbasket.com/download/s_8114.shtml
>
> Hijack This! (Free)
> http://mjc1.com/mirror/hjt/
> ( Tutorial: http://hjt.wizardsofwebsites.com/ )
>
> SpywareBlaster (Free!)
> http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html
>
> IE-SPYAD (Free!)
> https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ehowes/www/resource.htm
>
> ToolbarCop (Free!)
> http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/toolbarcop.htm
>
> Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner (Free!)
> http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/
>
> Browser Security Tests
> http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/BrowserSecurity/
>
> Popup Tester
> http://www.popuptest.com/
>
> The Cleaner (49.95 and up)
> http://www.moosoft.com/
>
>That will clean up your machine of the spyware, given
that you download and
>install several of them, update them regularly and scan
with them when you
>update. Some (like SpywareBlaster and SpyBot Search and
Destroy and
>IESPYAD)
>have/are immunization utilities that will help you
prevent your PC from
>being
>infected. Use these features!
>
>Unfortunately, although that will lessen your popups on
the Internet/while
>you are online, it won't eliminate them. I have looked
at a lot of options,
>seen a lot of them used in production with people who
seem to attract popups
>like a plague, and I only have one suggestion that end up
serving double
>duty (search engine and popup stopper in one):
>
> The Google Toolbar (Free!)
> http://toolbar.google.com/
>
>Yeah - it adds a bar to your Internet Explorer - but its
a useful one. You
>can search from there anytime with one of the best search
engines on the
>planet (IMO.) And the fact it stops most popups - wow -
BONUS! If you
>don't like that suggestion, then I am just going to say
you go to
>www.google.com and search for other options. Please
notice that Windows XP
>SP2 does help stop popups as well. Another option is to
use an alternative
>Web browser. I suggest "Mozilla Firefox", as it has some
great features
>and is very easy to use:
>
> Mozilla Firefox
> http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
>
>One more suggestion, although I will suggest this in a
way later, is to
>disable your Windows Messenger service. This service is
not used frequently
>(if at all) by the normal home user and in cooperation
with a good firewall,
>is generally unnecessary. Microsoft has instructions on
how to do this for
>Windows XP here:
>
>http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communi
cate/stopspam.asp
>
>
>SPAM EMAIL/JUNK MAIL
>--------------------
>
>This one can get annoying, just like the rest. You get
50 emails in one
>sitting and 2 of them you wanted. NICE! (Not.) What can
you do? Well,
>although there are services out there to help you, some
email
>servers/services that actually do lower your spam with
features built into
>their servers - I still like the methods that let you be
the end-decision
>maker on what is spam and what isn't. If these things
worked perfectly, we
>wouldn't need people and then there would be no spam
anyway - vicious
>circle, eh? Anyway - I have two products to suggest to
you, look at them
>and see if either of them suite your needs. Again, if
they don't, Google is
>free and available for your perusal.
>
> SpamBayes (Free!)
> http://spambayes.sourceforge.net/
>
> Spamihilator (Free!)
> http://www.spamihilator.com/
>
>As I said, those are not your only options, but are
reliable ones I have
>seen function for hundreds+ people.
>
>
>DISABLE (Set to Manual) UNUSED SERVICE/STARTUP APPS
>---------------------------------------------------
>
>I might get arguments on putting this one here, but it's
my spill. There are
>lots of services on your PC that are probably turned on
by default you don't
>use. Why have them on? Check out these web pages to see
what all of the
>services you might find on your computer are and set them
according to your
>personal needs. Be CAREFUL what you set to manual, and
take heed and write
>down as you change things! Also, don't expect a large
performance increase
>or anything - especially on today's 2+ GHz machines,
however - I look at
>each
>service you set to manual as one less service you have to
worry about
>someone exploiting. A year ago, I would have thought the
Windows Messenger
>service to be pretty safe, now I recommend (with addition
of a firewall)
>that most home users disable it! Yeah - this is another
one you have to
>work for, but your computer may speed up and/or be more
secure because you
>took the time. And if you document what you do as you do
it, next time, it
>goes MUCH faster! (or if you have to go back and re-
enable things..)
>
> Task List Programs
>
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm
>
> Black Viper's Service List and Opinions (XP)
> http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm
>
> Processes in Windows NT/2000/XP
> http://www.reger24.de/prozesse/
>
>There are also applications that AREN'T services that
startup when you start
>up the computer/logon. One of the better description on
how to handle these
>I have found here:
>
> Startups
> http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php
>
>
>That's it. A small booklet on how to keep your computer
secure, clean of
>scum and more user friendly. I am SURE I missed
something, almost as I am
>sure you won't read all of it (anyone for that matter.)
However, I also
>know that someone who followed all of the advice above
would also have less
>problems with their PC, less problems with viruses, less
problems with spam,
>fewer problems with spyware and better performance than
someone who didn't.
>
>Hope it helps.
>
>--
><- Shenan ->
>--
>The information is provided "as is", it is suggested you
research for
>yourself before you take any advice - you are the one
ultimately
>responsible for your actions/problems/solutions. Know
what you are
>getting into before you jump in with both feet.
>
>
>.
>

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