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DOWNLOADSHere are most of the free programs I recommend to my clients. They do a very good job of 'locking down' your computer: preventing virus infection, avoiding spyware/adware infestation, and making you stop and think before making changes that could affect your online security. They are all free for home use.
(Note: Most of these links point to the owners' websites, or to sites that know they have permission to redistribute the software. This was easier for me than to read the vendors' licenses to see if I could post the actual programs. The only exceptions are for those programs where I recommend a program that can no longer be found on the Web, or where I recommend an earlier version of a program over its currently-distributed version --- and I'll explain why.)
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Click on the Registry Repairs (hacks), one at a time. Next, download and install all the programs in the Security and CCleaner sections of this page, plus the Gibson utilities that apply to your operating system. Finally, download and install the appropriate firewall for your version of Windows.
Registry RepairsLet me be completely blunt here: I found these three Registry fixes on the Internet. I didn't make note of where each came from. I edited one of them to some extent, the other two are unchanged; the original work was someone else's --- and I can't even tell you their name. Don't you just love the Internet?(Note: If your browser won't run these files across your Internet connection, right-click, save them to your desktop, and run them from there.) 1. Remove all IE restrictions, including Toolbar restrictions : Sometimes, spyware or adware will 'lock' Internet Explorer so as to make it more difficult for the user to reverse any unwanted changes. This fix simply 'un-locks' IE. 2. Reset Search Hooks in Internet Explorer : If spyware has hijacked your Search engine, this is step one toward getting back in control. 3. Anti-Hijacking : Sometimes, after your browser or search engine has been hijacked, and you've run Avast! or a similar utility to repair them, the fix causes your browser or search engine to stop working altogether! (The infested files had been too badly damaged to allow repair --- it's the fault of the spyware, not the repair utility.) This fix just might put everything right; it resets all the pertinent IE settings so they don't go looking for the broken files. Securityavast! 4 : a free, powerful, 'low-load'anti-virus suite. It's smaller and faster than most of its 'competitors', and it's free for home use. And it still supports Windows 9x! AVG is the closest thing to real competition it has, but AVG is twice the size and no longer supports Win 9x.Avast! 5.0 is now available for Windows XP, Vista, and 7. Click on "Download Latest Version" on the right-hand side of the page. WinPatrol 17 : watches the Windows Registry and all your startup files, and warns you about changes. Keeps spyware from installing itself as a new startup item. CCleanerCCleaner : selectively cleans up temporary files, Internet cache, cookies, browsing and computing history, old programs, and even checks for bogus entries in the Windows Registry. Click on "Download Latest Version" on the right-hand side of the page.
Steve Gibson's Free UtilitiesThe author of SpinRite and ShieldsUp!! has created several free utilities to detect and repair security weaknesses in Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP. Here's a link to his Freeware page.[These utilities are meant to be run in Windows 98, ME; some also work in Windows 2000 and XP. Wizmo is the only one that also works in Windows Vista or Windows 7.] On every computer I service, I run: the DCOMbobulator : turns off DCOM, Microsoft's dangerous remote control program that lets Internet users into your computer. SocketToMe : checks for full 'raw' sockets, another dangerous back door into Internet-connected PCs. MouseTrap : believe it or not, this program checks your computer for 'MICE': Metafile Image Code Execution vulnerability. If the machine is running Win2000 or XP, I also run: Shoot the Messenger and turn off Windows' Messenger Service (this isn't MSN Instant Messaenger, but a background network message transfer system the average home user just doesn't need). XPdite : looks at the system and determines if it has at least XP Service Pack 1 installed. If not, XPdite replaces a single vulnerable file in the Windows Help Center. UnPlug'nPray and turn off Universal Plug 'n PLay. If SocketToMe finds that full raw sockets are available, you'll need to run SocketLock to close them, then run SocketToMe again to prove the point. If MouseTrap says you're vulnerable --- "This Computer Has Mice!" ---- you need to go to the Windows Update page, scan for updates, and download and install every critical update found. ...Which is something you should be doing every week, anyhow. And here's a slight digression: I'm talking mostly about security here, but Gibson's WIZMO program is perfect for those newer computers that won't let you close the CD from the front-panel button (because the button is hidden when the CD drawer is open). Save Wizmo to your Windows folder, then create a shortcut on the desktop with the command line WIZMO CLOSE=D: to close drive D: with a double-click. Make that command line WIZMO QUIET CLOSE=D: if you don't want to hear the trademark 'Gibson sigh' sound effect. (Some people will enjoy this sound more than others.) Wizmo can also open CD drawers, blank the screen or make the whole screen a user-selected color (I call this the 'night-light' mode), and do a better job of shutdown, restart, and logoff on Win 9x computers than the built-in commands from Microsoft. All of these programs are small, fast, powerful, safe, and not memory-resident --- meaning they don't hang around to slow you down once they've done their work.
Firewall ProtectionIf you're running Windows, you need a firewall. Period. If you have a router, it may have a hardware fiewall built in; you still need a software firewall. Don't argue with me on this, I know what I'm talking about.Windows XP had a firewall built in from the very first, but it was disabled by default, until Service Pack 1... which is now outdated. If you are running Windows XP, please download and install Service Pack 2 immediately. Windows XP SP 2 has a firewall built in, and enabled by default. (Sorry, I still don't recommend Windows XP Service Pack 3; I've seen it slow my computer to a crawl, and refuse to boot after loading on one of my clients' computers.)
The Windows XP Firewall does a good job blocking intrusions from the Internet, though some experts point out that, as the most-used firewall out there, it's also the one most hackers choose to attack. If you want to control outgoing connections as well, you'll need a 'third-party' firewall. A friend recently turned me on to SafetyNet. It works with all versions of Windows from '95 to XP (sorry, not Vista, at least not yet); you can download it here:
Last ResortsIf all else fails, if you can't get on the Internet, you've used every tool above and don't know what else to do, here's a couple of command-line fixes that might get you back up and running. If you don't think to save them now, you can come back to this page from another computer, write down these commands, and go back to your computer to run them.These commands can be run from the command line, or they can be typed into a shortcut and run from the Windows desktop.
The Command Line : at your desktop, click on Start » Run » type the word CMD (COMMAND if you're running Windows 9x), and click OK. After you've run your commands, type EXIT and press ENTER to return to Windows.
Reset Your Internet Connection: create a desktop shortcut, and put the following text in it.
And if you can draw an IP address from your router or ISP, but you can't 'surf' using a browser, it may help to reset your Windows Sockets:
Zip FilesWindows Millenium, 2000, and XP all include built-in handling of zipped files; Win 98 required a third-party solution. Most Win 98 users opted for WinZip, a shareware utility. I didn't like WinZip that much, primarily because it made you lie every time you used it --- you had to click a button promising to mail a check, when you knew damn' well you weren't ever going to pay for the software.I recommend ZipCentral 4.01. It's free, small, fast, and powerful.
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Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of the page --- I know I tend to 'run long'. And my warmest thanks to the people who write such wonderful free software. Please don't abuse their generosity; if you don't qualify for free use, please mail the authors a check --- they always make sure to include a mailing address somewhere in their documentation.
If I can be of any further help, or offer advice on any computer-related subject, please
email me.
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