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Here 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.)

Click on the Registry Repairs (hacks), one at a time.  Next, download and install all the programs in the Security and EasyCleaner 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 Repairs

Let 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 Spybot to fix 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.



Security

avast! 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.

WinPatrol 10 :  watches the Windows Registry and all your startup files, and warns you about changes.  Keeps spyware from installing itself as a new startup item.


EasyCleaner

EasyCleaner 2.0 :  selectively cleans up temporary files, Internet cache, cookies, browsing and computing history, old programs, and even checks for bogus entries in the Windows Registry.

Steve Gibson's Free Utilities

The author of SpinRite and ShieldsUp!! has created several free utilities to detect and repair security weaknesses in Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP [with the possible exception of WIZMO, none of these utilities are intended to be used in Windows Vista].  Here's a link to his Freeware page.  On every computer I service, depending on the installed operating system, 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 Protection
If 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.  It stops incoming attacks, but does nothing about programs already loaded on your computer trying to get to the Internet to report on your browsing and online spending.  A decent third-party firewall will watch incoming and outgoing traffic, and only allow programs you give permission to access the Web.  I recommend ZoneAlarm for Win 98 users, and PC Tools Firewall Plus for Windows 2000, XP, and Vista.

ZoneAlarm has ceased to support Win 9x, as has Microsoft.  Let me explain exactly what that means:  Neither of them will be putting out any new patches or updates for operating systems older than Windows 2000.  This doesn't mean the old software won't still work (or even that Microsoft won't still scan your Win98 computer and download and install the existing patches you don't already have).  So, if you have Win 9x, you need the latest version of ZoneAlarm that still supported it.  Click here to install it.  Once you've installed it, turn off automatic updates in the ZoneAlarm client program --- why check for updates you can't use?  Turn off ZoneAlarm's anti-virus checking --- the last time I looked, it wasn't compatible with AVG Free.  And disable ZA's email checking while you're at it --- avast! is already checking all incoming emails and attachments, so why have ZoneAlarm slow down the process by checking the attachments again?

If you are using Windows 2000 or newer, click here to install PC Tools Firewall Plus.  It's a tenth the size of the current version of ZoneAlarm, but I can't see any areas wherein it's not at least as good.

Last Resorts

If 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.
Creating a Shortcut :  at your desktop, right-click on a blank section of the screen, left-click New » Shortcut.  Type the commands exactly as shown here, click Next, name the shortcut (I recommend you use the headings in bold below), and click Finish.  When you need to run the command, just double-click on the shortcut.

Reset Your Internet Connection:  create a desktop shortcut, and put the following text in it.
For Win 9x:    IPCONFIG  /RENEW_ALL
For Win2000 / XP :  IPCONFIG  /RENEW

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:
For Windows XP :  NETSH WINSOCK RESET .  Reboot and try again to surf the Web.


Zip Files

Windows 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.

DaLe aTchiSon


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