Computers / Tech | RobertXGillis

Windows PC Security 101: How to protect your computer

28. June 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Computers / Tech

by Robert Gillis
Published in the Foxboro Reporter and Boston City Paper, 7/2011

As a computer geek since 1981 and a professional at it since 1988, I get asked a lot of computer questions. These days, every home has at least one computer and we depend on them more and more. Our computers hold a lot of personal info: Bank and financial records, school papers/reports, all our digital pictures, bills, taxes, Justin Bieber fan club newsletters, etc. – So it’s important to remember that your computer is like your house – you need to lock the door and make sure only family members have a key. You need to keep the bad guys out.

With that in mind, I thought I would start with the basics of computer security, and also pass along some tips to help your computer run better. As with all things computer, there are hundreds of programs (and methods) to do these tasks; I am recommending the ones below because they work really well for me, or are free, or both.

Before I start, there are two important points to note. 1) Everything here is Microsoft Windows (any version) related. If you have a Mac or are using UNIX/Linux, this one’s not for you. 2) Please be aware this is a “buyer beware” column. If you don’t know how to navigate the web, download a program and install it, STOP! If you crash your computer trying any of the following DO NOT BLAME ME. A reasonable understanding of how to use your computer to install and troubleshoot a program is expected and required here. Closed course, professional driver, your mileage will vary, and all that. And for the love of monkeys DON’T make changes unless you understand why you’re doing it. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!

First up and most importantly is ANTI-VIRUS software. If you are connected to the Internet (and we all are) the FIRST thing you need to install after your operating system is anti-virus and firewall software. I CANNOT POSSIBLY OVER-EMPHASIZE HOW IMPORTANT GOOD ANTI-VIRUS / FIREWALL SOFTWARE IS. Always ensure you are running a good anti-virus and firewall program. Norton and McAfee are both very good and worth the money. Install them. Set the updates to automatic. Scan your PC (the entire PC) regularly. NEVER shut them off. Unsure what to buy? http://www.cnet.com and http://www.pcworld.com are excellent resources for impartial ratings of software. Next, learn how to configure and use your anti-virus and firewall software. It is your first and most powerful line of defense against intrusion.

Next on the subject of security, is wireless access. More and more folks these days use a router to allow several computers in the house to connect to the Internet (or each other) wirelessly. In families, this is very convenient. Router configuration and set up is way beyond the scope of this column but here’s the bottom line – if you choose to use a wireless router – you MUST understand how to set it up, or get someone you know to do it for you (that’s not me, by the way). Next, IMMEDIATELY change the password to the router. Here’s why – routers have a radius of about 200-300 feet (or far more); this means a person driving by your house can use their laptop to access YOUR wireless unless you changed the password. And if you were silly enough not to protect your directories, they can be accessed as well. CHANGE YOUR ROUTER PASSWORD IMMEDIATELY and don’t share it with anyone!

There are hundreds of articles on the net about what makes a good password – read a few of them. Best bet? Make it something not obvious that no one can guess (no pet names, no birthdays, and no dictionary words). Again, I could write an entire column on this subject – read up on good passwords. Yes, they are a PAIN to remember. That’s why they help keep you safe!

Still on the subject of security, In addition to viruses, another class of intruders to block is called Malware or spyware. Malware /spyware is like a virus but different. It loads on your computer without you knowing it, and it’s designed not to be detected by your virus scanning software. These small (and destructive) programs might be tracking your keystrokes (to steal your passwords), using your computer as a server, or even “data mining” to grab your email lists or credit card numbers.

Fortunately, two excellent (and free) products are very reliable in killing malware. First, go to http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free and download Malwarebytes. Install it, download any updates, and run a FULL SCAN on ALL your drives. It may take a few hours. When done, it will list your adware and malware. Tell it to remove all of it. It will only remove the malware, not the good stuff. Run the scan every week or two, or buy the full version for about $25 and it will run all the time for you.

I also recommend the program Super Anti-Spyware at http://www.superantispyware.com — Like Malwarebytes, there is a free and professional (need to buy) option. Download the free version and run a scan of your entire computer. Again, when it finds spyware, this is a “remove” option. Remove all spyware found.

Running these two tools every so often will rid your computer of malware and spyware and help keep your computer and data safe.

Next, let’s talk UPDATES. it’s important to keep your computer updated. The series of steps varies by windows operating system (XP, Vista, 7, etc), but in control panel, set your “Windows Update” option to download and install windows updates automatically. Microsoft frequently sends out fixes and enhancements for its operating systems. Many of these fixes plug so-called “holes” in your browser that allows hackers to get into your computer. Update windows regularly and keep you system running safer and with less errors. You can also run windows update at any time manually by going to http://www.update.microsoft.com

Finally (for now) let’s do a little cleanup. You may not know that Windows tends to leave behind tons of temporary files on your PC that never get cleaned up. Not just the history of web use, but “scratch” files used for all sorts of windows functions, and hundreds of temporary files are at first useful but later turn to clutter. Over time, they slow your computer. I recommend Piraform CCleaner, available at http://www.piriform.com/CCLEANER — Download the latest free version, install, and run it. It won’t hurt any “good” files but will get rid of all the junk. Run it regularly (you can even set it up to run automatically) and you’ll be amazed at the amount of disk space you save, and how better your computer runs.

Well, you have your homework. I hope you can see that computer security is very important but doesn’t have to be confusing. Again, please know what you’re doing before you attempt anything I’ve described here; as long as you know how to download a program and install it, you should be fine.

Be safe, and happy computing!

Computer Help Desk Humor

19. August 2008 · 1 comment · Categories: Computers / Tech, Humor, Web / Email / Internet

By Robert Gillis
Published in the Foxboro Reporter and the Boston City Paper 8/2008

To: All new employees
From: Computer Help Desk Department
Re: Some helpful tips to make your life easier

Dear new employee,

Welcome to the company! As a new team member, please know that we, the computer help desk department, are here as your dedicated personal servants, 24/7. The following are some helpful tips to make communication with the computer help desk as efficient as possible. Please note that each of these is based on real life experience we’ve had with previous users, and this list is constantly updated with absolutely no end in sight, ever.

First off, immediately after sending us an email, please walk to our desk and ask us if we received it. This newfangled “electronic mail” is still unproven, unreliable technology so it’s best to always double check with us that we received your message.

On a related note, please ignore all emails from us. Emails such as “The system will be down for maintenance at 4pm” will only confuse you and deprive you of the opportunity to come to our desk or call after 4pm to ask why the system is down and you were not told. Likewise, if we send out a notice that you should not open a certain email because it contains a deadly virus it, feel free to challenge our expertise and open it anyway.

If we don’t get to your request — and resolve it — within five minutes, be sure to follow up immediately by phone and in person. We’re much more productive when someone hovers over our shoulder.

Please do not read a manual or introductory guide to any software or hardware product, especially if you are asked to do so as part of your job. We love answering the same questions repeatedly, especially from the same person. It makes us feel needed.

Don’t ever be specific about a problem. If you tell us your network interface isn’t working or Microsoft Excel crashes, where is our challenge? How can we be motivated when you’ve already told us what the issue is? Just say the “Internet is broken” and we’ll get right on your problem.

Remember that everything on a computer is related. If you, say, change a font size in a word document, that action can obviously crash the network in Virginia a week later. No conclusion is too silly to jump to — if you can’t get to MySpace and you noticed that we were changing a toner cartridge on a printer a week earlier, be sure to ask if the two events are related.

When we try to explain that we do not know the answer to your question, but refer you to the person who does know, please don’t go to that person. Please ask us the same question in a different way. It’s so much fun to keep repeating, “I don’t know the answer, but Bill does and you should talk to him,” that we can hardly contain ourselves.

Never, ever take the time to back up anything. It’s just paranoia. Rest assured we can find the eleven page document you think was named something like “Doc? Or something?” that you wrote, “Sometime between three days and a month ago?”

If we’re on the phone on a work call, please stand by our desk and hover, no matter how long we talk or how busy we are.

Speaking of phones, when using conference calling equipment, please TALK AS LOUDLY AS POSSIBLE. The people you are speaking with are far away — sometimes in other states — and this helps get the signal through. The same goes for your cell phone. The speaker part is little — YELL into it to make sure you can be heard.

Speaking of communication please be sure to have as many hallway meetings near our desks as possible. Never use a conference room. Stand as close as you can so we can hear you. And know that we care about YOU too, so once your hallway meeting about company business is over and the social conversation has begun, please don’t walk away. We’re dying to know what your children are up to, what you think of last night’s game, your latest fishing trip, medical procedure, etc.

Speaking of your children, if one of them crashes your home, non-business computer, be sure to bring it in for us to fix. We love that and we’ve got nothing but time.

In the spirit of empowerment, know that YOU matter and your question about not being able to get to eBay is far more important than the monthly report to the division manager, so be sure to just come up to our desk, and sit on its edge and ask for our help. We love that. Our desk is your desk, friend.

Finally, even if you know about a problem all day, please wait until 10 minutes to the close of business to inform anyone, or better yet, send an email just before you leave, marked URGENT. It’s far more fun to try to triage a problem when most people have gone home and we’re exhausted. That way, we can work on your problem all night and have a solution when you come in early the next morning at 10:30.

Again, welcome to the company, and please remember to delete this email without reading it.

Helping out with Foxboro Cable Access is a blast (in more ways than one!)

07. May 2008 · Write a comment · Categories: Computers / Tech, Foxboro

By Robert Gillis
Published in the Foxboro Reporter April, 2008. Also published on the Foxboro Cable Access Website April, 2008.

Today I thought I’d share a fun memory, an example of me doing something stupid (suspend your disbelief) and suggest another opportunity for YOU to volunteer to help the community and have a great time doing it.

It’s Thursday June 22, 2007 and I’m on Foxboro Common at the first of the annual Foxboro Jaycee concerts of the season.

A few years back, my friend Lauren (LB) Bitar, who works at Foxboro Cable Access (FCA), asked me if I would man a camera for the evening; that turned into a regular summer event for me.

I love working with FCA. Being one of the cameramen (or getting to direct the five-camera operation from the FCA mobile unit) is something I enjoy tremendously. It is a *BLAST* using the cameras from Foxboro Cable Access — the setup is completely professional and I get to play with the tech toys, learn the jargon, and have so much fun working side by side with people who do this for a living.

And the free Jaycee concerts are always a memorable time. It’s wonderful to be out with everybody every Thursday night on the common, meeting old friends, seeing people get together for a night of free (and really good) music, noshing on popcorn and soda — I love it.

That particular June evening ended on a bizarre, exhilarating note. As the concert was wrapping up at about quarter to nine, we noticed there was lightning in the distance. Rain had been forecast and had fortunately held off. But by sign-off time we could see the lightning moving ominously and steadily up Main Street, and literally just a few moments after the last note was played and we were starting to wrap up the cable equipment and the cameras and the cords and everything else — the storm hit!

The lightning was incredible, like a high-intensity strobe. And the rain that immediately followed — the skies just opened up. It was Noah and the flood, or “The Final battle of Matrix Revolutions” type of rain. It just did not stop.

So we were getting soaked, and here we are, quickly putting away all the equipment, and here’s me, the newbie idiot, holding metal poles that support lights and metal poles that held up tents, and to certify my chances of winning the Darwin award, in my left hand I am holding — a 100 foot electric extension cord that yes, was still plugged in.

Fortunately, I realized immediately that I was being the poster child for “how to get hit by lightning” and dropped the cord so it could be unplugged first and made a dash for the truck with my personal portable lightning rods, torrential rain falling and the team getting everything put away as quickly as we could.

It was exhilarating, it was hilarious, it was fun, and I wasn’t struck by lightning, which is always a bonus.

I spend most of my summer Thursdays volunteering to man a camera for FCA, and for five years I’ve also been behind the scenes in the control room for the Doolittle Home Auction. And if I haven’t been clear: This is FUN.

Interested? There’s more. You might not know that Foxboro Cable Access provides an opportunity for Foxboro residents to produce local television programs for the Foxboro community. Their non-profit corporation is responsible for three cable TV channels on Comcast cable in Foxboro. You are encouraged to contact them at 508-543-4757 and learn more about how you can get involved.

FCA volunteers produce many different types of programs, including: Church Services, Local Sports, Community Events, Local Music, Local Talk Shows, Foxboro Historical Society, Public Forums, and Government Meetings.

There are many opportunities to volunteer to help at FCA and you learn so much and get to see the inner workings and behind the scenes of a professional television station. How cool is that? Check out their web site (www.fcatv.org) or give them a call.

Oh–Just don’t hold the aluminum poles and the live electrical cord in a lightning storm. FCA frowns on that sort of thing, and rightly so.

Cell Phone Abuse

04. May 2007 · Write a comment · Categories: Computers / Tech, Rants

By Robert Gillis
Published in the Foxboro Reporter and the Boston City Paper, 5/2007

While I am generally not prone to murderous rage, I think one day I’m just going snap and bludgeon a cell phone user to death, and I think I have a fair chance that a jury will be sympathetic.

The general public has taken a technological marvel (a cell phone) that was supposed to make our lives more convenient and accessible, and turned it into something that has amplified rudeness to the nth degree.

I acknowledge that cell phones are handy and have become as much as part of our daily life as, oh, I don’t know, breathing. They have a purpose and can be useful. I (reluctantly) own one and yes, it has come in handy on more than one occasion. But I barely use the thing. I have a five hour a month plan and I doubt I’ve ever gone over 90 minutes.

I am clearly in the minority here. The larger percentage of the people I encounter daily are at some point in the day doing something else while yapping on the cell phone. Invariably, I am in a trapped situation (train / work / elevator / canoe) where I can’t get away and am therefore subjected to VERY LOUD TALKING and a conversation I: a) am not part of; b) is none of my business and c) could not possibly care less about.

“I’M ON THE TRAIN!” they say thirty times. “I SAID I’M ON THE TRAIN! I’M GOING TO LOSE YOU! I’M ON THE TRAIN. WE’RE GOING THROUGH THE TUNNEL! I’M GOING TO LOSE YOU!”

Oh, you’re about to lose something, all right.

Cute story: I was riding the Red Line one night with my mom. A guy on his cell started the “I’M ON THE TRAIN” thing, and I was so annoyed that so I pulled my cell phone from my jacket, flipped it open, and started doing the same thing. “I’m at south Station. SOUTH STATION! I’M ON THE TRAIN!” My mom thought it was hilarious. The guy on the cell phone making all the noise? Right over his head. Never got the joke.

I love the people who get on the cell phone and start yelling at their kids / spouse / partner / hamster. You’d think they’d be embarrassed. They are clearly not. To reiterate: A conversation I: a) am not part of; b) is none of my business and c) could not possibly care less about.

I’m all for freedom of speech, but how about shutting the thing off when it’s not appropriate (church, theater, movie, anger management class, school room, etc).

Newsflash #1: Guess what? You aren’t carrying the nuclear launch codes and you’re not a thoracic surgeon on call. It’s OK to be out of reach for 30 minutes. Let them leave a message. Let them call back.

Every time I am in a public bathroom and I hear someone in a stall on a cell phone, I deliberately flush as many toilets as possible. I want the person on the other end of the cell phone to know where the call is originating. Blech!

I really dislike the people who are in line for anything (bank, supermarket, food) who conduct a transaction while on the phone. It is really rude to the person behind the counter. “I’M AT THE STORE. THE STORE! NO, I’M PAYING NOW. YES, I GOT THE PICKLED BAT NECTAR!”

And even I — quiet, little old me — broke character and gave a woman at Stop & Shop a baleful (great word, that) stare when she was talking so loudly on her phone that my ears actually hurt.

Newsflash #2: Cell phone technology today is really good. Unlike two tin cans and a string, YELLING IS NOT NECESSARY ON A CELL PHONE.

But believe it or not, I have a bigger issue with cell phones: The Ring Tone. Cell phone ring tones are loud and intrusive. Like a fire alarm, they let you know something bad is about to happen. They are the worst thing about cell phones because suddenly every cell phone user needs to PERSONALIZE their cell phone experience — usually as shrill and deafeningly as possibly.

And God help us, ring tones are big business. HUGE business. They are not going away.

Newsflash #3: You think your ring tone makes a personal statement about you — you’re right — for most of you, it says you are deaf and like to annoy people. It also shows you are unprofessional, rude, and in many cases, childish.

MY cell phone rings by going beep-beep-beep. Quietly. That’s it. My hearing is fantastic. If it were not, I’d set the volume A LITTLE BIT louder, or set the phone to vibrate, I would not chose the highest setting because that would bother other people. But I’m me. Y’know, um … Considerate of others.

My phone does not play Justin Timberlake’s “Sexyback” uncensored version (woman at work, real professional); it does not play “Joyful, Joyful” (guy in store); or ring loudly like an old-style telephone (jerk on commuter rail). It does not play the Mission Impossible theme loudly (guy at work); or announce “CALL FROM MOBILE 617-555-1212″ before it breaks into a jazzy tune (guy on subway).

As I am writing this, I noticed that a co-worker has changed her ring tone to a VERY VERY LOUD series of chimes and chirps. I jumped a mile when it went off. She gave me a sheepish grin. I mollified myself by imagining the phone being ground to pieces in a tree chipper.

Oh, not to worry — it’s not like I have PTSD or anything. Oh, wait a minute, yes, I do.

Here’s a metaphor to clarify. If you suffer from bad allergies, the loud cell phone ring tone is the woman who gets on the bus wearing three gallons of bad perfume and holding a box of ragweed pollen.

Newsflash #4: Guess what? A cell phone is also called a MOBILE PHONE. That means you can take it with you. So stop leaving it on your desk and allow your loud ring tones to go off unabated.

I’ve searched for solutions, from the: a) violent but effective (smash the offending cell phone with a hammer — probably not a good career move) to: b) the tried and true (remove the battery, shut off the phone, ditto) to the: c) wimpy (leave an anonymous note, not my style). None of these are options for me, and I’m not the type to get confrontational on the commuter rail with every jerk (and there are hundreds of them) who want to share their: a) earth-shattering ring tone; b) private life; c) argument; with the rest of us.

Piercing ring tones and deafening, lengthy cell phone calls in public places are an invasion of privacy, inconsiderate, annoying, and discourteous.

I don’t want to see an outbreak of cell-phone violence. I don’t want new laws and regulations — I just want a massive dose of common courtesy. I want people to understand that cell phone usage in certain public situations is inappropriate, rude, and offensive, or at the very least should be conducted discretely and quietly, and briefly. Your cell phone ring tone and conversation should not bother other people.

So, please? Can you turn it down? Can you make the call later? Can you switch to a ring tone that’s not so shrill?

On behalf of the millions of us who suffer your cell phone abuse every day, we would greatly appreciate it.

Technology Unchained – or I remember when (nostalgia)

06. December 2005 · 1 comment · Categories: Computers / Tech, Nostalgia

by Robert Gillis
Published in The Foxboro Reporter 12/2005

Yesterday, I was on the computer with my nine-year-old nephew Colin, and I was amazed by how easily he uses Windows. Oh, he’s not creating web browsers and code interfaces (yet) but he’s still pretty savvy. As I continually spend time with him, I find myself telling him how things were back in the Stone Age when I was his age. A simpler time.

Once while reminiscing, I was telling him about supermarkets. “When I was a kid,” I begin, and now I know I’m getting older because that was Dad’s expression. ” … We didn’t have bar codes on things. There was always a price tag. And the supermarkets had real cash registers. They pressed buttons to put the price in.”

“For every item?”

“Yep. And you got S & H green stamps. You collected them and filled the books and could earn prizes and — “

Blank stare. But why I am I surprised? We’re talking to kids raised in a world of Universal Price Code scanners and debit cards. Their world has always included digital cameras, DVDs, one hour film developing, bar codes, music videos, fax machines, and Gameboys with more processing power than the computer used to land men on the moon.

I remember a world before technology exploded. Those were the days when there were no ATMs, and if you wanted money you needed to get it during bank business hours. You didn’t pay bills on line; there was no “on line.”

Those were the days when you still had the ability to “get away from it all” — the days before electronic mail, cell phones, fax machines, beepers, and Blackberries. No voice mail, no press 1, press 2, no answering machines, no GPS tracking.

And television? No cable back then. No VCRs, no Satellite dishes or Direct-TV or Tivo or DVD-R. You wanted to watch a show, you stayed home to watch it. If there were two shows at the same time you wanted to watch, you needed to choose one. The big event in TV was the day the TV guy came, soldered something onto the set, and viola, now we had something called UHF! 4 new channels!

How about news? TV news looked a lot different; there were no jazzy computer graphics and M-TV type flashes (after all, this was before M-TV)! The weather guy drew the weather graphics on one of those dry-erase boards and would slide across another board to show the close up of New England. There were more newspaper choices back then; in Boston there were five: The Herald, Record, Traveler, American, and Globe. These days we have thousands of news choices. No more daily news; we get our news up to the minute.

I remember when owning a computer was a novelty and they weren’t incorporated into every single aspect of our society. There was no Internet, no world wide web, and no Google. If you needed information, you looked it up in a book, or went to a library and dug thru the Dewey decimal system cards.

My first computer hooked up to the TV and held a whopping 16K of memory (for you non-computer folks, think, really, really tiny). No disk drives or DVD writer, CD-ROM back then; the programs were stored on tape-recorder cassette (and took about ten minutes to load one program!)

Ah, the memories. But back then it was harder to store those memories. Photos from those days are all those fuzzy little square “126″ size film. No camcorders back then. The days of cassettes, vinyl records, and earlier, 8-tracks.

It seems like yesterday, doesn’t it? There have been so many changes, so quickly. So much technology, exploding onto the scene at light speed. Life is faster today, yes, but we have so much new and amazing technology that does make our lives easier and better. It’s amazing, it’s exhilarating. The new generations will take it all for granted, but we old timers will smile, talk to someone younger than us with that look in our eyes and begin, “When I was a kid … ” and they’ll look at us in amazement, wondering how anyone could possibly have lived life in such a “simpler” time.

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