Another Day With My PC

No matter how fast your processor is, chances are is that your surfing speed would soon drag down due to unwanted data build up, plug-in issues, or failure to update your browser. You don’t need an antivirus or anti-spyware program for these problems. Putting grease into your laggard browser is as easy as clicking a few buttons.

If you’re using Internet Explorer, just click on Tools • Internet Options then click on Delete Browsing History. If you’re using a third-party utility suite, such as Norton Systemworks, then you have to open up its control center and choose the appropriate option to delete unwanted browser clutter.

For plug-in problems, all you have to do is disable it. In Firefox, just choose Tools • Add-ons, then Disable. In Internet Explorer, click on Start • All Programs • Accessories • Internet Explorer (No Add-ons).

As for the updates, you don’t have to worry about Internet Explorer if you’re using Windows and Windows Update is set to automatically receive patches. For Firefox, just click on Help • Check for Updates.

In a bid to entice people to search and retrieve their laptop, a brewer in New Zealand has recently pledged a lifetime of beer to anyone who could bring its portable PC back. Croucher Brewing Co. pleads for the return of its laptop since it contains all of the company’s financial details.

So what does this got to do with the PC?

Hole in One, Twos, Threes…

Well, do you ever remember a time when your PC crashed because Microsoft or some other software maker forgot to plug some holes in their creations? While some crashes are benign, requiring you to just reboot your PC to get rid of the glitch, other meltdowns take your computer and all its contents down the drain.

I’m sure some of you have already experienced the worst case scenario that I’ve just said. You probably spent the night thereafter trying to look for your back up disks or the installation CDs of the applications that used to rent space in your hard drive. However, if you forgot to back up, then you most likely spent the night giving the customer service lady at Microsoft’s hotline a very big piece of your mind.

e-Samsonite

PCs, especially the portable ones, are the modern day bags and briefcases. It contains things that are essential to our work. To some (like the workaholics), the very foundation of their lives are built around their PCs and on the information that are stored therein. Thus, a hard drive crash for them is life-altering, to say the least.

How much, do you think, would those persons offer to anybody who could retrieve their lost data? For big companies, I assume that they would be very willing to give a hefty figure for the retrieval of the 0s and 1s that they’ve lost in their hard drives caused by malware that were able to get into their system through the unlocked gates and weak walls of their operating system.

Warrant of Arrest

In situations like that, shouldn’t it be the software maker which should make reparations for our loss? There is such a thing as a “warranty” in commercial law. However, I don’t see it being applied in defective software, or at least not as much as with the other faulty goods that are offered for sale. Could it be that there’s a separate law or rule governing computer programs?

It’s not unusual for applications to be littered with errors that need patching up. Take Windows, for example. Everybody knows that it competes with Swiss cheese when it comes to having holes and clefts. They don’t stay open for long, though, because Microsoft makes it a point to lock them up through Windows Update. Maybe the authorities are not too quick to jump the gun on software makers as long as they immediately stitch every hole that they encounter.

Your Own Sentinel

I’m not sure if anybody has already filed a suit against software authors for having lost important data or files due to faulty programming. Until such time that we learn of one, and a successful suit at that, we should take matters into our own hands by making sure that nothing could go in and wreak havoc to our PC. Of course, an antivirus would be needed in this endeavor. A registry cleaner would also come in handy in case the malware would want to rewrite the contents of your Windows registry. But don’t rely solely on these security suites and system tools, though. The ultimate protector of your computer and files is still you, the user. Always make sure that the files or programs that you’re using come from legitimate sources.

We know what’s best for you.

It would seem that this is Microsoft’s justification for the unauthorized updates that it has conducted on its latest and previous operating systems. Windows XP and Vista users have recently complained that Windows update has modified some of their system files without warning them about it.

Windows Update (WU) is a feature in XP and Vista which automatically downloads and installs patches and updates to the operating systems. Users are given the option to either let WU get the files automatically or prompt them before downloading the necessary files. While many have taken the laissez faire approach, a good number still wants to be warned whenever patches would be installed in their systems.

So the next time you see your PC’s DSL and hard drive lamps blink like crazy, don’t sound the alarm and raise your antivirus and anti-spyware security level to “high.” Chances are, it’s just Bill Gates trying to rearrange your operating system’s files. If you’re using OS X though, then you might want to immediately cut the yellow cable.

Are you receiving patches and other updates from Microsoft automatically?

I used to be irked at this option when I was still using a dial-up connection because the download slows up everything. I even played with the thought of deactivating the auto-download option of Windows Update. Luckily my DSL subscription got approved immediately so I shelved off the ill-advised plan of just manually downloading the updates whenever I deem it convenient.

Those who turned off the auto-update feature of Windows to save themselves from the bothersome process might have ended up getting more annoyed by intrusive pop ups. In case you don’t know, many of the patches are security-related. Malware authors have been very creative these past few years. Although I’m sure you’re anti-virus software could off ward most of the unwanted applications circulating around the Internet, some could easily bypass it.

The most recent patch that Microsoft issued plugged a hole in many of its operating systems, including Windows Vista. The update was branded as a critical one since hackers could easily access computers without the patch.

The malicious program works by modifying “.ani” files. Files bearing such extension are used in managing cursor processes and appearances. Once installed, the malicious software can record every keystroke that the user makes on his computer. You could just imagine how dangerous this type of malware is. Hackers would be able to know the log in details of your e-mail account, or worse, your bank account.

Security experts did not confirm if the authors of the unwanted program intended to use it to access bank accounts. What they do know is that the hackers are targeting the log-in details of the user’s World of Warcraft account. The log-ins of this popular multiplayer PC game will then be sold to interested buyers.

In case you don’t know, developing online game characters or accounts is a lucrative undertaking. Players spend countless hours trying to improve their account in order to play in the higher levels. Since not all are talented enough to play at the higher stages or to obtain the gadgets or features that are only available to accounts or characters that have surpassed certain tests, some have opted to just buy them off from the skillful players.

Ken Dunham of VeriSign’s iDefense has disclosed that the authors of the malicious software come from China. Microsoft was so worried about the vulnerability that it released the patch ahead of schedule.

The release of the update doesn’t ensure that the Chinese hackers won’t be able to obtain the data that they’re looking for. As I’ve lamented earlier, there are users who turned off the automatic update feature of their operating system. As a result, their units might have already been infected by the unwanted application. Many weren’t aware of this danger. I admit that I wasn’t either. This is quite surprising and alarming though, considering that Microsoft already new of the threat as early as December of last year.

For those of you who don’t receive critical updates automatically, visit Microsoft’s site immediately and install the patch.

• Jan 6 : Close All Apps Before Running a Registry Scan
• Jan 3 : Ways to Rid Your Hard Drive of Malware
• Jan 2 : A-DATA Releases XPG Dual SSD RAID Enclosure
• Dec 30 : Is it Wise to Download and Use Free Software?
• Dec 29 : Acer Unleashes Quad-core w/ Blu-ray Aspire 8930G Laptop