Laptops III

Applications you can't do without...(versión española aquí)

Now that you've got your wireless connection working, you're ready to surf the 'Net and fill your laptop with all kinds of downloads, right? Wrong! If you're anything like the millions of computer users around the world, you probably use your system to store everything from pictures to music to videos to emails to contacts. In other words, your life. On top of that, if you transact business online (banking and purchases) without adequate protection, you leave yourself open to the possibility of identity theft (bank acount, credit card and social security numbers). The loss of any or all of these can cause great anxiety and depression.

So the first thing you need to do is SECURE your system. It's easy to protect a system if you apply a strategy of 'best practices' which I outline below. Many users think that by activating Windows' built-in Firewall and keeping systems updated, computers are protected. Nothing could be further from the truth. Microsoft is not a security provider (at least, not an experienced one), even though they have ventured into the field with their Windows Live One-Care product.

Viruses and other infections, collectively known as malware, can only come from three sources: Websites embedded with malicious code such as porn sites, fake bank Websites that solicit confidential info such as passwords or credit card numbers (phishing), P2P sites (spyware) and other free download sites that have occult harmful payloads that register keystrokes (keyloggers) or allow third parties to take control of your system (botnets); infected email attachments with programs that install themselves when opened; and infected files downloaded from external media such as USBs, DVDs and CD-ROMs.

Incidentally, an authentic bank site would NEVER ask you to divulge confidential information, so if you get an email notice from your bank asking for account number confirmation, it's surely fake. If in doubt, call your bank. Better safe than sorry. Lately, there's also been a lot of concern over the security of social networks like Facebook. So be careful of the type of information you put out there and who you allow to see it.

Indeed, the bad guys are always one step ahead because there's a lot of money to be made (http://tinyurl.com/techweekpanda) from all kinds of scams.

So let's go step-by-step.

1. Partition your hard disk

The first thing you have to do is partition your hard disk. Normally, viruses and other malware will target your computer's C: drive boot sector because that's where the operating system, registry and applications reside. Most people don't bother to partition their disks so most data files and personal information also reside on the C: disk. Create a partition (a virtual disk) for your stored data and personal files. That way, even if your entire C: drive is infected requiring a complete system reinstall, your files will remain unaffected and safe. Windows Vista comes with a basic built-in disk partitioning tool that is fine for end users. However, if you manage several physical internal or external disks, I suggest you use a good partitioning application such as PowerQuest's Partition Magic, a company specializing in disk management acquired by Symantec in 2003.

In Windows Vista, simply right click the My Computer icon and go to Administer/Manage (my OS is in Spanish so I'm translating directly) - Storage - Disk Administrator/Manager. On the right pane, you will have a visual of how your disk is partitioned. Normally, your hard drive will have two partitions, C: (system) and D: (recovery) which are factory set. This is true for most systems sold in Europe. Right click on disk C: and select "Reduce Volume" and specify the size by which you want to reduce the C: drive (normally half the original size is good). What this does is reduce the size of your C: drive creating a new virtual drive with the amount of disk space which you can designate with any letter and name. Make sure this new virtual disk is an NTFS (NT File System) partition. Once created, you can store all your personal files (pictures, music, videos, contacts) in this new partition.

2. Surf safely

Your laptop/computer probably came with an antivirus program when you purchased it. If not, you need to get and install a comprehensive solution before you surf the Web. Today's solutions have evolved and most include a combination of antivirus, antispam, antiphishing, antispyware, firewall and intrusion prevension system (IPS) features designed to provide a safe Internet experience. There are many diferent security providers including free antivirus applications. However, security is one THE one aspect of computers you cannot put a price on, just as you would not be able to put a price on the safety of your children. When it comes to security, don't scrimp, be conscientious. Remember the old adage: Better safe than sorry.

Nowadays, most security providers offer variations of the same solutions, Internet Security. I've tried several in the past and some were better than others. Over the past two years I've been using Kaspersky's Internet Security on my desktop not only because it does a good job and offers a lot of granularity (fine tuning), but because it is light on system resources - you hardly notice it working in the background.

This new HP laptop I'm using came with a 60 day license of Norton's Internet Security 2009, and it is the first Norton product I've used that is lightweight. My experience with previous editions of Norton security products was negative as they were all resource hungry. I remember being severely hampered by my Norton-protected, limited capacity workstation at work. However, I was truly surprised by this version of Internet Security. In addition to providing total web surfing protection (all the features mentioned above), NIS 2009 provides a neat little feature that stores your credit card information for online purchases. When you're ready to complete a purchase, you simply call up the Identity Safe function and NIS 2009, together with its antiphishing feature, evaluate the validity of the page requesting your credit information. Once NIS 2009 assures you of the site's authentication, it supplies your credit card details to finalize the purchase upon your approval.

Which brings me to another point. If you are fond of online shopping, rather than having to enter your credit card information everytime you make a purchase, I suggest signing up with a third party provider such as Pay Pal. Signing up with Pay Pal is free and transactions cost you nothing. The service manages your credit information (encrypted) for you and charges the seller a commission. You enter your credit details only once and when you're ready to make a purchase, Pay Pal guarantees payment to the seller. This eliminates the need of entering your credit details in multiple sites reducing the risk of identity theft.

Next up, backing up your data...