PTNSYSTEMS NEWSLETTER JULY 2007

Part 1 – Slow computers, Adware Anti-virus and nasties

Part 2 – Lost Internet connection with routers

PART 1

My computer seems to be running slowly, should I get a new one?

This question is raised more frequently than any other, it’s always worth having your PC looked at before you rush out and replace it as it may be overkill to simply buy a new one just because it’s running slowly. The first question to ask yourself however is…… was my computer slow when I bought it? If the answer is no, then 99% of the time the reason it is slow now, is that there is more of a burden on the machine than there was all those weeks/months/years ago when it sprung into life for the first time. Computers aren’t like you or me, they don’t slow down due to old age, if you have an eight year old computer and you’ve never installed any more software on it since it was new, and it has never been connected to the internet, it will undoubtedly be running as good as new. It may no longer be able to run modern software or some components may have failed, but more on this later.

So why is it slower now? Keeping it as simple as possible, the main culprits are:

1.       Start-up processes hogging resources.

2.       Adware/spyware/malware/otherfunnynameware.

3.       Burdensome software which requires more system resources than are available.

4.       Viruses, worms, Trojan horses etc.etc

5.       Lack of available resources for its intended job i.e. it was slow from the day I bought it (it never had a fast enough processor and/or available memory from day one and/or it came preloaded with so much software it never stood a chance)

So what can we do to avoid these issues, I’ll start from the top.

Start-up

Start-up processes are basically extra bits of software which load into memory once the computer has loaded the operating system e.g. Windows XP. These aren’t always nasties, very often the security software you bought to help keep the machine running smoothly is the very source of the problem.

Just look down at the bottom right hand side of you screen, click the arrow saying show hidden icons, and count the number of extra icons to the left of the clock.

These icons all indicate extra pieces of software occupying your memory banks which means there is less available memory for your processor to work with. I wouldn’t like to see more than five or six of these icons on any of my computers unless there was a very good reason for them being there. Computers are becoming increasingly used for advertising/self promotion  purposes and because of this software companies will strike deals with computer manufacturers so that your new machine will arrive with plenty of “free” and trial software pre installed, it amazes us how slow new machines are because of this, and it can be quite time consuming removing it all.

Sadly ridding yourself these programs can be troublesome as the companies who make the software don’t want them to be removed easily, they can load themselves into memory from various parts of the boot process making it difficult to give a simple removal solution. One thing users can do is remove any unnecessary software using add/remove programs in the control panel which often removes the associated program from loading at start-up. Other areas to look out for are the all users start-up folder and the Windows registry, be warned however that any erroneous changes made in these areas can have disastrous and irreversible effects on your PC. Changes to the Windows registry are beyond the scope of this newsletter but for those of you who like to get involved in the more technical side of maintenance, the following link may be useful:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560

Adware etc.

As technology advances and more people come to rely on the Internet for information, leisure, and business it seems as if keeping your computer free of advertising is a daunting task. Not technically fitting into either the virus or spam category we have spyware and adware, which are growing concerns for Internet users. At times these programs may invade your privacy, contain malicious code, and at the very least they can be a nuisance when using a computer connected to the Internet.

Adware

Adware is considered a legitimate alternative offered to consumers who do not wish to pay for software. Programs, games or utilities can be designed and distributed as freeware. Sometimes freeware blocks features and functions of the software until you pay to register it. Today we have a growing number of software developers who offer their goods as "sponsored" freeware until you pay to register. Generally most or all features of the freeware are enabled but you will be viewing sponsored advertisements while the software is being used. The advertisements usually run in a small section of the software interface or as a pop-up ad box on your desktop. When you stop running the software, the ads should disappear. This allows consumers to try the software before they buy and you always have the option of disabling the ads by purchasing a registration key. In many cases, adware is a legitimate revenue source for companies who offer their software free to users.

Spyware

Unfortunately, some freeware applications which contain adware do track your surfing habits in order to serve ads related to you. When the adware becomes intrusive like this, then we move it in the spyware category and it then becomes something you should avoid for privacy and security reasons. Due to its invasive nature, spyware has really given adware a bad name as many people do not know the differences between the two, or use the  terms interchangeably.

Spyware is considered a malicious program and is similar to a Trojan horse in that users unwittingly install the product when they install something else. A common way to become a victim of spyware is to download certain peer-to-peer file swapping products that are available today i.e. “free” music/video download software.

Spyware works like adware but is usually a separate program that is installed unknowingly when you install another freeware type program or application. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.

Because spyware exists as independent executable programs, they have the capability to monitor your keystrokes, scan files on the hard drive, snoop other applications, such as chat programs or word processors, install other spyware programs, read cookies, change the default home page on the Web browser, while consistently relaying this information back to the spyware author who will either use it for advertising and marketing purposes or sell the information to another party. 

Licensing agreements that accompany software downloads sometimes warn the user that a spyware program will be installed along with the requested software, but the licensing agreements are not always be read completely by users because the notice of a spyware installation is often couched in obtuse, hard-to-read legal disclaimers.

While one may not realize they have installed spyware, there are some signs that it exists on your computer. If you notice any changes to your Web browser that you did not make such as extra toolbars or different homepage settings, as well as changes to your security settings and favourites list, you could have spyware running on your system. Other signs of a spyware infection include pop-up ads which aren't related to a Web site you're viewing; usually spyware advertisements are adult content in nature and are not displayed in the same fashion as legitimate ads you would normally see on your favourite Web sites. You may also see advertisements when you're not browsing the Web. Clicking hyperlinks which do not work (or take you somewhere you didn't expect), a sluggish system, or your system taking longer to load the Windows desktop are all signs that your computer may be infected with spyware.

With the onset of spyware comes a plethora of anti-spyware software packages to rid your system of these unwanted and malicious programs. Anti-spyware software works by identifying any spyware installed on your system and removing it. Since spyware is installed like any other application on your system it will leave traces of itself in the system registry and in other places on your computer. Anti-spyware software will look for evidence of these files and delete them if found.

It is important to remember that not all companies who claim their software contains adware are really offering adware. There is always a chance that adware is spyware in disguise so to speak, and that programs with embedded spyware may not state its existence at all. Always stay on the side of caution and be sure to research privacy policies and licensing agreements that come with freeware. You should also become familiar with Internet lists of companies reported to be using spyware. Much like a firewall or anti-virus program, anti-spyware software is crucial to maintain optimal protection and security on your computer and network.

All our computers come with Adaware preinstalled, this free program has been used by us  for many years and found to be more than adequate for removing the vast majority of adware/spyware nasties from the PC, if you need to download and install it, please look here:

ADAWARE DOWNLOAD

Or copy and paste this link into your browser:

http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-2007-Free/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj=dl&tag=top5

Burdensome software – Viruses etc.

Quite easy this one, but often overlooked, If you try installing Windows Vista on your 5 year old computer with 256MB of RAM and a 1.3 GHz processor, don’t be surprised if it is sluggish. Modern software is generally quite resource intensive, we’ve found Vista slows the same computer down quite a bit compared to XP which in turn made Windows 98 look rapid. This doesn’t mean these operating systems are bad just that they require faster machines to do all the extra tasks people expect from their computers. When thinking about buying a piece of software, especially games, look at the minimum specification requirements for that software and make sure your PC is up to it, if you need to find out your PC’s processor speed and installed RAM right click on the My Computer icon and click on properties.

We’ve found many software companies are promoting themselves more and more through their own software, every time you install a program on your computer which loads some little icon on your desktop or produces a little pop up on the screen at start-up you are adding baggage to the machine. Some of this software may have been purchased to help keep your machine clean/tidy/safe from all these nasties out on the Internet but very often they slow the computer down so much it outweighs any benefits they provide. The best example of this is anti-virus software, some years ago we recommended Symantec Anti-Virus (not Internet Security or any other all in one package) but since 2005 this has become so invasive and uses so many system resources we would not recommend it to our customers. After seeing many anti-virus packages we would recommend AVG Free which can be downloaded here.

AVG FREE

Or copy and paste this link into your browser:

http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/5390/lng/us/tpl/v5#avg-anti-virus-free

Remember to remove any existing anti-virus software before installing AVG Free.

There is no catch, it is free, updates itself automatically if you have an Internet connection,  uses far less system resources than many of the products which have to be paid for and we have never had a case of it missing a virus on a computer as long as it was up to date. More on security in the next few months, but with AVG anti-virus and your Windows firewall turned on, you have a more than adequate level of protection for general computer use. If you are thinking of renewing or buying a piece of software to clean/speed up/protect your computer and you would like our advice please feel free to email us.

info@ptnsystems.com

Part 2 – Lost Internet connection with routers

Routers will have their own power supply so if you have a little box plugged into the USB port on your computer then this doesn’t really apply. A lot of people call when their broadband connection is lost, if you have a router it is quite normal to lose your internet connection every once in a while, this can be caused by any number of things from power cuts, BT working on the phone system 3 miles away, to your ISP working on their servers etc. etc.

Very often you can reset the connection by turning off and restarting your router, some have power buttons or you can simply turn it on or off at the mains. If you setup the router yourself make sure you saved to settings to the device before you reboot or it will default to the factory settings and you certainly will not get back on the internet when it is re started.