Weekly Routines: How to Never Be Bored on Saturday Morning


Here are the security tasks you should do once a week. They shouldn't cumulatively take more than about an hour or so.

Scan for Viruses and Spyware

Use your antivirus and both anti-spyware programs to do a scan of your computer once a week. Here's how to do that with the key programs suggested in this book. If you use other products, be sure to run scans with them instead.

Microsoft AntiSpyware
1.
Start Microsoft AntiSpyware.

2.
Under the Run Quick Scan Now button, click Scan Options.

3.
Click Run a Full System Scan.

4.
Be sure to check off all the boxes provided, including Deep Scan Folders.

5.
If you want to scan particular specified folders and drives, click the Select link next to Scan Selected Drives /Folders and check off the areas you want scanned.

6.
Click Run Scan Now and allow the program to detect spyware. Remove the programs you don't want on your system.

Spybot Search & Destroy

Here's how to do a spyware scan with Spybot Search & Destroy:

1.
Start Spybot.

2.
Click the Check for Problems button and allow the scan to run.

3.
If the software detects any spyware, it is displayed as an item to be removed.

AVG

Here's how to do a virus scan with AVG:

1.
Start AVG by double-clicking the icon in the System Tray.

2.
AVG Control Center opens. Click Test Center.

3.
Click on the Scan Computer button and let the program scan your computer until it's finished.

4.
If it finds anything, follow the recommendations to remove the virus.

Check for Firefox Updates

The Firefox web browser is relatively new and so browser vulnerabilities are being found fairly often. Some clever geek might find a security hole and alert the team at Mozilla.org to the problem. A fix is usually issued within a day or so.

Be sure to check every week (or two) to make sure you take advantage of these discoveries and patch the browser with fixes. Here's how:

If you're wondering why I haven't suggested updating Internet Explorer, it's because those fixes are issued as part of the Windows Updates.


1.
Open Firefox.

2.
Click the Tools menu and then Options.

3.
Click the Advanced icon on the left and scroll down to the entry that says Software Updates.

4.
You see two check boxes. If the Firefox box is checked, the program searches updates for the browser. If Extensions is checked, the program looks for updates for the add-in items in Firefox (found under Tools, Extensions).

5.
To check for updates, click the Check Now button (see Figure 10.3).

6.
Firefox checks for updates on its server and if it finds any, it prompts you to install them.

Figure 10.3. Update Firefox by clicking the Check Now option in the Advanced area of the Options box. You have to scroll down to find it.

Tip

If a Firefox update becomes available, a red arrow pointed up in a circle will appear at the top of the Firefox Window to alert you. Click it to access the update.





Absolute Beginners Guide To. Security, Spam, Spyware & Viruses
Absolute Beginners Guide to Security, Spam, Spyware & Viruses
ISBN: 0789734591
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 168

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