Windows Vista/XP Remote Desktop Review

Microsoft Windows XP and Vista both come with built-in remote access capabilities. Are these feature really adequate replacements for third-party remote desktop applications, or are they just more Windows bloatware? Read the full review to find out!

INSTALLATION & SETUP

Both Windows XP and Vista come with the Remote Desktop Protocol pre-installed, so there is no explicit installation involved with this utility. However, since Microsoft enjoys product differentiation a bit too much, it matters which version of Windows is installed on your computer. Any version of XP or Vista has the ability to connect to a host computer, but the target computer must have Windows XP Professional, Vista Business, Vista Enterprise, or Vista Ultimate installed. Surprisingly, users can even use Apple OS X and Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2 to connect to target computers.

Today we will be testing Vista's Remote Desktop Protocol using a desktop with Vista Ultimate x64 and Vista Business x64. For all intents and purposes, RDP functions identically between these two versions.

Unlike the web-browser based competitors, Vista's RDP requires the user to either know the exact IP address of the target computer (in our experience, this never works well), or run some kind of VPN (Virtual Private Network) between the target computer and the local computer. Selecting a reliable and trustworthy VPN service is outside of the scope of this article, but we will at least mention that we've used LogMeIn Hamachi Free's VPN service for our needs in the past.

Be sure to check that the target computer has been configured to accept incoming RDP requests. Depending on the firewall and network configuration, some additional configurations may be needed. (Shameless plug: Our forum is visited by thousands of users that will be able to help should you have any questions!)

In order to enable remote access connections, right click on My Computer and go to the Properties screen. From there, select the Remote link (or the Remote tab in XP's case) and select the option to allow RDP connections.

INTERFACE & EASE OF USE

In order to open up Vista's Remote Desktop program, open up the Start Menu and click on the Accessories folder. From within XP you will need to open up the Start Menu, click All Programs, and then enter the Accessories folder to find the program link.

Remote Desktop Connection pops up to ask for the computer's network address or name. Either enter the IP address or name of the computer here; assuming the VPN or network is configured properly, this information should be all that is needed to connect. (Again, users are invited to post in our forums if there are any questions about this step.)

The target computer's user account information can also be entered into this window, but it is not required. Remote Desktop Connection will ask for the information when it is needed if you do not enter it in now.

Additional connection options are found in the tabs in the main window. Users can select the resolution for the remote session window (we prefer full-screen) as well as the color quality used during the session. The lower the settings used, the slower the network can be without an adverse viewing experience.

The guest computer's audio, keyboard, printer, clipboard, and drives can be shared with the target computer during the remote session. Audio sharing allows users to play media files on the target computer or hear system prompts, print on a printer nearby, copy and paste text and files between computers, and share hard drives during the session.

Additional settings are available that would affect the quality of the remote session. Generally speaking, each option offers more and more visual quality but requires more network bandwidth.

Once the remote session starts, a very minimalistic remote session window pops up. If the remote session is configured to use the full screen, a small pop up bar at the top of the screen provides the same functionally as the windowed session's top bar.

PERFORMANCE

During the evaluation period, the target computer was connected to the internet via a 6Mbit DSL connection. The computer used to access the target was connected to the same DSL connection for a high speed test, and then later connected to the internet using a public WiFi hotspot in the same city. We also connected the two computers using a gigabit Ethernet connection in a full-blown no-holds-barred performance test.

Just like the rest of the competition thus far, Remote Desktop had no impact on the target system's performance. Computational and memory usages were low, virtually unnoticeable.

Overall performance was quite impressive. Vista's Remote Desktop showed very little latency with the DSL or WiFi interfaces. So little, in fact, that minimizing or maximizing windows did not produce significant latencies at all. Moving windows around the screen did produce a little latency, but well within our expectations. Audio transmissions worked with few hitches as long as there was no bandwidth-hogging streaming video applications open on screen. Streaming video did produce stuttering images, much like the competition, but the interface did lock up once in a while when the streaming video overwhelmed the connection. Usually reconnection would fix the issue and in all honesty no user should expect streaming video to work well with any remote access product.

Accessing programs, email, applications, and files on the target computer worked almost as if we had been sitting at the target computer, rather than the local PC. We could do anything remotely that we could have done at the desk. File transmissions were as easy as copying the data from one computer and pasting it into another (drag and drop did not work however), and transfers worked both ways without any issues. While the program does not support multiple monitor use, Remote Desktop takes pains to prevent a host of errors from plaguing a two-monitor setup.

In our no-holds-barred gigabit Ethernet test, streaming video was better but still not workable -- suggesting that the program is performance-limited to save on computer resources.

Remote Desktop also allows the user to remotely access any number of computers, provided the right network infrastructure is available. As expected though, the target computer can only have one active connection running at any time.

CONCLUSION

Windows Vista/XP's Remote Desktop utility gives the user an excellent remote session experience. There are no limitations to the number of computers a user can connect to, and there is little to no latency. Using Remote Desktop really did feel like we were working at the target computer's desk. Since this tool is not controlled by a web browser, the connection was definitely a bit faster than some of the competition, though third-party VPN software is a must in order to use Remote Desktop outside of a home network. The only real drawback to Remote Desktop is that the host computer needs to run a one of the latest (more expensive) versions of Windows, but given how well this program works it just might be worth it.

Pros

• XP, Vista & Mac OS X support
• No latency in basic functions
• Intuitive, simple interface

Cons

• Requires third-party VPN
• Can't share remote session
• Streaming media unusable

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Windows Vista Boot Recovery Made Easy

We all wish today’s PC technology could be as stable as, say, your microwave: when was the last time your microwave crashed or failed to start up? Unfortunately, because of the complex nature of hardware and software, there are too many variables and internal processes interacting with each other for things to go smoothly 100% of the time, all the time. Windows will suddenly reboot itself when you’re in the middle of an important e-mail or surfing the web, or simply won’t boot up at all. You may have experienced these annoyances from time to time with XP, and until Windows 7 becomes available for public consumption, you may be having a few of these issues with Vista.

Vista failing to boot up or inexplicably crashing may be related to a whole host of problems, hardware or software. The former possibly being a defective sound card or graphics card, the latter a bad software driver acting up or missing system files that are vital for boot time. The first thing you need to figure out is if it’s indeed a hardware or software issue. Also, almost everything in your toolbox that applies to fixing an XP boot/crash issue won’t jibe with Vista, so you’ll need a whole new set of tools. So read on, and let’s fill your Vista toolbox.

Vista Won’t Boot

Vista’s failure to boot up properly is a binary problem: hardware or software. Have you recently installed any new hardware into your PC lately? New graphics card, sound card, hard drive, more RAM, perhaps? Improperly installed or defective hardware can stop Vista from booting dead in its tracks. If you’ve recently installed new components, try taking them out and putting them back in. For example, maybe your new graphics card isn’t sitting right in its slot or your new hard drive isn’t tightly connected with its cables and ribbons. If that doesn’t work, take out the culprit piece of hardware (install a quick replacement if said hardware is needed for essential computer functionality) and give your PC a boot. Also, it may seem silly, but ensure that your computer’s power cable is properly plugged in and that your PC’s power switch is set to “|” (“O” is off, and “|” is on). The process is called divide and conquer, and if your PC boots up all right, then at least you’ve pinpointed the problem.

A software issue may halt Vista at boot time, too. Retrace your steps and determine whether you’ve installed any applications that may be acting up; uninstall and reboot. If that solves the problem, you’ll know there’s something wrong with the application. Software drivers for hardware are notorious for causing headaches. Make sure that all your software drivers are updated, or you may need to roll back to a previous version if a newer one is causing Vista to crash or fail at boot time.

Vista DVD Recovery

Vista’s crash recovery options can be accessed by popping in your Vista DVD and rebooting your PC. You’ll be asked to Hit Any Key To Continue, and you’ll be inside the Vista DVD menu. If your PC skips your optical drive during boot time and goes directly to your hard drive, you’ll need to make a setting change in your motherboard’s BIOS. Restart the computer, and hit either DEL or F2 (different PC makers use different function keys) and you’ll be taken to the BIOS screen. Navigate to your Advanced BIOS options, and select your optical drive as “the first boot device”. Save the setting and restart your PC.

Once you’re inside the Windows Vista Recovery Environment select Repair your computer. The recovery environment will go through the motions and attempt to detect a Vista installation on your hard drives. The Vista Startup Repair application is rather easy to use. It can be used as a sort of panacea if you don’t want to delve too deeply and get your hands dirty. The Vista Startup Repair is very adept at fixing damaged boot records, AWOL system files, software driver issues, and several other problems that may be preventing your computer from booting normally. Also, if you’ve set a system restore point, Startup Repair can access this in the case a rollback is required to make things right. If you didn’t store your files in the usual places—User folder, My Documents, etc.–then Startup Repair may delete them, so always make sure you back up all essential files on a regular basis.

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Adding Memory to Vista

I upgraded the RAM on my Windows Vista Home Premium laptop to four gigabytes, but when I check the system information box to see how much memory I have now, it only says about three gigabytes. Could there be something wrong with the chips?

While Windows Vista’s specifications do state you can upgrade the computer’s random access memory (RAM) to a maximum of four gigabytes, the system doesn’t actually report the full amount when you check the amount of installed memory. This is because Windows hoards some of the memory for the computer’s hardware devices, like its graphics card and network components. The full technical explanation can be found at support.microsoft.com/kb/929605.

On many machines, however, installing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 will make the system report the full four gigabytes of memory. Microsoft explains how this works at support.microsoft.com/kb/946003.

While the four-gigabyte memory limitation holds true for the most common forms of Vista — the 32-bit versions of the operating system — the 64-bit editions can handle eight gigabytes to 120 gigabytes, depending on the specific Vista version. The 64-bit edition of Windows Vista Home Premium, for example, can support up to 16 gigabytes of memory and Windows Vista Ultimate can wrangle 128 gigabytes.

The terms 32-bit and 64-bit indicate how the computer’s processor handles data, and a 64-bit system can make use of much larger amounts of memory. The 64-bit version of Windows Vista, (which needs a processor capable of managing a 64-bit operating system, as well as compatible hardware drivers) is often used by people who need to have several programs open at once while bouncing among them. More information on 64-bit editions of Vista can be found on Microsoft’s site at bit.ly/GjypQ.

If you ever suspect that the computer’s memory chips could be causing erratic behavior like sudden crashes, Vista does include its own Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool. You can find detailed instructions for using it at bit.ly/2VU59g.



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Take a closer look at Vista UAC prompts

Windows Vista has a built-in security feature called User Account Control (UAC for short) that is designed to reduce the potential for security breaches. UAC forces all users, even administrators, to request permission via the UAC prompt in order to perform tasks that require administrative privileges. Standard users must be able to provide an Administrator user name and password and Administrators must simply consent to the operation.

While this is all pretty familiar territory to Vista users, the fact that there are actually four types of UAC prompts, each with a different color scheme isn’t. Sure we’ve all encountered UAC prompts, but most of us think of them in generic terms. Seriously, who among us has actually taken the time to look at the color scheme of a UAC? We usually just click a button as fast as we can to move past the prompt. However, like the Homeland Security color levels, each of the successive UAC color-coding schemes is designed to convey a greater sense of warning.

I take a closer look at each type of UAC prompt in a TechRepublic Photo Gallery and point out the different color schemes. Check it out.

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How to run older applications in Windows Vista

When Microsoft designs an innovative operating system, they should have in mind backwards compatibility, which is forever a huge thing to boast. But, in spite of several efforts, you cannot have every older applications run properly in latest versions of Windows. Windows Vista specially suffered a lot from this viewpoint. Altering so many things compared to Windows XP resulted in a great deal for older programs not running correctly in this operating system. But, there a few things a client can attempt to create older software work in Windows Vista, a few with a superior success rate than others. In this article I will explain you how to use older applications in compatibility mode in Windows Vista. First of all, find the file you need to run in compatibility mode or its shortcut, right click on it as well as choose the Properties. When you are in the Properties menu, go to the Compatibility tab. Here you have numerous selections from which to select. The foremost choice as well as the one that often helps in most cases is to confirm the box that says 'Run this program in compatibility mode for'. Then, choose the operating system on which the software you are demanding to run used to work. Later on click on OK as well as attempt to run the software. If it doesn't work correctly then you can undertake the further selection as well. One more thing that helps is to go to the Privilege Level area from the Compatibility tab as well as confirm the choice that says 'Run this program as an administrator'. This helps when you attempt to make use of older software which needs administrator rights to run correctly. Please note that this selection is not obtainable if you are not presently logged on as an administrator. Additional selections that can help you run older software are: Run in 256 colors - May assist you run very old software that were intended to employ 256 colors. Run in 640 × 480 screen resolution - This runs the application in a window with the specific resolution. You should undertake this setting if the software interface looks strange or else is rendered indecently. Disable visual themes - This selection disables themes on the program you are running. It can assist if you observe troubles with the menus or else buttons on the title bar of the programs. Disable desktop composition - It switch off display features for example transparency along with additional features. This helps if you note down display troubles or else slowdowns while dragging the program window on the screen. Disable display scaling on high DPI settings - It turns off automatic resizing of programs if large-scale font size is in utilize. You should undertake this setting if large-scale fonts are intrusive with the appearance of the software you are demanding to run. NOTE: Do not execute in compatibility mode older software’s for example: security software and any other extra security utilities, disk utilities, or else other system programs because it may cause data loss or make a security risk. source

How to Download Windows Vista Ultimate Lite 5

There are many people who have seen the blazing speed of Windows Ultimate Lite 5. The speed of the Windows Ultimate Lite 5 is almost identical to the speed of Windows 7. Many people wonder if all Microsoft did to Windows 7 is do the same thing that has been done to Windows Ultimate Lite 5. This is why many people want to try this version of Windows Vista, but they don’t know how to download Windows Ultimate Lite 5.

If you don’t know how to download Windows Ultimate Lite 5 then you probably don’t know about torrents and torrent programs. You have to have the torrent file that corresponds to the Windows Ultimate Lite 5 edition and you have to open that file with a good torrent program. The torrent file that corresponds to the operating system that you are trying to download will allow the torrent program to download all of the files that are need to install the Windows Ultimate Lite 5 edition.

The first step to learning how to download Windows Ultimate Lite 5 is getting the torrent program. There are many torrent programs to choose from, but the best by far is the UTorrent program. This is because the UTorrent program is an extremely small file. That assures you that there are no extra attachments that you don’t need. There have been several other programs that have been verified to have some kind of virus at one point or another.

The second step to learning how to download Windows Ultimate Lite 5 is getting the torrent file itself. You will have to search Google for this step because the file is never on one place all the time. Since there are so many people who like the Windows Ultimate Lite 5 you shouldn’t have a hard time learning how to download it.

After you install it, you will notice that everything loads faster even on a weaker system. Many people have been able to run Windows Ultimate Lite 5 smoothly on a PC with only 512 MB. That is unheard of on any other normal version of Windows Vista. Under certain circumstances, you can also install the Windows Vista Aero Glass theme with a PC that only has 256 MB of RAM. That is pushing it to the limit, but again you have to realize that doing such is absolutely impossible on the normal versions of Windows Vista.



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How to Optimize your Windows Vista to Perform Better

Did you just buy a PC, maybe a laptop or a desktop and recently you noticed that your high tech, state-of-the-art one year old (or maybe months old) computer system seem to get slower as the day goes by. The truth is that your computer system will not remain the same after you have loaded it with dozens of tools and programs like anti-viruses(both anti- malwares and spy-wares), and many other downloads from the Internet. This slowdown usually happens gradually and you might not notice it, until it becomes virtually impossible to open a file or document then it will finally dawn on you that your pretty computer needs a little servicing.

But relax, don’t fret! no matter what the cause might be, the good news is there is a solution for it, because there are a lot of ways to help speed up your Windows vista and also make your PC perform better without having to upgrade your computer hardware. Below are some tips that will help you optimize your Windows Vista to perform better and faster.

Run a Virus Check

The moment you notice your PC is running slowly, the first thing to do is to check it for viruses and spy-wares. Viruses have a way of slowing down a computer and makes it run slower than it used to.

Defragmentation can be defined as a process that helps reduce the amount of fragmentation in a file system. Fragmentation makes your hard disk do more work than necessary and this can slow down your computer. A Disk Defragmenter is what you need.

A Disk Defragmenter reorganizes fragmented data and place them close together, so that your hard disk can have more space and perform better. Disk Defragmenter can be found on your windows vista PC by going to the ”Start icon” of your computer, click on ”All Programs”, open ”Accessories” , then ”System Tools” and finally click on ”Disk Defragmenter”.

Boost your Computer Memory

Use Windows Ready Boost to boost your computer memory. The Windows Ready Boost enables you to use the storage space on detachable devices, such as flash drives, to increase the speed of your computer. This is a preferable way of increasing your PC memory, than opening the computer hardware.

Uninstall software and programs you never use

Do you know that most of the limited trial editions versions of programs you find in your Windows vista computer when you bought it can slow your computer down? These trials software use up valuable disk space and memory, so if you do not intend to upgrade to a full version of the program or software, it is advisable to uninstall it from your windows vista computer to save you more disk space, memory and even processing power.

Clean up your hard disk

If you want to help your computer run faster, you can also remove unimportant files on your hard disk and empty the Recycling Bin by using the Disk Cleanup. Here is a step-by-step instructions on how to do this.

1. First begin by clicking the ”Start icon”, click on ”All Programs”, then ”Accessories”, open ”System Tools”, and then click on ”Disk Cleanup”.

2. You have the option to choose if you want to clean up your personal files only or all the files in the computer.

3. In the Disk Cleanup Options dialog box If the Drive Selection box comes up, choose the hard disk drive that you want to clean up, and then click on ”OK”.

4. Select the Disk Cleanup tab, and click on boxes of the files you want to remove, then click on ”OK”.

5. Finally click on ”Delete files” to confirm total removal of the unwanted files.

Reduce Start-up programs

When you put on your windows vista computer, you notice that some programs loads automatically at start-up, these programs take up disk space and waste memory and also slows down the loading power of your PC. Most of these programs are designed by Software manufacturers to load automatically when Windows starts, some of them even run in the background where you can’t see them, and are only designated by their icons on the notification area on the task-bar of your computer screen. So to help your windows vista PC work faster and be more efficient, delete the ones you don’t use often.


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Windows 7 Features

What Makes Windows 7 Different ?

Many users were severely disappointed with the features of Windows Vista. Microsoft made a lot of promises on it being its best operating system yet, but it fell short – way short. Users required computer upgrades and it was plagued with driver and software issues that took months to sort out. As for the new features, well, most people really did not notice any. All they saw was a flashy new interface. Windows 7 promises again to be the next best thing and this one actually might be.

Performance – This is one of the big ones. Although Windows 7 looks a lot like Vista (and with good reason because it was built of off the architecture of Vista), there have been many improvements. In general it just runs better. Install Vista and Windows 7 on the same machine and anyone could see that it is smoother. The requirements to run the operating system are lower to start. They also added in a feature for services. Generally when a Windows operating system started, so did a horde of services for all of your components to run and some you did not even need. Windows 7 boasts a feature where a service will only actually run when it is needed as opposed to always running.

Toolbar & Jump Lists – Windows 7 comes with a revamped toolbar. It still contains the same Vista style Start button, but next to the Start button are what XP users would know as quick launch buttons. You start with a few applications pinned to the taskbar and you can pin an application you use often to it also. Another feature of these icons is this is where the programs are minimized to. So if you have Internet Explorer or Firefox running, they are minimized to where they are pinned and you can hover over the icons for a live preview.

The jump Lists are something a little different. You can right click any of the icons that you have pinned to the taskbar and it will give you a list of recent items, almost like the now extinct recent documents feature. For example, if you right click the Windows Media Player 12 icon it will come up with a list of recently or often played songs, Internet Explorer will give you frequently visited website.

Windows 7 Desktop – Even the desktop has been changed up with some new features. With Aero Shake if you have multiple windows open, you can just grab the one you are working one shake it back and forth and all other windows will be minimized. There is a small rectangle on the far right side of the taskbar this is for Aero Peek. If you hover over this box, all of your open windows will become completely transparent with just a bounding box so you can see your desktop. If you click the box, all windows will be minimized revealing the desktop, pressing it again will restore all windows just the way they were. Snap is a handy little feature that allows you to snap windows to different positions of the screen. In the days of old, if you wanted to compare to documents you had to resize them and set them side by side. Now with Snap you drag a window to the top right corner of the screen and it will show you a bounding box, and when released it will fill the screen. Take the pointer a little lower and just bring it to the right side and you will see a box that is the right half of the screen release and your window is automatically resized to fit the portion. So with a snap on the left and one on the right you can be comparing documents.

Windows 7 still carries all of the flash that Vista promised. You can change the entire color theme for the taskbar and windows, as well as the transparency. It ships with a few defaults to get a feel for it. The new feature is the wallpapers with a new wallpaper slideshow feature. Browse to a folder with pictures and Windows will load thumbnails of all of the images with check boxes. Check the images you want to use and set how frequently you want them to change and your desktop wallpaper will change on its own.

Gadgets – The sidebar from Vista is dead, but you can still get gadgets. Just right click the desktop and you can select the gadgets that you want and drag them to any part of the screen. Users that do not use the gadgets do not have to worry because the sidebar is just not there.

64-bit – 64-bit computing is here and Windows 7 is trying to push it. All versions of Windows with the exception of Home Basic will ship with both a 32-bit and 64-bit version of the operating system. With more and more new computers shipping with 64-bit operating systems already loaded, 64-bit is the future. Computer coming with more than 4 gigs of memory will require a 64-bit OS to be able to use all of it.

Windows Media Center – Windows Media Center is less obtrusive running in a windowed mode rather than the classic version that took up the entire screen. It allows for easier media sharing and is faster loading than media centers of the past.

These are just some of the more common features that the average user will encounter. There are a lot more new features for Windows 7. Better device management, Homegroups, improved search, and Windows Media Player 12. It also keeps many features from Vista with tweaks such as the Games Explorer and Aero. For anyone that hated Vistam, Windows 7 may just be something for you fixing most of the problems from its predecessor.

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Tips in keeping that New PC Clean and Pure

A new PC, whether you know it or not, may well have freed you from many malicious programs that steal credit card numbers and other valuable information or otherwise obstruct your safe and private use of the Internet. Now is the time — while you’re getting everything set up just the way you like it — to take some steps to keep your new machine clean and free of malware. Here is what you need to do before you do anything else.

CHECK YOUR FIREWALL SETTINGS Do this before you even connect your computer to the Internet. Firewalls prevent certain unwanted traffic from reaching your computer, including worms that spread through network connections. New laptops and desktops with Windows Vista (and, come Oct. 22, the next version of the operating system, Windows 7) and netbooks using Windows XP SP2 or higher have a firewall that is built in and turned on by default. You can make sure all is well by going to the Windows Security Center, clicking Start, then Control Panel, then Security Center and Windows Firewall.

Mac users can check and adjust their firewall settings by clicking on the Apple icon and going to System Preferences and clicking on Security and then Firewall. At a minimum, choose “allow only essential services.” A better option is to select “set access for specific services and applications” and play gatekeeper, allowing programs to connect as you need them, said Rich Mogull, founder of the security consultant firm Securosis.

UPDATE YOUR SOFTWARE Even though you have a new machine, chances are that security fixes have been issued since the manufacturer loaded the software, so you will want to download those as soon as you get online.

Your new PC may prompt you to check for updates from Microsoft, but, if not, open Windows Update by clicking the Start button, then All Programs and then Windows Update. On the left pane, click “check for updates.” (For more information about Windows Security, see microsoft.com/protect.)

To help you keep Microsoft products up to date, Windows will prompt owners of new machines to sign up for automatic updates. You will see a screen asking if you want to “Help protect Windows automatically.” Choose the first option, “Use recommended settings,” so you get everything and don’t have to worry about it again.

Barring an urgent problem, updates come out on the second Tuesday of the month. To schedule exactly what time your updates are installed — say at 3 a.m., when you are asleep — open Windows Update and select Change Settings and make your choices. This is also a good time to turn on the Internet Explorer Phishing Filter, which can help keep you from turning over personal information to the wrong people.

For Mac users, your computer will automatically check for updates once a week. If you are a paranoid person, have it check more frequently by clicking Software Update in the System Preferences panel and then choose Daily.

ADD SECURITY SOFTWARE Firewalls won’t help fend off viruses or Trojan horses that can come through e-mail messages, Web sites and pop-up ads. Given the frightening number of malicious programs that aim for Windows PCs, owners of these machines really need to use some security software. There are several free antivirus programs, like AVG 8.5 Free, Avast Antivirus and the forthcoming Microsoft Security Essentials, so even penniless students have no excuse to go without. Note that Vista comes with Windows Defender, which blocks spyware and pop-up ads, and that program can be downloaded free by Windows XP SP2 machines.

Since a lot of malicious programs now come through Web sites, you will also want to use one of the many free tools available to help you avoid malicious sites. Microsoft’s newest browser, Internet Explorer 8, will warn you if you try to visit sites it deems unsafe, deceptive or carriers of a common Web attack type called “cross-site scripting” attacks. Other browsers, including Chrome, Firefox and Safari, also warn users about potentially unsafe sites, using a blacklist kept by Google. There is also McAfee’s SiteAdvisor, a free add-on for the Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers (the latter works on both Windows and Mac), that shows site reputation information within search results pages, including warnings about potentially dangerous sites.

There are few malicious programs that aim for Macs, so an antivirus program isn’t essential at this point. That said, some Mac experts think that the days of peace and security for Macs may be waning. There have a been a few Trojan horses recently, and some Web attacks don’t care which operating system you use. If you frequent file-sharing sites, or your employer requires it, buy a Mac antivirus program.

SORT OUT THE APPLICATIONS New Windows PCs typically come loaded with all kinds of third-party programs, many of which you will never use.

“In a lot of cases, that’s extra software that might have vulnerabilities” that hackers could exploit, says Chad Dougherty, a vulnerability analyst at the CERT Program at the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute.

To avoid problems, eliminate the programs you don’t need by clicking the Start button and choosing Control Panel and then Programs to see a list of what is on your machine. Select unwanted programs and then hit the Uninstall button at the top of the program list.

Then sign up for automatic updates from the makers of any software you intend to keep — or that you later install yourself, for that matter. To help you make sure you have checked out everything, download Secunia PSI, a free tool that will help you make sure that all the programs on your PC get security patches.

Speaking of that, always be careful about which software you install from the Internet, whether you have a PC or a Mac. These programs can contain vulnerabilities, and pirated programs and random add-ons may be outright malicious.


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