|
Good evening.
My name is Ray. Forget the last name, my name is Ray. I am up here as a
target for you to fire at. I am an "expert," as the media announcement proclaimed.
Actually, I am an experienced user who has a wide, and varied, background
in the computer industry. My "expertise" is in the Bill Gates world of Windows
and IBM architecture. While much of my content will reach both, I am joined
by Bill Kelly, who is going to help me with questions from the Mac users
in the audience.
I am a System Designer for a wholesale grocer in the city. I taught for
the Tenafly Adult School for 9-10 years. I know how to program in at least
three languages, and am adept in the use of macros in office suite programs.
For fun, I have been the owner of a storefront computer sales and service
business for the last five years.
It is really the last of this list that I'm drawing on for this presentation.
I see the results of the multitude of sins enacted by the individual users
in the field. I see hardware failures that should be simple to correct become
business disasters because simple backup of data was not done. I see systems
all but destroyed by virus attacks that required only a simple Anti Virus
program, properly maintained to protect it. I've seen whole photosets of
several years effort with a digital camera wiped out from one email that
should have been deleted on site. I see systems grind to a halt because
of a failure to follow a very simple rule of life...if it looks TOO good,
it probably is.
What's happening out there? It used to be a simple world. Why am I in trouble?
And, even better, finding out that I AM in trouble.
In a world that a fifteen year old kid would be strapped in to a belt of
explosives, does it surprise you that there are people who spend there lives
writing code that will destroy a system? It shouldn't.
Definitions:
Bug - Code that makes a decision based on your entry,
but doesn't have an instruction on how to respond to a program decision
you make in using the program. The system just takes a run down the next
"x" number of bytes until it jams up. This is just bad code, and vendors
are quick to provide "patches" or "fixes" for this problem.
Virus - Code specifically written to be destructive or, at a minimum,
a nuisance. Put up a Smiley Face to erasing your hard drive and worse. Anti
Virus companies (Norton and McAfee are two of the largest) are dedicated
to providing you protection in this area. Keep in mind, that even with there
efforts, they are only as good as their last update.
Spyware - Marketing software, perfected by Kazaa music sharing, that
looks to "call home ET" for a list of the latest "pop-ups" to throw up in
your face, or to send back a list of your viewing habits to customize other
types of advertising to you. Only recently has this been looked at by the
Anti Virus industry, but there will be a greater emphasis to rid your system
of this type of applications.
How does this stuff get on my system? How do I recognize it? How do I get
rid of it?
I'm skipping the issue of "bugs," because the vendors of the software are
the ones you should look to for solutions to program issues. Let's look
at viruses.
We defined viruses a moment ago. They are written by people who have nothing
better to do than destroy your system, or at least irk the heck out of you.
Years ago they were transmitted by floppy disks, but email is now the method
of choice. I can also tell you that scripts are now being passed to your
system directly from accessing certain web sites. Just as you are required
to put on a safety belt when you get in your car, you should never turn
your system on without knowing you have the latest virus definition files
installed in the latest version of your antivirus software.
A brief note about how antivirus software works...the actual sequencing
of the bytes stored in a file or program you access are compared to a "definition"
(actually about 65-70,000 definitions) each time you open the file or program.
What the software is looking for is a match to one of these sequencing patterns.
If it finds a match, BANG, you get a red screen that says "THIS IS A VIRUS,
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO ABOUT IT!!" Quarantine or delete are the only options
you should select. Do not continue!! Quarantine blocks access to the file,
and allows you to investigate what the file might be a part of, and determine
if you need to replace it. Delete does just that...good bye, so long, don't
come back.
I said before that virus protection is only as good as your last update.
Any good anti virus software will do this automatically for you. If you
have to go hunt for the definitions, change your software. I will say there
is a charge for these updates, but $20-30 a year is cheap insurance.
And now let's talk about spyware. The industry is coming to the same conclusion
I have, spyware is really as destructive as a virus. They held off this
conclusion for a while. I can only think it is because you, the user, have
gone searching for the sites that offer the spyware "goodies." You, the
user, generally were notified that this software was being "offered." And
you, the user said, "yes, download and install this software."
Now that it is there, people are realizing how much resource they are giving
up to run this software that "synchronizes my clock," or "gives me this
great little search bar," or "finds all these great bargains on the net."
I have seen systems with so many of these background programs running, the
system couldn't even get booted without 12-15 popups on the screen...couldn't
even get online for the bandwidth taken by these programs leaving no access
possible.
So you go to your local office supply company, and here the guy is telling
you what a great program this "PopUp Stopper" is for only $49.95!! Now you
have 12 guys inside trying to get out, and one cop fighting just as hard
to beat them down. Get the picture? Your productivity from a system just
went south!!
Let's talk about Firewalls. A firewall is software designed to notify you
of access being requested by an outside source (some website, possibly a
hacker), or from inside (you looking for a website, or a "trojan virus"
trying to send information out, or a spyware doing the same). This is a
great concept, but one you need to understand, and know who's the good guy,
and who's not. Not easy. You are asked to make decisions, make the wrong
one and you can block your own access, or let the wrong guy in. My own personal
feelings, I practice them, are to use an $80 router to do this work for
me, and let my anti virus, and spyware software clean up the residual. That
and my ability to recognize something happening to my system that "just
ain't right."
This last one, recognition, is a big piece of the whole picture. Performance,
or lack of it, is something YOU have to interpret. What causes performance
degradation? Think about what you have done, or not done, to your system.
There lies the key.
Performance hits and what to do about them:
Viruses - system does "weird" things, programs don't
work correctly, getting response email telling me I'm sending a virus. Get
the latest updates to your antivirus software and run a full scan.
Spyware - constant internet access showing on your modem or router,
PopUps all over the place, degradation of internet access. Delete temporary
internet files, delete cookies, get and run a piece of software designed
to root out this type of software (SpyBot, AdAware, Norton 2004) and run
it. Some of these are insidious and you may need help to eradicate them.
Insufficient memory - constant disk "chatter." This occurs because
the system "swaps" data not required currently to disk so it can load what
it does need. Memory does not increase speed, but keeps the system from
slowing down to swap the data out.
Processor upgrade - when none of the above seem to fit, maybe it's
time. Software is the big consideration here. How much software have you
upgraded, or are looking to upgrade in the near future should be the guide
here. New software has more instructions, requires more disk space to store
the program and the files, requires more memory to run, requires more processor
speed to handle the instructions. More different programs mean more time
wasted waiting on the system. Time to upgrade.
Disk drive - stores the data. Mechanical, the faster the data can
be retrieved, the better. Amazing how much faster helps Internet access.
Most of the files are stored on the local system should you revisit a web
site (temporary internet files). Disk speed will get them loaded faster.
Size is more a requirement of the type of application...pictures take a
lot, letters very little.
Bus speed - how fast the data can be transferred from the disk drive
and other devices to memory chips and processor and back. This has been
a big improvement area in newer system design.
Memory - size, and again, speed. How much can be stored electronically
rather than mechanically is important, and again how fast can the data be
moved in and out.
Processor speed - this number is just a number until you add in all
of the components mentioned before. A faster processor is not going to reap
rewards unless you have the data being acquired more efficiently, moved
across the system better, and stored electronically in memory.
These are the questions to ask. And an explanation of the answers to listen
for. What about the data itself?? Do you need it? Do you need that picture
you just saved? Do you need all that typing you just did saved as a letter
for later reference?
Then you had better backup!!!
Backup is putting yourself in a position that no one file being erased can
put you out of business, or cramped for time while you recreate it. What's
required? How much does it cost? Answer here is how important is it.
Tape, CD, External Hard Drive - all ways to backup. Each has plusses and
minuses.
Tape - slow, prone to errors, always replicated often to protect against
shortcomings.
CD - small, but efficient for business files, may require multiple disks
External Hard Drive - mechanical, potential for failure, all on one device
even if multiple copies are put in different folders.
Why replication? It may take you a couple of days, a week, a month, to figure
out that a given file is corrupt. A monthly report you add to each month
won't be examined until next month. What if today's copy was corrupted.
You need a copy from last month to protect yourself.
WOW! you say...a lot here, how do I absorb it all and use it?
One step at a time. Got your system? Get the antivirus software. Accessing
the Internet? Look at your firewall and spyware protection. Got your files
created? Back them up. Got new software? Examine your system. This is an
evolving technology and it takes an evolutionary approach to keep up. Good
luck on your venture. Keep my number and feel free to call. I have numbers
I call when I'm in trouble, now you have one.
|
