Re: Help! from jms

On Dec 27, 12:02 am, "jmsa...@xxxxxxx" <jmsa...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
I got hammered by a virus ...
Yup. There is a lot of crap out there. Hardly a day goes by that I
don't see or hear about something. Which brings up the whole area of
PROTECTION. This applies to everyone who uses a computer for a
living.

First and foremost, you need to have a daily backup of all critical
data. I do database design so I have a lot of different projects
stored all the time. Losing any of this would cost me more than I
care to think about. So I do nightly backups (onto an Iomega REV
drive) and the disks are stored in a fire proof box. Disks are
changed nightly and reused every two weeks so that I can go back to a
version up to two weeks old. Forget the programs, you can wipe your
hard drive and reinstall them if you need to, but backup the data
files!

Next, get a good (that means something you have to pay for) internet
security suite. Something with a firewall and active protection
(which would have kept this from happening in the first place).
Spyware, rootkit, virus scanning, is also good. I currently use AVG
7, as it is the least offensive suite I have tried, but it has been
replaced with a new version I don't care for. Beware of Norton and
McAffee as these things will suck the life out of your computer. I
also have a very bad taste in my mouth for Trend Micro. One business
partner is testing out Avira based on recommendations from an SAP
consultant we work with.

Another good idea is to image your drive. After I first set up my
current desktop and laptop, I used Ghost to create an image of the
drive. Under the worst circumstances, I can wipe my drive and restore
the image and be back up and running.

Lastly, for the real paranoid types, you can get a free copy of MS
Virtual PC and create a virtual machine on your computer. Install a
copy of Win2000 on this and use this for rummaging around on the
internet. If something goes wrong, no harm can be done. For the
really, really, paranoid, keep a separate computer for the internet.
My most sensitive work is always done on my laptop and my laptop
never, ever, surfs the web.


.

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