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Scott
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 Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2003 2:01 am Post subject: SP1 Question |
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A friend of mine has a Dell notebook with WinXP. No updates
have been installed since it was purchased 3 years ago. I'm
recommending she add SP1. Other than Scandisk and Defrag,
what other steps should she take as preparation to installing
SP1?
Thanks!
Scott |
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Scott
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2003 2:01 am Post subject: Re: SP1 Question |
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Ed,
Perhaps I should have been more clear. XP came preinstalled on the
notebook. I'm asking about preparations to add SP1 to the existing
XP OS.
Scott
"Edward J. Neth" wrote:
| Quote: | Check the hardware and software to make sure it is XP-compatible - some
things like antivirus and other utilities will no doubt need upgrades.
Do not upgrade to XP - format the drive and install XP on a blank disc.
"Scott" <golden@uslink.net> wrote in message
news:3FA4111B.716860DB@uslink.net...
A friend of mine has a Dell notebook with WinXP. No updates
have been installed since it was purchased 3 years ago. I'm
recommending she add SP1. Other than Scandisk and Defrag,
what other steps should she take as preparation to installing
SP1?
Thanks!
Scott
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Edward J. Neth
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2003 2:05 am Post subject: Re: SP1 Question |
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Check the hardware and software to make sure it is XP-compatible - some
things like antivirus and other utilities will no doubt need upgrades.
Do not upgrade to XP - format the drive and install XP on a blank disc.
"Scott" <golden@uslink.net> wrote in message
news:3FA4111B.716860DB@uslink.net...
| Quote: | A friend of mine has a Dell notebook with WinXP. No updates
have been installed since it was purchased 3 years ago. I'm
recommending she add SP1. Other than Scandisk and Defrag,
what other steps should she take as preparation to installing
SP1?
Thanks!
Scott
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Edward J. Neth
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2003 4:51 am Post subject: Re: SP1 Question |
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That's about it - back up your irreplaceable data and have a (preferably
broadband) internet connection handy - there are dozens of megabytes of
post-SP1 updates to do after you've installed SP1. DO NOT connect the
machine to the Internet without first installing the RPC-2 (post-Blaster)
patch.
"Scott" <golden@uslink.net> wrote in message
news:3FA409CA.3934D06F@uslink.net...
| Quote: | Ed,
Perhaps I should have been more clear. XP came preinstalled on the
notebook. I'm asking about preparations to add SP1 to the existing
XP OS.
Scott
"Edward J. Neth" wrote:
Check the hardware and software to make sure it is XP-compatible - some
things like antivirus and other utilities will no doubt need upgrades.
Do not upgrade to XP - format the drive and install XP on a blank disc.
"Scott" <golden@uslink.net> wrote in message
news:3FA4111B.716860DB@uslink.net...
A friend of mine has a Dell notebook with WinXP. No updates
have been installed since it was purchased 3 years ago. I'm
recommending she add SP1. Other than Scandisk and Defrag,
what other steps should she take as preparation to installing
SP1?
Thanks!
Scott
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Ben Myers
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2003 4:55 am Post subject: Re: SP1 Question |
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Scott,
Install SP1 first. Then install all the critical fixes and security patches
from Micro$oft. Next, do a disk cleanup. Finally, defrag. Maybe as a first
step, run scandisk just to be sure the hard drive is still OK.
I have had a steady stream of clients' computers to upgrade here. Many of them
are on a dialup line which could well be disconnected before the 40 to 50MB
download of all the updates can finish, not to mention the enormous waste of
time waiting for the download to complete. I plug their computers into my
broadband connection, do the updates, deliver the computer back to the client.
The above approach has worked quite well for me many times... Ben Myers
On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 14:30:18 -0500, Scott <golden@uslink.net> wrote:
| Quote: | Ed,
Perhaps I should have been more clear. XP came preinstalled on the
notebook. I'm asking about preparations to add SP1 to the existing
XP OS.
Scott
"Edward J. Neth" wrote:
Check the hardware and software to make sure it is XP-compatible - some
things like antivirus and other utilities will no doubt need upgrades.
Do not upgrade to XP - format the drive and install XP on a blank disc.
"Scott" <golden@uslink.net> wrote in message
news:3FA4111B.716860DB@uslink.net...
A friend of mine has a Dell notebook with WinXP. No updates
have been installed since it was purchased 3 years ago. I'm
recommending she add SP1. Other than Scandisk and Defrag,
what other steps should she take as preparation to installing
SP1?
Thanks!
Scott
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T.R.
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2003 5:21 am Post subject: Re: SP1 Question |
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On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 14:01:31 -0600, Scott <golden@uslink.net> wrote:
| Quote: | Other than Scandisk and Defrag, what other steps should
she take as preparation to installing SP1?
|
Well, I assume that this would mean that she has never done any of the
MS critical and suggested updates because SP1 would have been one of
those criticals. If she is on the internet with this machine, she no
doubt is not protected because that's what most of the criticals are
for, protection. Therefore, if she does use the internet with this
machine, it should be assumed that she is eaten up with Viruses,
Trojans and all sorts of foul bugs. You never did say if she had
Firewall and Antivirus protection but even if she does, I would
assume in light of the critical SP1 update never being addressed, that
her Firewall, Antivirus and Antivirus Definition files have also never
been updated. BTW, don't count the built in XP Firewall as anything
near real protection.
Therefore, I would suggest backing up all personal files and data and
do a complete restoration in order to make sure the system is
absolutely clean. First, if she doesn't already have, use the
computer to download a good software firewall and antivirus program.
There are some GREAT free ones out there or you can buy ones if you
really want to spend some money. AVG Virus Protection and Zone Alarm
Firewall are great free packages.
Now, do the complete restoration. Now, before going on the internet,
install the firewall and antivirus program and deactivate the XP
firewall. Now, go on line and ONLY do your Firewall update, don't
surf or go anywhere else. After rebooting from updating your
firewall, update you virus protection software. After rebooting from
updating your antivirus program, then goto the MS Update site and
start doing all the criticals remembering to NOT go anywhere else
until all updates are installed. Then do the suggested updates she is
interested in and then go back and see if there are any criticals
associated with the suggested updates you just installed again
remembering to NOT go anywhere else until all updates are installed.
After all that's done, turn on XP's auto update utility so her system
gets its criticals without having to rely on a human being to do it.
Do the same for her Antivirus and Firewall, set them up for Automatic
updating.
Doing scheduled maintenance is another thing. Usually defragging is
something you want to do manually after manually cleaning out the
garbage each time. If she has let her critical updates slide then it
can only be assumed that she isn't going to handle regular maintenance
very well. I don't know what your relationship is with her but maybe
this is where you can offer to come into play by volunteering to do a
weekly maintenance for her.
This is what I would suggest... Good Luck...
Regards,
Thomas
The Reply
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Scott
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2003 7:49 am Post subject: Re: SP1 Question |
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T.R.,
Thanks for all the tips! I discovered she has Norton AV installed, but
has
never updated it (ouch!). I first had her update the virus signatures and
then do a scan. No viruses found. Next, I'll help her add Zone Alarm
and AdAware. She mostly uses dial-up...with broadband occasionally.
She's actually very bright and detail oriented, but no one ever explained
AV, firewalls, and updates to her before. I'm confident that after all
this
is done, she'll do the regular updates.
Thanks again!
Scott
"T.R." wrote:
| Quote: | On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 14:01:31 -0600, Scott <golden@uslink.net> wrote:
Other than Scandisk and Defrag, what other steps should
she take as preparation to installing SP1?
Well, I assume that this would mean that she has never done any of the
MS critical and suggested updates because SP1 would have been one of
those criticals. If she is on the internet with this machine, she no
doubt is not protected because that's what most of the criticals are
for, protection. Therefore, if she does use the internet with this
machine, it should be assumed that she is eaten up with Viruses,
Trojans and all sorts of foul bugs. You never did say if she had
Firewall and Antivirus protection but even if she does, I would
assume in light of the critical SP1 update never being addressed, that
her Firewall, Antivirus and Antivirus Definition files have also never
been updated. BTW, don't count the built in XP Firewall as anything
near real protection.
Therefore, I would suggest backing up all personal files and data and
do a complete restoration in order to make sure the system is
absolutely clean. First, if she doesn't already have, use the
computer to download a good software firewall and antivirus program.
There are some GREAT free ones out there or you can buy ones if you
really want to spend some money. AVG Virus Protection and Zone Alarm
Firewall are great free packages.
Now, do the complete restoration. Now, before going on the internet,
install the firewall and antivirus program and deactivate the XP
firewall. Now, go on line and ONLY do your Firewall update, don't
surf or go anywhere else. After rebooting from updating your
firewall, update you virus protection software. After rebooting from
updating your antivirus program, then goto the MS Update site and
start doing all the criticals remembering to NOT go anywhere else
until all updates are installed. Then do the suggested updates she is
interested in and then go back and see if there are any criticals
associated with the suggested updates you just installed again
remembering to NOT go anywhere else until all updates are installed.
After all that's done, turn on XP's auto update utility so her system
gets its criticals without having to rely on a human being to do it.
Do the same for her Antivirus and Firewall, set them up for Automatic
updating.
Doing scheduled maintenance is another thing. Usually defragging is
something you want to do manually after manually cleaning out the
garbage each time. If she has let her critical updates slide then it
can only be assumed that she isn't going to handle regular maintenance
very well. I don't know what your relationship is with her but maybe
this is where you can offer to come into play by volunteering to do a
weekly maintenance for her.
This is what I would suggest... Good Luck...
Regards,
Thomas
The Reply
Blah, Blah, Blah....
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T.R.
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2003 9:45 am Post subject: Re: SP1 Question |
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On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 20:49:36 -0500, Scott <golden@uslink.net> wrote:
| Quote: | I discovered she has Norton AV installed, but has never updated it
|
A common thing I have discovered along with windows critical updates
and what not.... That's why, I suggest going on and setting her up
with Auto on all these (AV, Firewall & Windows).
With her being connected and especially on broadband at times, I am
extremely surprised she came out clean. Lucky!
| Quote: | Next, I'll help her add Zone Alarm
|
ZA is what I use but does take a bit of continued tweaking the first
couple of weeks. If you don't think she is ready to start making
decisions for her firewall then you might look into Norton's Firewall
or Norton's Internet Security. While I think Norton is BloatWare,
eating up more resources than it should, it's saving grace is that it
is pretty much self running with minimal input required from the
human. For the first couple of weeks, ZA is going to be asking her if
she wants this dll or that exe or this service or that application to
access the internet, the network, act as a server, blah, blah, blah.
I have more confidence in ZA because it lets ME make the decisions
while Norton is made more for folks that have no idea what decision to
make in such matters. Actually, I don't know a lot of time either,
grin.
Good choice and add SpyBot to that. I run both AdAware and SpyBot
because I have found out that one sometimes finds things the other
doesn't and vicea versa.
| Quote: | She's actually very bright and detail oriented, but no one ever explained
AV, firewalls, and updates to her before. I'm confident that after all
this is done, she'll do the regular updates.
|
And I hope that my message wasn't taken as implying that she wasn't.
I've been trying to help this MD friend get a handle on his computer.
He's an extremely intelligent guy. He's a neurologist and flies his
own Piper Turbo Arrow IV which my company maintains for him. But his
priorities don't include being computer literate even though half his
Arrow control panel is computerized GPS/Loran navigation and coupled
autopilot systems along with a real juicy weather interrogator system
and display.
It's all about priorities and making your computer one of them if you
are going to hook to the net and start swimming among the sharks.
Oh Yea, even if she's only running one computer, I would still put it
behind a router while on broadband unless she's moving all over the
place with this computer. They are cheap and offer yet another wall
between your system and the sharks. I have found out that a router is
a good first line of defense. Every time I check my router's log I
see an amazing number of probes it has halted before that attack or
probe even reached my computer(s). Even though all my ports are
Stealthed, I still like the extra security the router offers.
Ain't it a shame to have to go through all this just to connect your
computers to others?
Regards,
Thomas
The Reply
| Quote: | Blah, Blah, Blah....
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Scott
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2003 12:16 pm Post subject: Re: SP1 Question |
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T.R.
Good point. She spends part of her time at a house with Charter
broadband. It's a wireless setup, so it must be behind a router.
I've got a lot of confidence in my own SMC Barricade router
(6 computers in my house--3 wired and 3 wireless). From the
tests I've done at www.grc.com, I'm pretty much invisible to
others on the web.
Thanks again!
Scott
| Quote: |
Oh Yea, even if she's only running one computer, I would still put it
behind a router while on broadband unless she's moving all over the
place with this computer. |
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