PC Management
System Restore
The System Restore feature is built into Windows XP and is used to return your
computer to an earlier state if you have a system failure or other major problem with your
computer. The point of System Restore is to restore your system to a workable state
without you having to reinstall the operating system and lose your data files in the
process.
System Restore takes snapshots of your computer system and saves them as
restore points. These restore points mark configuration places to return to, in the event
of a problem with your computer that might occur after you install an unstable device
driver or an older application. Because the snapshots are taken automatically and are
restored through the System Restore Wizard, System Restore is both effective and userfriendly.
Firewall
A firewall is a dedicated appliance, or software running on a computer, which
inspects network traffic passing through it, and denies or permits passage based on a set
of rules. It is a software or hardware that is normally placed between a protected network
and an unprotected network and acts like a gate to protect assets to ensure that nothing
private goes out and nothing malicious comes in.
A firewall's basic task is to regulate some of the flow of traffic between computer
networks of different trust levels. Typical examples are the Internet which is a zone with
no trust and an internal network which is a zone of higher trust. A zone with an
intermediate trust level, situated between the Internet and a trusted internal network, is
often referred to as a "perimeter network" or Demilitarized zone (DMZ).
Privacy
When sharing a computer, you may want to…
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Use Removable Disks or External Drives to Save Data
Use the “Hide” Feature to Mask Sensitive Files and Folders in Your PC
Delete and Double Delete Erased Data
Seven ways of keeping your search history private…
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Don't log into search engines or their tools
Keep yourself safe from Google
Regularly change your IP address
Use ixquick
Don't include personal information in your searches
Do sensitive searches from a public hot spot
Avoid using your Internet service provider's search engine
Data Shredding
File and data shredding software like a real world paper shredder, permanently
deletes your files making them unrecoverable for good. Permanent Data Shredding,
Scrubbing & Deletion.
Consider that there are many opportunities for misuse , mishandling,
exposure and even theft of your company’s valuable, confidential and proprietary
information. That sensitive data can be printed onto Paper or magnetically recorded onto
some sort of computer backup storage Tape or Hard Drive. Common sense and legal
obligations require firms today, more than ever before, to protect, control and properly
dispose of employees’ and clients’ private information. Tens of billions of dollars are lost
every year as a result of Identity Fraud. The facts are that more than two thirds of all
Identity Theft is obtained off-line (dumpster diving, for example), where only slightly
more than 10% is from on-line internet schemes.
Antispyware
Spyware is a type of malware that is installed on computers and that collects
information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically
hidden from the user. Typically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's personal
computer. Sometimes, however, spywares such as keyloggers are installed by the owner
of a shared, corporate, or public computer on purpose in order to secretly monitor other
users.
While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's
computing, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring. Spyware
programs can collect various types of personal information, such as Internet surfing
habits and sites that have been visited, but can also interfere with user control of the
computer in other ways, such as installing additional software and redirecting Web
browser activity. Spyware is known to change computer settings, resulting in slow
connection speeds, different home pages, and/or loss of Internet or functionality of other
programs. In an attempt to increase the understanding of spyware, a more formal
classification of its included software types is captured under the term privacy-invasive
software.
Work Cited
Ballew, J. (2003, May 19). Windows XP. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from Windows
XP Restore is easy to use:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/getstarted/ballew_03may19.
mspx
Firewall. (2009, September 22). Retrieved September 22, 2009, from Wikipedia The free
Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firewall
Get Net Wise. (2009, February 25). Retrieved September 22, 2009, from
http://privacy.getnetwise.org/sharing/tips/filesdata/
Top Secret Software. (2009). Retrieved September 22, 2009, from Top Secret SoftwareData Schredding: http://www.topsecretsoftware.com/data-shredding.html
Wikipedia The free Encyclopedia. (2009, September 21). Retrieved September 22, 2009,
from Spyware: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antispyware#Remedies_and_prevention