"Security" software that violates all security principles, being given out by cops

EVERYBODY: Be careful about 'free' software that schools and government agencies are handing out - most are handing it out for free: ComputerCOP.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/09/computercop-dangerous-internet-safety-software-hundreds-police-agencies

This stuff, if installed, will literally record every single thing you type (and that means passwords and usernames), and send them UNENCRYPTED across the internet to who-knows where.

There are several agencies in many states that are sending this out. Don't fall for it. If somebody offers this to you for free - take it - then BURN THE DISC. Agencies are paying for it, so make them spend their money on nothing.

The software is supposed to protect kids, but it actually endangers them to exposing activities, login information, etc. And, if I were to be an attacker, I could see all this EXTREMELY EASILY with nothing more than a wi-fi enabled laptop.

Here is a link to a list of agencies in many states that have been known to either buy many copies, or even to distribute them.
https://www.eff.org/pages/whos-giving-out-computercop 

12/20 - Sending An Encrypted Email Easily (and Free!)

So, I figured I'd talk about how to send encrypted emails for free, and using any email program that you're already set up for. There are literally thousands of methods we can do moderately safe encryption - some for files and messages, others for full file systems (entire hard drives). There are also many algorithms and methods that are used to make the encryption harder to break.

This post will focus on messages and small files, so we will use a freely-available algorithm, called PGP. 'PGP' stands for 'Pretty Good Privacy', and is one of the most widely-adopted and freely distributed forms of encryption. In fact, it is so good that it was once considered illegal to send this algorithm overseas because it's considered a type of weapon. (Source: http://www.cypherspace.org/rsa/legal.html)


So the software I'll use for demonstration purposes is Portable PGP (http://ppgp.sourceforge.net/). Like the algorithm, this software is free, and can be downloaded from the site linked here. It's capable of signing files/messages (for integrity - proving the message hasn't been tampered with in transit), or for encrypting them (for confidentiality - so it can't be ready by unintended parties), or doing both at the same time.

Portable PGP

For windows users, there are two ways to install. You can download the USB-stick version, which you just unzip to a USB drive, which you can then use on any Windows computer. Or you can download the full setup version, and install it on a specific computer. Both look exactly the same, and operate the same way. 

The first time you run the application, it will ask you to either generate a new key pair, or import an existing one. This guide assumes this is the first time you've had a key pair. It'll open a new window, and you'll need to enter in some information. I HIGHLY recommend you use the Paranoid ElGamal option, and slide the slider towards the right. It will take a lot longer to create the key pair, but once it's created, it's done. If you like, you can also make a larger Key Size. 

Creating a Key Pair

Once that's done, the next part is allowing others to send you messages. You need to find your PUBLIC key in the lower box, and click the "Export Selected" button (it's the one that looks like a disc). Save it to your computer with an *.asc extension. It's this file you want to hand out (NOT your private key).

Now, you want to upload your public key to a key repository. Probably the best one is the PGP Global Directory: https://keyserver2.pgp.com/vkd/GetWelcomeScreen.event. You'll need to click on Publish your Key, upload the *.asc file, and assign an email address (required). Once it's uploaded, you need to verify your email by clicking on the link you'll receive. This makes the public key searchable by others; they can search by your name (or the name you gave), an/or your email address. Other people can then download your key, and import it into their installation of PGP. Whoever you're communicating with should follow all of the same steps, and upload their public key, which you'll need to search for.

Okay - now each of you has the other's public key, and your own private keys. Now what?

Well, click on the "Encrypt" button on the left, and choose "Encrypt Text" or "Encrypt a file", as desired. In the bottom drop down Target box, choose the PUBLIC key of who you are sending to. If you want to sign the message for integrity, choose YOUR private key in the "Sign" box. This doesn't transfer the key, but they must have already imported your public key already for the signing part to work.

Click on "Encrypt" in the lower right, and enter YOUR key pair's passphrase.

You will get a new window with your encrypted message. This message is what you will send to the recipient. 

Encrypted Message

Your recipient will choose the "Decrypt" option in their program, and paste the encrypted message into the program. They will be prompted for their private key passphrase. But make sure they don't paste in the readable portions (---BEGIN PGP MESSAGE----) and the version number, as well as the end pgp message tag.

Assuming you signed it, and assuming they type in the correct passphrase, they'll see this: 

Signature Verification

That means that the sender "signed" it, and the message hasn't been tampered with in transit. 

Once they click "OK", they'll be presented with the decrypted message:

Decrypted Message

Now, that seems like a lot of work. But after the initial setup, it's not that much. But that setup is everything. 

Sure, there are ways to do this automatically, but mostly that requires enterprise-level resources, or a LOT MORE setup, and usually full control of both machines at some point. This guide was made for the everyday user in mind, who just want to protect their privacy just a little more more.

Oh - and for those who email me, I'd prefer you to do so with my Public Key: I've made it available for download on my personal site: http://cashfamily.clanteam.com/files/rcash_pgp_pub.asc.

The Damage Caused by Clicking a Link

So our recent security awareness exercise has a lot of people thinking about everything they do on the computer. And rightfully so. Nearly 30% of my company’s users who received the email clicked on the link, and were warned that they had opened a “phishing” site. Now, the email was fake, and not harmless. But there will be cases where a real phishing email will be sent.

Let’s explain what “phishing” is. It’s a type of information-gathering technique, designed to trick people into providing valuable information for seemingly (but not) valid reasons. The techniques range from claiming a breach and that you need to change some part of your profile, or your password, or some such. Other cases may ask for seemingly innocuous information, such as your name, email address, or other data. But a basic phishing attack doesn’t need to implant a virus, Trojan or other evil code. It just gathers information and then goes to work.

So let’s take into account a basic link you click on, similar to the one in last month’s exercise. If an email like this was sent to every possible combination of “companyx.com” email addresses, clicking tells the attacker a lot of information. By clicking on the link, you have confirmed that your email address exists. From there, they know your name – after all, an email address of “jack.rock@companyx.com” makes it easier to guess that my name is “Ryan Cash”. So now, the attacker knows my name, and the company for which I work.

Next, it’s a simple matter of taking that information to LinkedIn. Very few people hide much information on LinkedIn, as a lot of professionals use it as a way to be found by recruiters. So that site shows what I do for CompanyX, my previous jobs, possibly my certifications/education, probably a picture, and at least a general idea where I live.

Scared yet? You should be. Now that they know where I live, what I look like and my name, it’s not a bad jump to go to Facebook, since a huge amount of people are on it. The attacker can look at my pictures, and if my privacy settings aren’t very well done (and routinely audited), a lot of personal information can be seen; information like children’s names, pet names, spouse names. And a HUGE amount of people (including many who are reading this article) use these items as bases for passwords, so they can more easily remember them.

Now, if the attacker has any password cracking tools (they are easy to get, and freely so), they can put this information into the tool to start running millions of guesses a second. With a child’s name of five letters, that’s five letters out of 12 that they don’t have to guess – cutting their work almost in half.

Now, we have protections against this type of password guessing scheme, but we can’t rely on those alone. And even with them in place, there are other things they can do with that same information.

So BEFORE you click on a link, or open an attachment, in an email that just seems “weird”, call the helpdesk and ask about it. If an attack is real, then clicking on a link at all is dangerous, even if you close the browser immediately.

Why I’m Afraid For You

Okay, I just got back from my first day at the Ethical Hacker class. First, let me give you a background from where I come from.

See, my very first formal IT class was for Security+. And, like many other industries, the first class you take tends to color everything you do in that field. As an example, my first martial arts school was Taekwondo, so I tend to use more kicking than, say, a karateka. So when we deal with networking, I tend to think more on how to secure them, rather than implement or fix them.

So, I’m already scared of networks and the Internet. Of course, it’s necessary to use in today’s world as an IT technician, but a certain amount of trepidation accompanies what I do at work. Keep that in mind:  a small amount of trepidation.

Today’s class was quick, and spent more on legality of ethical hacking. We spent about 15 minutes of just looking at publicly accessible items, breaking no laws, and not even TOUCHING our target site. With about five minutes, we had:

• The webmaster’s name
• His work phone
• His personal mobile phone
• His direct employer (hint: he does NOT work directly for the company)
• How long he’s been in that position
• What type of server the website is hosted on
• What types of technologies were used in the website (like javascript, Java, active server pages, etc.)

Okay, it took all of about half an hour to show us this. That’s half an hour WITH explanations and questions. That means all this information could be found within less than five minutes – and the attacker would never even be detectable at this stage by the target. And would not have broken any laws at all within that period.

So keep this in mind when the world starts talking about protecting your GMail with two-factor authentication, or when your IT department requires larger and more complex passwords.

Why all the big hubub about passwords?

1/5/12 - 45,000 Facebook passwords compromised

2/13/12 - Millions of passwords compromised from Microsoft India's site

6/6/12 - Six million passwords were stolen from LinkedIn website, compromising these users.

6/6/12 - 1.5 million passwords were compromised of dating site, eHarmony

11/14/12 - Millions of Skype passwords compromised

11/21/12 - One password stolen, causing the state of South Carolina to "lose" tax details for over 700,000 businesses statewide

5/12/12 - Stolen password allows a compromise of 1.1 Million users' data with Nationwide Insurance

And Experian has apparently had 80+ known security breaches of passwords, causing an ongoing investigation into all three major credit reporting companies.

These are a mere fraction of the ongoing attacks worldwide to online accounts. And these are just a tiny bit of the successful ones. Passwords are big business for the unethical computer geek. 

And the weakest link? YOU.

That's right - the weakest part of any security system is the users, both administrative and end-user alike. Don't take this an an insult; take it as a lesson you need to learn, and implement NOW. You see, there's a special type of computer attack, called "Social Engineering". And the interesting part is that it doesn't actually have to use a computer at all, though it often does, as we'll see later.

The movie-myth version of a hacker (actually properly known as a "cracker") sitting in front of a keyboard, typing furiously for hours to break into a Gibson computer and bring down the company is generally erroneous. But the Hackers movie has two things right: the weak password ("God"), and when Zero Cool/Crash Override calls the security guard and gets the number to the dial-up modem.

Whoops.

Social Engineering is defined on Wikipedia as:

"...the art of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. While it is similar to a confidence trick or simple fraud, it is typically trickery or deception for the purpose of information gathering, fraud, or computer system access; in most cases the attacker never comes face-to-face with the victims."

In other words, they trick you into giving up some vital piece of information, often your password, or details to figure it out. Or they get you to reveal private details like your username. They might call you, email you, or text you.

In the movie, Crash Override tricks the guard into giving up a vital piece of information, allowing him to take over the TV network.

Okay, so that's Social Engineering. What about the title of this post (Passwords)?

See, passwords are often the only thing that separates crackers from getting into your account. Once that's gained, it's way too easy. 

So, you need a strong password. But what's considered "strong"? Basically, if any part of the password is found in the dictionary, it's a bad password. But you can't have a random string of characters and expect to remember it (well, most people can't, anyway). So you need a password that's hard to guess - even if the cracker has access to a 25-GPU Cluster that can make 63 billion guesses per second.

That's why it's important to make a STRONG password, not just an "okay" one.

What makes a strong password?

Generally, it's not complexity (though that's still a factor). It's LENGTH. Many systems still require only six character minimum. Some require eight. With today's technology, that's not nearly enough. Aim for TWELVE if you can. Maybe more. While most systems do have a maximum amount of characters, this number is very high (like 45+ characters), so you rarely need to worry about having too much.

The general requirements for complexity are that you need three out of the following four categories:

• Upper case letters (A-Z)
• Lower case letters (a-z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Special Characters (@, #, !, &, *, and so on...)

You should have all four of these categories, even if your system doesn't require it. Also, don't make semi-obvious replacements (using @ for "a", as an example). 

What other items should I avoid when making a password?

Well, avoid keyboard patterns. I work as a desktop technician, and there was one point we had to gather every field users' passwords. Since they don't handle highly sensitive data, this wasn't a major issue, but we got to see what types of passwords are being used. Here are some examples:

• Password4
• Password9
• Password99
• P@ssword1
• <usersname>1
• <companysname>1
• <dogsname>1
• Poiuytrewq1
• pl,okmijn

So they get from absurdly simple (and UNBELIEVABLY easy to crack), to relatively easy-to-find information (user name, company's name, pet's name), to...wait...what are those last two? They appear sufficiently random, don't they?

Nope. Look at any US keyboard, and check those keys in the order given. See any patterns emerging? We saw a lot of this, and people think they're being clever. The problem is that crackers are generally more so.

So let's avoid easily-guessable patterns and standard words as password bases, mkay?

Okay, so what can we do to get a strong, but memorable password?

First off, forget the word "password". Try to think in terms of "passphrase". In fact, many Linux systems are already thinking in this capacity.

Instead of a word, try thinking of a nonsense phrase. An example is "Correct horse battery staple". That's from a now-famous strip on XKCD, talking about how what seems to be a complex password might not be. It also shows how to make something nonsensical and somehow easy to remember. Throw in a number or special character, and now it's relatively impossible to crack (I say "relatively", because no password is truly impossible to crack - it just takes a LOT longer). 

So if I choose a nonsense phrase as my password (er...sorry, passphrase), why do I need to change it periodically?

Well, this is a two-part deal. 

First, if a cracker gets access to your account and you don't know, changing your password will immediately cut them off of access. This is generally not a big issue, as most crackers won't sit around silently, allowing you to retain your access. They'll dive in, get their information, cause whatever damage they want, and get out. But the process is still sound.

The second part has to do with how long it takes to crack a password. Remember that XKCD comic? They said it could take 550 years at 1000 guesses per second. But with advanced technology, crackers have significantly reduced that time to months or weeks - perhaps even less.

So if your systems password database is stolen, the encryption takes a while to crack, but not forever. If you change your password after the database is stolen, but before it is cracked, the cracker has just wasted a large amount of his/her time, and gotten nowhere. 

But with that huge 25-GPU machine you mentioned earlier, doesn't that make all this pointless?

Yes...and no. As I mentioned, passwords are often the only line of defense for your account - but they don't have to be. We can enable (on many, but not all, sites) 2-Factor Authentication. But that's a topic for the next post.

Monday – Backups and You

Okay, so today’s topic is backups, and how they apply to you.

What is a backup?

First off, let’s discuss what a backup is NOT. A backup is NOT another copy of the file on the same disk. This throws a lot of people off. Sure, a tech might make a 2nd copy of a file they are working with to ensure they have a quick restoration option, but it’s not a true backup, regardless of what it seems.

A backup is a copy of a folder, file, database, or system that exists entirely on a separate physical device. That last part is KEY. In order for a backup to be a backup, it cannot be on the same piece of hardware. I can’t re-iterate this enough. It must exist on another drive, such as another hard drive (internal or external), a flash drive, a CD/DVD, a server file share, or even in a cloud backup like Google Drive or Microsoft’s Skydrive.

“Why, JR? If it’s a second copy, why isn’t it a backup if it’s on the same drive?” – Good question, Reader. And the answer lies in disaster recovery.

Disaster Recovery

Disaster Recovery is, as the name implies, recovery from a disaster. But in the scope of our conversation today, we’re referring to disasters to computer components and peripherals. Disaster Recovery can be quite expensive and time consuming, or quick, easy and cheap. Which method you need or take advantage of is up to you.

Disasters come in all forms in relation to computer equipment: fire, dropping, electrical shock (including static discharge), water, and yes…user stupidity. Don’t deny it – every single person who’s used a computer has been guilty of it at some point. The trick is admitting it to themselves, and learning from the experience, instead of lying about it just to save face.

Backup Option #1: A Separate Hard Drive

There are two types of hard drives, internal and external. An internal hard drive is analogous to the C: drive we’re all starting to be familiar with. But it is a physically separate hard drive – just installed inside your computer’s tower. This is frequently (but not always) given the designation of F: drive, though the letters mean pretty much nothing at this stage.

An external hard drive is basically the same thing, but outside your tower. Probably connected by a USB cable, network cable, eSATA cable, or Firewire (more on the specifics of these connection technologies later). It’s a separate physical device, and is thus a prime candidate for use as a backup media.

Some external hard drives come with software to perform backups, but Windows 7 has its own backup option in the Control Panel:

You can backup either specific folders (such as your My Documents and My Music folders, for example), or you can backup your entire system. Just remember that you can only restore what you backup. So if you only backup a couple of folders, you can only restore those same couple of folders.

Backup Option #2: Backup to a server

This is usually only an option in companies that employ file servers (which most mid- and large-size companies do), or in the cases of home users that set up a home server. Most home users do not, as it’s usually more economical to use an external hard drive.

In these cases, a section of the server is set aside for each user, or group of users, for them to save files to. These server-hosted files are backed up (if the sysadmin has any sense) periodically, with frequency determined by use and criticality of the files on the server. Setting up the backup frequency, location and duration (and the recovery thereof) is determined and managed by the sysadmin(s). So in setting this up, if you’re using company equipment and servers, is usually already done for you. If using a home-based file server, talk to whoever controls the server.

Backup Option #3: Cloud-Based Backup

In the past couple of years, a number of cloud-based file backup options have emerged:

• Dropbox
• Box
• Google Drive
• Microsoft Skydrive
• Mozy
• And about a thousand others

 

Why you should care about all this

Your IT can only do so much, so you need to keep in mind what your role is in all this. If you do not take the necessary steps to protect your own data, then it can (and eventually will) be lost forever. It is YOUR responsibility to protect your data, not your IT support. But they can give you the tools to protect yourself.

If you keep all your files on your own PC (frequently referred to as the “C: Drive”), then you need to create a 2nd copy on another drive. Remember above where I said that a backup must be at least two separate copies on two separate devices? Well, your C: Drive is one device. You need to put the 2nd copy on another drive.

Your IT support may give you a “home” drive or a network drive assigned to you. These are on a server, and are not on your PC. That meets the 2nd device rule if you save a copy on there. And most companies will back that server drive on yet another media, making a THIRD (or even more) copy.

There are other network folders, often referred to as “shared folders”, which are in essence identical to the home drive described above, except that they are accessible by more people.

So YOUR job in this role is to make sure you save a copy of any important/critical files in this fashion. IT cannot make you (well, they can, but that causes other problems in most companies). If you are a laptop user at work (or even home), this is ESPECIALLY important, and even has less possibility to have IT automate any backup of files.

 

JR, you harped on our role in backups. Why?

Because I still take calls and tickets from users who did no backups, and then accidentally delete one or make changes and saved them without thinking. And invariably, they ask if I can restore a backup of a file. I would ask where the file was originally saved, and they might say “the ‘My Documents’” folder (a folder on the aforementioned C: Drive). I ask if they made a backup, because we don’t/can’t backup files on everybody’s C: Drive.

They would say no, they expected us to do the backup. Wrong. We provide the tools, but if the USER doesn’t use them, then the end result is nothing gets done.

You see, IT is a toolbag. A bag of tools. We don’t do your job. We make your job possible, easier, more efficient, more accurate. We do not do it for you. If we did your job for you, we wouldn’t need you, now would we?

Troubleshooting Tuesday–Recovering Files or Older Versions

Have you ever deleted a file and realized you shouldn’t have? Or how about made a few changes to that huge spreadsheet, and accidentally clicked “Save”?

The longer you wait and more you do, after that fateful action, the harder it is to recover your file. So it’s important that every single action, every click you make on the mouse be directed towards recovery of the file.

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First note: DO NOT REBOOT unless absolutely necessary (like when installing some recovery software programs).

del.icio.us Tags: Windows,Windows 7,Windows Server,Backup,Security

This makes it harder to recover.

Option 1: Previous Versions

This is actually correctly termed as “Volume Shadow Copies”, and comes standard with Windows Vista and later. It also comes standard on Windows Server versions 2008 and later. It can be added to Windows XP and Server 2003 via add-ons, available for free download.

If you simply need to revert an existing file to an older version, this is a very good tool to use. However, with some creative use, it can restore deleted files, as well.

NOTE: This feature is NOT advisable to use as a primary backup system. Backups are a topic for a later post.

1. Start by right-clicking on the file in question, and then click on “Properties”. A new window will pop up.
2. In the tabs along the top, click on “Previous Versions”
3. One or more versions of the file will show up – how many will depend on various factors – Each will have a date/time stamp to show you when that version was created.
4. Click on the one you want, and click the “Restore” button at the bottom.  This will undo all changes made to the file since that date and time.
5. Alternately, you can choose “Open” or “Copy”, with those features functioning like they do anywhere else.  If you open a Previous Version, it does NOT overwrite any changes since that version was created.  It simply opens as a separate file.  You can then save with a new name, save in a new location, whatever you’d like to do.

Volume Shadow Copies is a very flexible, and very powerful tool in undoing unwanted, but saved, changes.  But how does it restore deleted files?  Simply by restoring a previous version of the containing folder.

Follow all the same steps as above, but instead of navigating to (and right-clicking on) the file, you will click on the folder in which the file used to be located.  One thing to note, however: If you restore a folder to a previous version, ALL the files in it will be reverted, not just the one that was missing.  It may be safer to use the “Open” or “Copy” commands for folders.

How long Previous Versions are saved, and how frequently they are created, depends on several factors: How frequently the file(s) is edited, how much space is earmarked for Volume Shadow Copies by Windows (this can be changed by users), and if you turn your PC off very often.

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Option 2: Recuva, Disk Digger and other software

So I’ve written before about CCleaner, the maintenance tool from Piriform. And those who know me know I prefer to stick with streamlined solutions; if a company offers solutions for more than one of my issues, I’ll tend to stick with them. In this fashion, a company has to perform well all-around, though not necessarily the best in a single area. It’s why I use Google for many of my home solutions.

So Recuva is Piriform’s file recovery software, and comes with some pretty rave reviews on various sites.  And it appears to have a higher-than-average success rate when other software applications had failed.  But it’s not perfect, and other applications have been shown to recover files when Recuva failed (and vice versa).

However, if you used CCleaner’s free space wiper function as part of its maintenance routine, even Recuva (or any other program) may be unable to find your deleted file(s).

I’ve no direct experience with Disk Digger and other programs, but they do have some very positive experiences, when even Recuva failed.  I urge you to try them out. 

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Option 3: Restoring From a True Backup

This is the most likely to succeed, but requires forethought.  If a backup isn’t generated, then there is nothing to restore.

Companies set up a backup scheme on server and network shares, but few do on users’ individual PCs.
Most home users rarely set this up, but they should. 

To set up a backup properly, one needs another hard drive, USB stick, compact disc, or something NOT on the same physical device on which the file exists.  Yes, this means that if you save a “backup” on the same disk that the original is on…it’s…well…NOT a backup.

The good news is that you don’t need a server to perform a backup.  All you need is an external hard drive.  You can pick up a small portable one for less than $75 from Newegg or Amazon.  Hook it up to your PC, set up Windows Backup to run once a week or once a month (or however much you want to protect), and let it run.  Now, if you need, you can restore files from your backup.

If you only want to backup a small amount of files (say, Word documents and Excel spreadsheets, for example), then copy them to a USB thumb drive periodically.

The best news: if your PC’s hard drive fails, you can still get your important files back, and have very little work to catch back up.  This is why a true backup must be on a separate physical device.

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Option 4: Online/Cloud Backups

This option is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s networked computing.  We’ll cover these options in a later posting.

 

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Comments?  Questions? Feedback?  Leave a comment below, or email me at jackrockblc+blog@gmail.com.

Wednesday’s Windows Tips–CCleaner

We’ll start the Wednesday cycle with one of my favorite tools ever: CCleaner.

You see, I’m a maintenance junkie.  I try to keep my system as clean as possible, to avoid unwanted slowdowns and junk files.  So last year I was on a hunt that would do the job effectively, mostly quiet, and hopefully free.  I found CCleaner based off a recommendation of a colleague of mine, and haven’t looked back.

In short, it will clear your computer of junk files that may be slowing it down, erase most tracks of your activity on the computer, and even rid your registry of unused entries (more on registry repair tools in another post).

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When you head over to Piriform’s site, you will soon find there are several versions of CCleaner available: Free, Pro, Business, Network and Network Professional.  Dig deep enough, and you’ll also find Technician version.  Since this blog is focused on end users, not enterprise administrators or techs who visit users’ homes, let’s talk about the first two.

The free version will suffice for almost every person out there.  It’s the one I use on my PCs, and I’ve helped a few clients to install it, as well.  However, it comes with no support from Piriform (i.e., you’re on your own), does not update automatically (you have to download and manually install the updates yourself, though it does tell you if a new version is available).

The Pro version will do automatic updates and comes with a support account, so you can get help from Piriform, if needed.  While it’s not free, it only costs a one-time fee of about $25, which is not bad at all.

And yes!  They have a Mac version as well!

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After you’ve downloaded, installed and ran it, you’ll notice a clean but somewhat complex interface:

1. Cleaner – this clears off unwanted file from your Windows systems and applications. You can uncheck any item(s) you like, thus leaving that part of your system alone.  For example, I unchecked recent documents, because that’s how I get to projects I’m working on.  If I left that checked, I’d have to open the documents by navigating to the folder in which they’re stored.

1a. You’ll notice that in the Cleaner section, there are two tabs: Windows and Applications.  Be sure to check both out.

2.  Registry – here’s where you want to be careful.  Not because of anything the program might do, but because you should ALWAYS back up your registry when many any changes to it.  Good News: CCleaner gives you a way to do just that with part of this process.

By default, everything is checked, and this is the way I keep it.  Now, there will ALWAYS be something that CCleaner finds to clean off.  No Windows system will ever remain free of registry “errors”.  The trick is to not let them build up for too long.

A few items are nothing to worry about.  For example, I just now did this scan, and found nine items. My last scan and clean was yesterday:

I click on “Fix Selected Issues”, and I’m presented with the aforementioned option to backup my registry:

Again I’ll re-iterate: The answer should ALWAYS BE “YES”!  It will ask you to save a file somewhere (I put it in “My Documents”), and then it will begin the cleaning.

If something goes wrong and your system suddenly stops working after the registry cleaning, simply double-click the file you saved, answer yes to any prompts, and your registry will be fully restored!

For the record: I’ve never had to restore my registry as a result of CCleaner’s actions.

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For those, like me, who do work on other computers, there’s a portable version on Piriform’s Build Page.  You can run the program from a USB stick, and it has full functionality of the regular program, and doesn’t need to be fully “installed” on the host computer.

But try it out and poke around.  I’ve barely scratched the surface of what it can do, and that’s just with the FREE version!!

del.icio.us Tags: Windows,Security,Privacy,Maintenance,Mac

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Questions?  Comments?  Feedback?  Leave a comment in the section below, or email me at jackrockblc+blog@gmail.com.

It’s About To Start!

Okay, so tomorrow starts Day 1 of the new focus of the blog – YOU.  That’s right.  All of you.

This blog will have stuff for the ultra beginner to the seasoned IT pro.  It’ll have stories of people who should have known better, and tips/suggestions on how to make your computing experience easier, safer and more powerful.

But I can’t do it alone.  I know a moderate amount about a lot.  But I’m no expert in in any one area.  So we’ll turn

del.icio.us Tags: Windows,Linux,Security,Privacy,XP

to the focus of this blog; you.  That’s right, I would like you to submit suggestions, tips, recommendations on software…anything.  Hell, it can even be questions or requests for help – questions make great blog topics.

Email me any suggestions/questions at jackrockblc+blog@gmail.com.

 

And yes, I’ve got some starting stuff already.  See you tomorrow!