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5 June 2020 - Podcast #696 - (20:52)
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Whether you perform scheduled maintenance or not, hardware and applications can fail. The advantages of scheduled maintenance is that you'll usually see warning signs and be able to deal with them on your schedule. Otherwise, things break when they break — and that's almost always at the least convenient time.
This is true whether you use a Windows computer, a MacOS computer, a Linux computer, or a Chromebook. The precise processes may vary a bit from one operating system to another, but the overall need is there regardless. So let's take a look at tasks that need to be performed at least occasionally.
If the computer is more than a few years old, you might be able to substantially improve performance with more memory or by replacing a mechanical drive with a solid-state drive. Adding a docking station or USB3 port could give better functionality. How many service hours do any of the disk drives have? Disks can run reliably for a decade or more, but a lot of businesses swap drives at least every five years.
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I run Crystal Disk Info once a month because it reminds me how many power-on hours the disk has recorded, the disk's operating temperature, and any warnings from the SMART disk manager about potential problems. SMART is an acronym for the Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology that's built into most modern disk drives.
Take a look at your monitor or monitors, too. If the computer can support a higher-resolution monitor or more than one monitor, doing that can make using the computer more enjoyable.
Most software as a service (SaaS) applications such as Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft 365 perform updates automatically. Allowing the applications to take care of themselves is a good way to ensure that you always have all the latest features, security patches, and bug fixes. The major browsers also update themselves automatically.
Crooks love outdated software and applications that don't have recent patches because they often contain security flaws that are well known and easy to exploit.
I like CrashPlan because it backs up all data on the computer to a remote server. It's not free, but $10 a month seems like a reasonable fee to me. It doesn't back up the operating system and applications, though. For that, you need a image backup application or a disk clone application. You'll find free and paid backup and cloning applications. The key is to have at least a recent backup of the operating system, programs, and settings as well as an up-to-the minute backup of essential data.
Microsoft pushes out security updates on the second Tuesday of each month and operating system feature updates twice a year. Linux computers can receive various updates on nearly a daily basis. Chromebooks have frequent updates. Updates to Apple 's MacOS are less frequent. It's OK to delay updates that add new features, but security updates should never be postponed.
An up-to-date active malware protection application is essential for Windows and wise for users of the other operating systems. The free versions of commercial applications or, for Windows users, Microsoft's Windows Security Essentials is fine. See "Finding the "Best" Antimalware Application" in Spare Parts for up-to-date information about protective applications
It's a good idea to run a full system scan occasionally, and possibly to supplement that with a scan provided by one of the reputable software vendors online — organizations such as BitDefender, Avast, Kaspersky, AVG, or Avira.
It's handy to just have the computer hibernate so that it wakes up in just a few seconds and hibernation works much better than it used to, but I don't use the feature. With a solid-state boot drive, Windows is ready for my password in less than 30 seconds and even with all the startup applications I have the system load, the computer is ready to go in not much more than a minute.
Computers don't need sleep the way we humans do, but powering the system all the way down allows the operating system to start with a fresh slate. Windows has come far from the days when it had to be rebooted several times a day, but a full system reboot should be performed at least once a week, and every day is better.
The Windows System File Checker (SFC) is the first thing any Windows support technician will call for when you report a problem. System files are modified by updates and sometimes by application installations or updates. They can be targeted by malware. There's no reason to wait for something to have gone wrong to use the System File Checker preventively.
Start a Command prompt as administrator and type sfc /scannow. The process will examine system files and repair any with problems.
A good companion process is the Deployment Image Servicing and Management RestoreHealth function. This tool will confirm that any system backup files stored in the local recovery set are in good condition. Start a Command prompt as administrator and type DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth.
I'm guilty of not doing this. Even when I notice an application that I haven't used for years, I generally leave it alone because "I might need that someday." I pay for this by having a lot of disk space, but applications that are both installed and running in the background can cause other problems.
A background application you've forgotten about is still using system resources, which makes other applications run more slowly. They can also serve as vectors for malware.
Many applications create temporary files and few do a good job of cleaning up after themselves. Web-based applications are even worse. System updates and program installations also create temporary files and folders. Depending on how long it's been since you've deleted temporary files, you may find hundreds of gigabytes of junk on the disk drive.
One of the best applications for this process is CCleaner. The free version is sufficient, but the paid version provides a few additional features. The installer will probably offer to include a free antivirus application. Watch the prompts closely and refuse the offer.
Maintenance procedures take time, but knowing that a problem is developing allows you to resolve the issue on your schedule instead of losing time and having to deal with it as an emergency. Many years ago, the Fram oil filter people had a slogan: "You can pay me now or you can pay me later." It still applies both to oil filters and to computers.
Portable USB drives are essential for anyone who needs to carry around a lot of data. Photographers, for example, who are on a remote shoot and want to offload images from their cameras while still in the field need an external drive.
When your camera creates images that are each 30 to 50 MB and the notebook computer you take along has "only" a 500 GB hard drive, 500 images might fill the computer's internal disk. Depending on the assignment, 500 images might not be a lot. Until now, the only cost-efficient alternative was a mechanical disk drive in a portable case.
Now there are reasonably-priced solid-state drives in portable cases. There's still a significant price difference between SSDs and mechanical drives. Some 1TB drives are priced around $170. On the other hand, you can buy twice as much storage for about one third of the price if you choose a mechanical drive.
Is the extra cost worth it? Maybe.
SSDs offer two important advantages: Speed and reliability.
Some external drives come with biometric security built-in — the fingerprint reader on the Samsung T7, for example. Others come with encryption software and any that don't can easily be encrypted with an open source application such as VeraCrypt.
SanDisk's Extreme Portable Pro SSD is a bit unusual in that it doesn't look much like a standard disk drive. It's less than half an inch thick, a bit over two inches wide, and about four and a half inches long. There's a big hole in it, too, so that it can be attached to a lanyard if you want to wear it as a pendant or use it as a gigantic key fob.
Many portable SSDs are sealed so that they resist dust and water. The key word here is "resist", so don't take it along if you go snorkel diving. The ingress protection (IP) rating of 5-5 means that it is not dust tight and that it's protected against dripping, spraying, or splashing water, and offers protection against low-power water jets.
Most of the external drives have switched from standard USB ports to USB Type 3 ports that offer better protection against dust and water.
Portable SSDs use either standard SATA connections or newer NonVolatile Memory Express (NVMe) connections. Serial ATA (SATA) connections are slower than NVMe connections. Speed is also a factor of the type of memory inside the case.
So if you're in the market for an external USB drive, take a look at what manufacturers such as Samsung, SanDisk, Western Digital, and Seagate have to offer.
An article in Spare Parts last week noted that some people who began working from home as a temporary measure are still working from home and may continue to do so for a long time, perhaps permanently. Organizations that had no experience with having their people work from are in danger of having risky arrangements, and Acronis (the company that makes TrueImage backup software) has some suggestions.
Going back to the office may be slow because employers can no longer pack workers together in the least possible space because of social distancing requirements. In addition to that, some employees have found that they prefer working from home and some employers have found that home-based employees can be as productive as those who work in the office. But there's still a need for security and research from Acronis shows that cyberattacks more than doubled in March and April over similar periods in January and February.
Unless the organization had procedures in place to secure home offices, telling people to work from home can create large and easily exploited security flaws. Those who are working from home with little or no guidance from the company's cybersecurity personnel should take steps to protect themselves from being the point of entry for crooks, and the recommendations from Acronis are excellent starting points. Most of the recommendations can be implemented easily, even by someone with no security experience.
If your company has a chief security officer and you're using a computer provided by the company, ask before making any changes. Organization that have a CSO usually have all security measures in place and may even have systems that block attempts by users to modify the computer's settings. However, if you work for a small company that has no security procedures in place, taking the initiative now might avoid problems later.
Most of us are already cautious with attachments from people we don't know, but what if you receive a reply to one of your messages and it has an attachment.
Beware!
This week I received what appeared to be a reply to the 24 September 2017 program announcement. "Here is an update of the project," was all the message said, and it included a link to a 7Zip file on Google drive.
The date was the first warning, but it could have been a reply from a public relations person who had received the message, and I looked at the 2017 program to see if there was anything I had mentioned then was likely to have been updated three years later. There wasn't.
Then I re-read the message: "Here is an update of the project." That is not the way a native speaker of English would phrase it, so that was the second warning.
Most PR professionals send links to PDF documents or to online resources that are sometimes protected with a password. I have never received a 7Zip file with a password from a public relations professional. And that password — 7777. Really? That's warning three.
The fourth warning was the size of the zipped file, just 198KB. That's just about big enough to be a really nasty bit of malware and not large enough to contain anything useful.
It was clear that this wasn't a file I would open, but I took one additional step and replied to the sender: "What project does this address?" As it turns out, the account that sent the message is a TechByter listener who replied: "Disregard, appears my email has been hacked."
Crooks and creeps will do everything they can to catch you being just the least bit inattentive, but they also usually leave a trail of clues.
Asking which application is the best antimalware choice is like asking which motor vehicle is best. Best for what? Do you want little or no gasoline consumption? Are you looking for performance, luxury, or the ability to haul a room full of furniture across town? There's no one-size-fits all solution.
Sometimes, though, you might want to know which application gives the best protection in specific circumstances. AV Comparatives can help with that. The company examines the major protective applications are rates them in several categories. For the spring 2020 tests of consumer anti-virus products, AV Comparatives tested 17 popular security programs. A report analyzes the products' abilities to protect against internet threats and malware on USB devices. Additional checks were made to see if the tested programs slowed down the computer or issued false alarms.
The full list of tested programs: Avast Free Antivirus, AVG Free Antivirus, Avira Antivirus Pro, Bitdefender Internet Security, ESET Internet Security, F-Secure SAFE, G DATA Internet Security, K7 Total Security, Kaspersky Internet Security, McAfee Total Protection, Microsoft Windows Defender, Norton 360 Deluxe, Panda Free Antivirus, Total AV Antivirus Pro, Total Defense Essential Antivirus, Trend Micro Internet Security, and VIPRE. Some are free versions and others are paid.
Three reports are available: Real-World Protection, Malware Protection, and Speed Impact. Most of the applications protect against most of the known threats, but there are substantial differences in performance impact. K7 had the lowest reported performance impact and Trend Micro the greatest.
C-SPAN had been operational for 21 years, but Congress was looking at a plan to make Congressional hearings available on the web in 2000 The goal was to put the hearings on HearingRoom.com as a kind of online Congressional Record and would compete with traditional transcription services that offer only text transcripts and cover only about 100 of Congress's 200 committees.
Besides the live transmissions, the service planned to use Dragon Systems' Dragon Dictate software to provide text transcripts. The cost: $5000 to $15,000 per year.
The service has vanished without a trace.