tech advice
Apr. 23rd, 2009 11:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kengrGot a friend asking me to come over and look at the roomie's computer which has crashed *several* times with the BSOD.
On getting the crash info, I find that said roommate has been just rebooting with a *file system* error. And when I asked when the last backup was the response was "huh?"
*Shudder*
As I've warned them, that response may mean that my response after checking things may well be "bend over and kiss your files goodbye"
So, I'm setting out a first draft of a "help" file that may eventually go up on the web site.
At an absolute minimum, you guys need copies stored on another drive (better yet on removable media or another computer) of any data files you can't live without. You want original install disks and keys for all software. For downloaded software, the install files should be stored with the backups of the data files. Also, install CDs should have copies burned and only use the copies. Likewise, try to keep copies of install keys (with stuff like Microsoft's silly stick on keys, try to get a decent xerox or photo of the key. Stick one copy on the case, but leave the original alone.
In an ideal world, you'll be able to run backup software that'll copy all the stuff you need without you having to do more than set stuff up. And you'd be able to afford a backup drive or drives at least as big as the drive you are backing up. You need a larger drive because you *don't* want the backup software automatically deleting files from the backup without you *explicitly* telling it to.
Which means, of course, that you'll accumulate old files on the backup until you make a special run to purge the "obsolete" files.
You also really should have at least *two* backups and alternate between them. That's so that if the system goes crazy while updating Backup A, you still have an *intact* backup B (which should not be brought anywhere *near* the computer until you find out what went wrong and are sure it won't happen to what is now your only backup)
For *serious* stuff like businesses, you'd make daily backups, and then on Friday, you file the "end of week" backup, and stick a new disk in and make a second backup. You'd also want a scheme to "rotate" the disks so that they wind up as a file copy before they wear out.
Likewise at the end of month, quater and year you make and file an extra backup
The idea being that the dialy backups mean you mostly won't lose more than a day's data. And the file copies (best stored somewhere else in case of fire or other disaster) mean that if something subtle happens (like a virus doing sneaky long term damage) you can at least restore things as of some known point in the past.
Which brings us to AV (anti-virus) software.
You need it. It should be doing a full scan of the system once a week. It should also be checking for updates to the "virus signatures" and it's other files at least that often. I'm not up on what the best free program is currently.
I like F-Prot because even the home version has a site license. That is, for one price (fairly cheap) you can use it on up to 5 computers at your home. And on Windows systems (they also have a Linux version) you can install it, boot into safe mode (the command prompt version!) and run it from there to get at the viruses that dig their claws into the guts of Windows. At what amounts to a DOS session, there's very little a virus can do to get in the way. Heck, until NTFS became common you could actually boot an infected system from a write-protected floppy and run F-Prot from a set of floppies. Made it impossible for the virus to fight back. :-)
Likewise, I recommend a firewall *other* than the one that comes with Windows. I use Sunbelt Personal Firewall, but it may be a bit too "hands on" for many people.
I also recommend checking your system every so often with anti-adware and anti-spyware programs. Best to use more than one as the folks who distribute adware and some spyware have developed the nasty habit of suing companies to force them to make progra,ms that won't report or remove *their* particular brand of nastiness. But with two programs from different companies, odss are very good that they won't both have been sued by the same folk, so what one misses the other will get.
I use Spybot Search & Destroy and Lavasoft AdAware.
BTW, it doesn't hurt to have a second AV program around, but having two installed at the same time on the same system will just have them interfereing with each other and slowing things down.
On getting the crash info, I find that said roommate has been just rebooting with a *file system* error. And when I asked when the last backup was the response was "huh?"
*Shudder*
As I've warned them, that response may mean that my response after checking things may well be "bend over and kiss your files goodbye"
So, I'm setting out a first draft of a "help" file that may eventually go up on the web site.
At an absolute minimum, you guys need copies stored on another drive (better yet on removable media or another computer) of any data files you can't live without. You want original install disks and keys for all software. For downloaded software, the install files should be stored with the backups of the data files. Also, install CDs should have copies burned and only use the copies. Likewise, try to keep copies of install keys (with stuff like Microsoft's silly stick on keys, try to get a decent xerox or photo of the key. Stick one copy on the case, but leave the original alone.
In an ideal world, you'll be able to run backup software that'll copy all the stuff you need without you having to do more than set stuff up. And you'd be able to afford a backup drive or drives at least as big as the drive you are backing up. You need a larger drive because you *don't* want the backup software automatically deleting files from the backup without you *explicitly* telling it to.
Which means, of course, that you'll accumulate old files on the backup until you make a special run to purge the "obsolete" files.
You also really should have at least *two* backups and alternate between them. That's so that if the system goes crazy while updating Backup A, you still have an *intact* backup B (which should not be brought anywhere *near* the computer until you find out what went wrong and are sure it won't happen to what is now your only backup)
For *serious* stuff like businesses, you'd make daily backups, and then on Friday, you file the "end of week" backup, and stick a new disk in and make a second backup. You'd also want a scheme to "rotate" the disks so that they wind up as a file copy before they wear out.
Likewise at the end of month, quater and year you make and file an extra backup
The idea being that the dialy backups mean you mostly won't lose more than a day's data. And the file copies (best stored somewhere else in case of fire or other disaster) mean that if something subtle happens (like a virus doing sneaky long term damage) you can at least restore things as of some known point in the past.
Which brings us to AV (anti-virus) software.
You need it. It should be doing a full scan of the system once a week. It should also be checking for updates to the "virus signatures" and it's other files at least that often. I'm not up on what the best free program is currently.
I like F-Prot because even the home version has a site license. That is, for one price (fairly cheap) you can use it on up to 5 computers at your home. And on Windows systems (they also have a Linux version) you can install it, boot into safe mode (the command prompt version!) and run it from there to get at the viruses that dig their claws into the guts of Windows. At what amounts to a DOS session, there's very little a virus can do to get in the way. Heck, until NTFS became common you could actually boot an infected system from a write-protected floppy and run F-Prot from a set of floppies. Made it impossible for the virus to fight back. :-)
Likewise, I recommend a firewall *other* than the one that comes with Windows. I use Sunbelt Personal Firewall, but it may be a bit too "hands on" for many people.
I also recommend checking your system every so often with anti-adware and anti-spyware programs. Best to use more than one as the folks who distribute adware and some spyware have developed the nasty habit of suing companies to force them to make progra,ms that won't report or remove *their* particular brand of nastiness. But with two programs from different companies, odss are very good that they won't both have been sued by the same folk, so what one misses the other will get.
I use Spybot Search & Destroy and Lavasoft AdAware.
BTW, it doesn't hurt to have a second AV program around, but having two installed at the same time on the same system will just have them interfereing with each other and slowing things down.
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no subject
Date: 2009-04-24 07:06 am (UTC)Note that some install media - especially for games - may not be copyable, or may appear to copy, but the copies will fail to work.
If you have the media to spare, I recommend no less than three rotating media sets for backups. Consider using an image-backup program, like Norton Ghost or Acronis TruImage, so that when/if you have to restore from the backup, you won't have to actually sit there and reinstall software and re-enter keys and (in some cases) call the software publisher to explain that your hard disk went blooey and you need their permission to reinstall because you used up all of the previous allocated installs.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-24 07:54 am (UTC)Of course having 3/4ths of a terabyte to scan may have something to do with that.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-24 10:02 pm (UTC)The Big Three of browsers (IE, FF, Opera) all seem to get into contention with the A/V scan process for CPU (CPU usage will peg at 100%), so I don't do any web browsing while the scan is running.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-25 03:11 am (UTC)I frequently have to fire up task manager to see if FireFox is hogging the CPU again. When it is, I close it and restart. They really need to do something about that.