compinfo

My thanks to Gary Weber for sending along these computer information files.
Bill Simons 8/16/04
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A variety of computer information you may not be aware. This is a LONG document (19 pages) consisting of 8 articles. A courtesy of washingtonpost.com Sunday, August 15, 2004.

Geek Speak

By Dan Beyers

Half the battle is figuring out what all those darn computer terms mean. Here's a glossary of common terms you may encounter as you go about maintaining your machine.

Anti-virus software: A program that scans your computer to detect and remove malicious computer code.

Browser: A program that allows a user to locate and view material on the World Wide Web. The best-known names are Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.

Cookie: A piece of information sent from a Web site (actually, from the computer that hosts the Web site) to a user's browser. This information is often used to identify users who have previously visited the site. Cookies are the reason Amazon.com can greet you by name each time you log on after your initial purchase.

Firewall: Hardware or software that monitors Internet traffic coming into or out of a computer.

Phishing: A type of scam that lures consumers, by means of e-mail, to bogus Web sites mimicking legitimate business sites and then asks visitors to confirm or update account information, thereby gathering private data.

Privacy policy: The terms by which a company or Web site promises to handle the personal information it collects from visitors or shoppers.

Search engine: Typically a Web site (such as Google.com, Teoma.com and others) that allows users to find information on the Web.

Spam: Unsolicited, junk e-mail and other messages.

SSID: An abbreviation for Service Set IDentifier, or the name given to a home wireless network.

Trojan: A program that appears to be benign but can hide malicious code that can launch a virus or worm or give unauthorized users access to someone's computer.

Virus: Malicious computer code that spreads from computer to computer, sometimes embedded in e-mail.

WEP: Short for Wired Equivalent Privacy, this is a protocol for encrypting wireless communications.

Worm: A program that replicates itself over a network, usually performing malicious actions. Unlike viruses, worms typically do not infect other computer programs.

-- Dan Beyers

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Skepticism Is the Message for E-Mail

By David McGuire

E-mail is a nightmare for clean freaks. No matter how fastidious you are, it's a good bet your inbox is filthy -- swimming with more viruses than a year-old dish sponge and more grifters than a traveling carnival. Some e-mail messages are innocuous, but many contain programs that can let hackers take control of your computer. Others contain links that take you to Web sites that trick you into giving online thieves your personal data.

The bad news is that you'll probably never get rid of it all; the good news is that there are simple steps you can take to scrub away most of it.

** Caveat surfer: Don't trust your e-mail. "Basically, everything advertised in spam is fake. Your mortgage won't get cheaper, your body parts won't get bigger, the Canadian drugs they'll sell you aren't real and they aren't from Canada," said John R. Levine, author of "Internet for Dummies" and "Fighting Spam for Dummies." Not only that, scammers can fake, or "spoof," e-mail addresses so they look as if they're coming from your friends or colleagues. If one of those shows up unannounced, urging you to open an attachment or click on a link, there's a strong chance your friend didn't send it. Confirm first, but when in doubt, delete the e-mail.

And remember: There are more of these messages out there than ever before. Denver anti-spam firm MX Logic reported that 84 percent of the mail it scanned for its corporate customers in the month of July was spam. The figure is estimated to be even higher for home users.

** Vaccinate: All of the major anti-virus products for home computers contain a mail-scan function. Invest in an anti-virus program, keep it running and make sure to download the regular virus updates.

** Don't click on the link: "Phishing" scams dupe users into turning over their account numbers and other personal data by luring them to Web pages that look identical to legitimate sites run by companies such as Citibank, eBay and PayPal. Matthew Prince, chief executive of Chicago anti-spam firm Unspam, said it's "virtually impossible, even for very tech-savvy people," to distinguish between the real sites and the fake ones. Never click on a link in an e-mail asking you to update your account information. If you want to know if the request is real, go to the company's Web site in a separate browser window and send an e-mail query. Better yet, call the company's customer support line.

** Leave that attachment alone: Unsolicited e-mail attachments often contain viruses. Opening the attachment launches the virus, sidelining your computer and sending copies of itself to everyone in your e-mail address book. If you aren't expecting the attachment, don't open it. Ever.

** Skip the previews: Some of the more sophisticated viruses spread without any action on your part. As soon as you open a message in the "preview" window of your e-mail program, it can begin installing malicious programs on your computer. Users of Microsoft's Outlook e-mail program are particularly susceptible. Closing that window so that you have to double-click on a message in order to read it can provide another layer of protection.

** Look out for Outlook: Try using another e-mail program. A disproportionate number of viruses are designed to exploit Outlook's weaknesses, mostly because so many people use it. "Microsoft is everyone's big target. Using Outlook just makes you that much more susceptible," said Steve Ruskin a senior market analyst for MX Logic.

Several companies offer free e-mail software with all the same functions and more.

** Shop around: If you are dissatisfied with your existing Internet service, look for a provider that blocks spam e-mail and quarantines suspicious messages in a "bulk" or "spam" mail folder. Some providers let you create a "white list" of trusted e-mail addresses. Others force senders to identify themselves before allowing messages through.

** Join neighborhood watch: If your e-mail provider offers a "report spam" function, use it. You also can forward your spam to the Federal Trade Commission's junk-mail address, uce@ftc.gov. FTC investigators are always trying to nab fraudsters.

** Don't panic: There's no need to hit the ceiling if you think your computer is infected. If you suspect hackers may have got hold of your financial data, contact one or all of the three major credit bureau -- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion -- and ask them to put a fraud alert on your file. The fraud line for Equifax is 800-525-6285; for Experian it's 888-397-3742, and for TransUnion it's 800-680-7289.

If your Internet service provider cuts you off because a hacker has been using your machine to send spam, call the ISP and it will walk you through the steps of cleaning your computer and reinstating your service.

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Computer Users Need a Good Backup Plan

By Brian Krebs

Any number of things can cause your computer to crash and have trouble starting up properly again. It could be that a computer virus or worm has seized control, or it may be something as benign as a failed attempt to install video software. Sometimes computer hard drives fail for no apparent reason at all.

The reason couldn't matter less when all you want is for your computer to work again. That's the worst time for your computer-geek buddy to say, "Oh, you should have backed up your files." But he's right. Most people don't consider backing up their files until it's too late.

Here are some convenient ways to back up data that computer users of any skill level can handle:

** Burn it. Most rewriteable CD and DVD drives come with software to help you transfer files from your computer to a disk. A CD-ROM disc is fine, but consumers who have DVD drives that can write data to a disc can save nearly seven times as much data on a rewriteable DVD disk. Whether you use a DVD or CD burner, check to see if your burning software supports file compression. This will allow you to store more data on your backup discs.

Backing up your data is easiest if you keep most of it stored in just one or two places on your hard drive. Even on a well-kept machine, locating all of your important data files -- bookmarks, e-mails, contacts lists, special program settings -- can take time, but after you've done it once, it is far less painful the next time around.

(In Windows 95/98/ME, most of the Web browser bookmarks and other data used by programs installed on your PC are stored in a handful of folders usually located in one or more of the following places:

"C:\Windows\Bookmarks\"

"C:\Windows\Local Settings\Application Data\"

"C:\Windows\Profiles\[Your user name\".

In Windows 2000, NT and XP, most of the stored program data can be found in the directory:

"C:\Documents and Settings\[Your user name]\Application Data\"

Windows XP Professional comes equipped with a built-in backup utility. Instructions for using it are at: www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/backup.mspx. A tutorial on a similar tool available to Windows XP Home users is at: support.microsoft.com/default.aspx ?scid=kb;en-us;Q306186&sd=tech#3.

** Install a second internal hard drive. This can be used to store backup copies of your data files. Installing a second hard drive isn't as hard as it sounds, but it does involve multiple steps. PC World has a how-to on this at: www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,47370,00.asp. Removable or external hard drives are a popular and relatively painless choice for backup, but they usually cost more than twice as much as internal drives.

** Back up automatically. For periodic, automated backups, check out BackupMyPC from Stompsoft, www.stompsoft.com. The downloadable basic version starts at a hefty $70, but it offers a range of backup options, including the ability to keep the same rewriteable DVD or CD in your disc burner and back up the same files and directories at scheduled intervals.

Symantec's Norton Ghost and GoBack are reliable alternatives for data backup and recovery. They cost about $40 each at www.symantec.com.

There are plenty of free and trial backup products available for download or purchase online. Just open your Internet browser and search for the term "Windows backup."

** Perform a rollback. Windows XP also ships with a "System Restore" utility that can roll back your settings, programs and drivers to a previous date. If you decide to use this option, remember that any data created since the date of your restore point will be lost when you roll back your PC.

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When to Leave What Closed

By David McGuire

With estimates suggesting that as much as 84 percent of all e-mail is spam, it's a good idea to approach every message with suspicion. Experts recommend that home Internet users choose an Internet service provider that provides spam protection, and to make sure that they're running updated anti-virus software. But even with those precautions, some unwanted messages will seep through. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you're deciding whether to open that message.

** Beware of Your Bank: This may sound counterintuitive, but you should be immediately suspicious of any e-mail message from a financial institution, especially if it asks you to submit or update your personal information. Even though some of these e-mails look legit -- a new one purporting to be from Citibank uses the official Citibank logo, for instance -- such messages are often the vanguard of "phishing" scams designed to bilk you out of your sensitive financial data. If you have any doubt, call your bank directly or enter its Internet address into a separate browser window. Under no circumstance should you click on the links in those messages.

** Don't Talk to Strangers: The advice you give your kids as they strike out into the world is a good axiom for you to follow online. When in doubt, don't open e-mail from people or organizations you don't know. Be particularly leery of e-mail coming from nonsensical alphanumeric addresses, like qdg199997@yahoo.com, which are often created automatically by "bots" used by spammers to automate the process of deluging your inbox. If it looks fishy, delete first and ask questions later.

** Steer Clear of Attachments: The rule of thumb on attachments is: Unless you're expecting it, don't open it, even if it appears to be from someone you know. Many Internet viruses spread themselves by invading the e-mail systems of infected computers and sending copies of themselves to the compromised machine's entire address book. That unexpected attachment from your mom could be a virus. When in doubt, call the sender and ask if he or she sent the message.

** Check the Spelling: One of the cruder tactics used by spammers is to deliberately misspell words so that they're not snagged by spam filters. It may seem obvious, but you definitely shouldn't trust any e-mail offering V1agr.a or Z000loft. Then again, you probably want to avoid the ones selling Viagra and Zoloft, too.

** Watch Those Non Sequiturs: If you do open a message that says "BBQ This Weekend" and the body of the message is a description of a penny stock, you probably have a spam message on your hands. Spammers often use innocuous, generalized subject headings to prompt users to open their messages.

-- David McGuire

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Take Care to Guard Your Windows

By Brian Krebs

For the millions of computer users still running older versions of Microsoft Windows, the latest bundle of security upgrades for Windows XP customers may provide little comfort. But there are plenty of simple steps and free security tools available that do a good job of keeping legacy Windows users safe from hackers, viruses and spyware.

Analysts at the research company IDC say there are still roughly 200 million copies of Windows 2000/NT, ME, 98 and 95 in use, all of which are susceptible in varying degrees to online threats. Regardless of which operating system you use, keeping your computer secure is an ongoing process that requires several layers of protection -- and that goes even for XP users who install SP2. Online security is not a static, set-it-and-forget-it, one-time chore.

To make that chore as easy as possible, here is an introduction to some of the security tools available online today, as well as tips for keeping those tools current to fend off future threats.

Fight Fire With Firewalls

Firewalls are the bedrock of safe home computing, and you shouldn't go online without one. Windows 2000 and Windows NT systems have built-in firewalls, but setting them up properly requires some technological expertise that is beyond the grasp of many home users. The best option is to leave them alone and download one of several excellent free software firewall products from the Internet.

Many companies offer free firewall software on their Web sites but then try to steer you toward buying versions that contain more bells and whistles. Unless you feel at home configuring advanced networking options (and you're probably not), start with the free version. You can always upgrade later.

Here are links to just a few free firewall products: Zone Labs' Zone Alarm: www.zonelabs.com; Sygate: soho.sygate.com; Outpost Firewall from Agnitum: www.agnitum.com/products/outpost; Kerio: www.kerio.com/us/kpf_home.html.

Setting up a software firewall requires patience. Once it is installed, the program will spend several days periodically interrupting you, asking you to approve or deny requests from various programs on your computer to seek access to the Internet. It also may ask you to make that decision based on what seems like cryptic information at best. You may not realize, for example, that "Spoolsv.exe" is a file that lets your printer communicate with your computer over a network. When in doubt, look up the name at www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary. If that doesn't work, try searching on Yahoo, Google or another search engine for the file's name to make sure it's legitimate and not a virus.

If you operate a wireless network in your home or business, it's a good bet that your wireless router came with a hardware-based firewall as well. Hardware firewalls protect computers from Internet-based attacks by masking their Internet addresses. However, they do not prevent viruses and other bad software that may already be on your computer from hijacking your Internet connection, so it is a good idea to use a software firewall all the time.

Patch Madness

After your firewall is installed, make sure your PC contains the latest Windows security fixes. Windows 2000 users should take advantage of the "Automatic Update" feature, which can be configured to notify you of new security patches. It also can download and install updates automatically when Microsoft makes them available. Windows 2000 users can load this option by clicking "Start," "Settings," "Control Panel" and then "Automatic Updates."

For everyone else, there's Microsoft's Windows Update Web site, at windowsupdate.microsoft.com. Visit the site, let it scan your computer and install any patches that it says you need. Some security fixes -- such as service packs -- need to be installed separately and require you to reboot your computer before installing other patches. If you're not sure whether you successfully installed the available patches, revisit the Windows Update site and let it scan your computer again.

Once you patch your PC, sign up for Microsoft's security e-mail bulletin, www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/notify.mspx, which goes out to subscribers shortly after patches are released. You also can receive Microsoft's free bimonthly security newsletter for home users at www.microsoft.com/athome/security/secnews/default.mspx.

Many patches require you to restart your computer. If you receive a prompt to restart, don't delay; in most cases the patch won't take effect otherwise. And remember, security software needs updating from time to time. Many anti-virus and firewall vendors configure products to take care of this task, but some PC security programs prompt you to visit their Web sites and upgrade to newer versions to remedy new security flaws.

Again, don't delay. Here's an example that shows what can happen when you do: Last March, the "Witty" worm attacked computers running Internet Security Systems' BlackIce personal firewall less than 24 hours after the company warned its customers to apply a patch to prevent the attack. Witty wiggled into computers through a hole in the firewall software, damaging or ruining the computer hard drives of more than 10,000 BlackIce customers who didn't take the time to apply the patch.

One final note on patching: Hackers often disguise malicious programs as patches in e-mail messages that claim to come from Microsoft or another software maker. As a rule, never download patches or other security enhancements via e-mail. Instead, type the vendor's Internet address in your Web browser, visit the site and look for recent updates.

Anti-Virus Antidote

Anti-virus software isolates and kills viruses and worms on your PC. Most anti-virus tools on the market today also do a decent job of scanning incoming and outgoing e-mail, one of the most common vehicles for malicious programs. Many computers come with anti-virus software installed but require users to pay for subscriptions to receive updates after several months. Many reputable companies also offer free 30- to 90-day trials of their products, including Symantec Corp.'s Norton anti-virus software (www.symantec.com/purchase/), McAfee (www.mcafee.com/us/) and Sophos (www.sophos.com).

There are also some free alternatives. Last year, Computer Associates partnered with Microsoft to offer a free package of firewall software and anti-virus tools (including a year's worth of updates). The promotion was supposed to end in June, but the package is still available at www.my-etrust.com/microsoft.

Another free option is AVG Anti-virus from Grisoft Inc. at free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/. AVG does a decent job locating -- but not deleting -- many viruses. Also, it doesn't hog nearly as much computer memory as some of the retail anti-virus products on sale today.

A few tips on using anti-virus software: If the option is available, make sure that it is set to allow the program to search for bugs in Windows' "hidden folders." Windows hides important system files and directories that contain the files hackers usually try to disable or corrupt. Also, make sure your anti-virus program is set to download updates automatically if that option is available.

Spyware Everywhere

Few computer pests are more insidious and aggravating than "adware" and "spyware," programs that invade your computer without permission and sometimes report back to marketing companies or the hackers who created them with information about your Internet activity. Even if they don't "spy," they can slow your PC's processing speed and Internet connection.

Fortunately, two of the best tools for squashing spyware are free. Lavasoft's Ad-Aware (www.lavasoft.de) will scour your entire computer for hundreds of kinds of spyware and adware and delete any it finds. The free version comes with unlimited updates (just make sure to select "check for updates" in Ad-Aware each time before you scan). Depending on how often you surf the Web, it's a good idea to program Ad-Aware to scan regularly. Ad-Aware Plus is a $20 add-on that prompts you every time an application tries to change which programs should be allowed to run when the computer starts up.

Another excellent option is "SpyBot Search & Destroy," available for free at www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html. Ad-Aware and SpyBot Search & Destroy target different types of spyware, and each will turn up junk programs that the other missed. Again, the best defense is constant vigilance and layers of protection.

Pop-up advertisements are a popular way to plant spyware, so using a pop-up blocker may help secure your PC. Google's Toolbar (toolbar.google.com/) works well, as does "Pop-up Stopper" from Panicware at www.panicware.com/product_psfree.html. If neither of these options appeals to you, there are dozens of other free pop-up blockers available online. Mozilla's Firefox Web browser also blocks pop-ups by default and protects against an increasing number of attacks aimed at flaws in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser.

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A Digital Doctor Treats Computer Contamination

By Glenn Paterson

Before me lies the patient, a Gateway computer running Windows 98. It is suffering from extremely clogged Internet arteries, unable to reach the Web. As one of The Washington Post's digital doctors, my task is to nurse the machine back to health so my colleague Kathleen Day can access her e-mail and file stories from home.

I have seen this condition many times recently. An unsuspecting user has a broadband connection installed at home but does not realize the vital importance of installing firewall and anti-virus software to safeguard the computer from hackers and malicious programs seeking to hijack a browser, steal passwords or create other mischief.

Her PC was in such bad shape, it required 10 1/2 hours of surgery to restore it to working condition.

Unfortunately for users, computer equipment manufacturers and resellers don't adequately inform Windows users of the risks involved in accessing the Internet without proper security measures. Software companies don't make it easy to clean up contaminated computers, and most PC owners do not have the technical training to diagnose a difficult problem, or to figure out what procedures to follow when their PC starts acting up.

Cleaning up such problems can take from several minutes to several hours, depending upon the number of files and infections on the computer, and most software packages and updates require the computer to be restarted after they are installed, which adds even more time to the job. Furthermore, it only takes deleting a couple of critical programs to turn a serious problem into a catastrophic one.

As I began working on Kathleen's PC, I found it to be so contaminated with spyware and other auto-loading programs that it was almost unusable. Internet Explorer froze anytime I tried to access the Internet, so I couldn't download Microsoft security updates, and the LiveUpdate program wouldn't retrieve updates to Symantec's Norton AntiVirus program. I needed to install and run three different anti-spyware programs (Spy Sweeper, Spybot, and Ad-Aware) just to remove the multitude of malicious programs on her machine.

Once the infections were removed, LiveUpdate still could not retrieve the latest virus-targeting data. So I gave up on that and uninstalled and reinstalled the entire Norton AntiVirus program, hoping that its update system would work afterward -- but it did not. I again tried to access Microsoft's Windows Update Web site, but IE still failed to respond.

Suspecting a problem with Internet Explorer itself, I tried to repair IE using the Add/Remove Programs control panel. That didn't work either, producing an error message that indicated some file or files necessary for IE were damaged or inaccessible. Trying to restore the previous version of IE, 5.5, yielded no benefit, either.

Finally, I abandoned ship, reinstalling the entire Windows 98 operating system to repair the damage to Internet Explorer and allow Kathleen's computer to access the Internet and update the Norton AntiVirus definitions.

At that point, I thought I was in the home stretch. All that was left to do was install her copy of Norton Personal Firewall 2004. Little did I suspect that I was about to open a Pandora's box of bugs.

Over the next four days, I tried to get the two programs installed and running together, repeatedly installing and uninstalling the programs, calling Symantec tech support for assistance and following troubleshooting instructions found on Symantec's Web site. But all attempts failed. I finally gave up and suggested Kathleen have me remove both Norton products and replace them with comparable ones from McAfee, a competing security software developer.

Not being one to accept digital defeat graciously, I later searched the Symantec Web site for "Norton AntiVirus 2004 Windows Protection Error," and found a two-page document that says the problem I encountered "is caused by a conflict between Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall and a Windows component or device drive that has not been updated."

The document explains in detail how to remove all traces of both the anti-virus and firewall products, and it suggests that the user update Windows and all the device drivers installed on the PC. Then, at the very bottom of the second page of the document, in the second-to-the-last instruction, the user is instructed to "Install each of your Symantec programs, starting [emphasis mine] with Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall" -- not the anti-virus software.

So to sum up, I spent one day cleaning up problems created by ne'er-do-well hackers and overzealous advertisers and four more trying to resolve a known problem with a product that is supposed to help prevent problems, not create new ones. Yes, some of the trouble could have been avoided if Kathleen had kept her anti-virus and operating system software up to date. However, much of the responsibility lies with Symantec and the rest of the computer industry.

The technician I spoke with should have been aware of and told me about the incompatibility problem instead of just pointing me to a Web document describing how to uninstall and reinstall the Norton software.

More important, everybody selling to home users -- Microsoft, hardware manufacturers, software developers and retailers -- needs to do a better job of informing customers of the risks and potential problems of Internet access. They need to give PC purchasers simple tools with clear and complete instructions for avoiding such problems and for solving them when they do occur.

Demo versions of anti-spyware programs can be downloaded from the Internet for free. Ad-Aware is available from Lavasoft at www.lavasoftusa.com, Webroot Software's Spy Sweeper can be downloaded from www.webroot.com, and Spybot Search and Destroy is available at www.spybot.info.

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What a Tangled Web I Wove

By Kathleen Day

My problem began the last Sunday in July, when my nearly teenage daughter, newly returned from a month away at camp, announced, "Something's wrong with the computer."

She couldn't "IM." (IM stands for "instant messaging." And for those a bit behind the times, yes, it can be used as a verb.) This alone would have qualified as a crisis (the IM failure, not its use as a verb) because it meant she couldn't start reconnecting with friends at home -- never mind that the telephone worked just fine -- or with the bevy of new friends she'd just said goodbye to so teary-eyed.

In fact, her comment marked the start of a much larger headache, one that launched an odyssey that has taken $800 and roughly 48 man-hours over nearly three weeks to end. During that time, my personae alternated, usually several times a day. One moment I was the computer addict, the person stuck to the keyboard for hours and hours on end, driven by belief in a holy grail, that one more attempt would fix things. Then, when I pondered the time being wasted, I was an aspiring vigilante, keen to hunt down and kill all computer hackers.

By the end I came to understand that the meltdown of my home computer was my fault, the result of having switched to a high-speed Internet connection without installing a firewall or heeding those pesky warnings to download critical updates for Windows and anti-virus software. What wasn't my fault was the ordeal I had to endure to fix it.

But back to that Sunday.

I told my daughter not to worry, I'd fix it, and I sat down to do just that. The computer was, after all, indispensable to me, too. As a reporter, I have often written stories from home when they break late at night or on weekends, or if I'm sick or need to stay home with my daughter.

Immediately I noticed my PC was sluggish and that when I tried to go to a Web site it would divert me to another. As the day progressed, the diversions became more aggressive. I must have hit the control-alt-delete key combination two dozen times that day to determine which programs were running and try to delete what I thought might be the hijacker.

It was a hit-or-miss exercise. I found not one but maybe a half-dozen programs residing on my computer that didn't seem to belong. I set out to delete them, but it wasn't easy. Most started up as soon as I started my computer and couldn't be killed unless they weren't running, quite a Catch-22 for most computer users. I learned how to go into what's known as "safe mode," which allows only the most basic programs to run, thus enabling me to delete what I thought to be the offenders. It wasn't a fun process. Sometimes after I deleted a program, the computer would shut down abruptly, resulting in that agonizingly long reboot that chides a user for having improperly shut down the system. And my PC still didn't work properly.

I needed help.

In the six years since my husband and I bought this computer for family use, only once had we had to resort to paying a computer expert for assistance. It was earlier this year, in January, when we still had a slow, dial-up connection to the Internet and, it turned out, a virus. I hired Glenn Paterson, one of a team of Information Technology experts who keep the computers running in The Washington Post's newsroom and who moonlights as a rent-a-tech for people's home computers. He'd fixed our PC quickly and advised us to buy and install an anti-virus program, which we did. The anti-virus program from Norton came in a two-in-one package that included a separate firewall program, which I didn't bother installing because most computer experts I talked to said it wasn't necessary with a dial-up connection.

By Monday morning I thought again of Glenn. I called him, but he had to work on his own time and couldn't come over until the following Sunday. Yikes! That was a week away, and my daughter was home for only two weeks before heading off to another camp. And what if there were a terrorist alert downtown and I had to work from home? A week seemed like a very long time. But I trust Glenn, so I agreed.

By Tuesday the problem had worsened. I could not get to any Web page. Windows Internet Explorer would only take me to a blank page. The lower left-hand corner flashed the ominous "badurl.grandstreetinteractive.com." Even I knew that wasn't a good sign. At work I plugged the URL into a Google search and felt relieved to discover a site where dozens of folks were complaining about the same thing and asking for suggestions. One said he had gotten rid of the problem by going to www.grandstreetinteractive.com and following the "uninstall" instructions.

I went to the site. It looked legitimate. I clicked "About Us" and this appeared: "Grand Street Interactive enables users to extend the effectiveness of their Web experience and is headquartered in New York City. Our management team consists of experienced Internet professionals whose shared passion is to transform the way people experience the Web." Well, the last part was certainly true. But I didn't know it would transform the experience into a bad one. I've since tried to contact the human beings behind Grand Street Interactive to quiz them about that "badurl," but haven't been able to locate them, in New York City or anywhere else.

I printed out the instructions and spent hours that evening trying to rid my PC of whatever had taken hold of it. The uninstall didn't work. Earlier in the day, another Washington Post tech named Michael Ramey -- Glenn's boss, actually -- said my problem sounded like spyware and suggested I try installing anti-spyware programs I could download for free from the Web -- Ad-Aware, Spy Sweeper and one program whose name especially appealed to me, Spybot-Search & Destroy.

I explained to Michael that I now couldn't get onto the Web but that he might download the programs and e-mail them to me at home. But when I turned on my computer that night, my e-mail no longer worked, either. Messages told me I didn't have an account, that the right "POP server" couldn't be found. Constant noises were coming from the computer, indicating something was hard at work in there, even though I had few programs running. Soon the Internet browser and e-mail icons on the screen began to mutate -- into fuzzy carbon copies of themselves.

Michael downloaded the anti-spyware programs onto a disk and gave it to me at work the next day.

I installed the programs Wednesday night, hopeful that I might fix this on my own. They ferreted out lots of bad stuff but had no better luck than I in killing it -- software, the computer informed me, couldn't be deleted while running. It was maddening.

I went into safe mode armed with the names of the programs the anti-spyware had identified and tried to manually delete them. Rather than die, they shut down the machine. By now I was crazed, and I half expected to hear the voice of Hal, the renegade computer from the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey," come from my screen.

I wondered if maybe some of the programs I was trying to kill weren't really spyware but something essential to Windows that I shouldn't try to delete. I called Microsoft and was passed from operator to operator as I asked where I could find a list of legitimate Microsoft applications so I would know what to kill and what to leave alone. But the only response I got from one person after another -- most of them in foreign tech-support centers like those in India I had been reading so much about lately -- was that I needed to go to Microsoft's online sales. After 45 minutes of this, I hung up. Then I gave up. I actually stood up and walked away from my computer.

Glenn was my last hope. He arrived on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and didn't leave until 9:30 p.m. Eventually he cleaned up enough so the computer could connect to the Internet correctly. But there were problems still. He would have to come back. Glenn had also established with near certainty why I had a problem: I had switched to a high-speed connection several months before, after the slowness of a dial-up hook-up became too infuriating. But I hadn't installed that firewall. Intruders had unloaded what most certainly was a combination of spyware and viruses onto my machine.

The following week is a blur. In several trips over the next two days, Glenn exorcised the bad software that had hijacked my computer in the first place. Then he reinstalled the Norton anti-virus program. But now a new problem emerged, one that we were never able to fix: No matter what Glenn did, he could not install the Norton firewall software. He was baffled.

I don't understand all of it except that the problem boiled down to this: Windows couldn't boot up properly while a certain Norton program file was active, but the Norton firewall couldn't operate without its being active. Glenn spent hours taking that file -- SYMTDI.VXD -- on and off the computer, each time having to reboot. Eventually he installed more memory -- triple what we had -- because our limited supply made the reboots ungodly long.

He called Symantec Corp., which makes Norton, went on its Web site, found our problem described on the troubleshooting pages, printed them out and followed them. The firewall still wouldn't work, giving messages like the program couldn't be "initialized" or, adding insult to injury, "You do not have the necessary rights to configure the item you have double-clicked." Sheesh.

The computer was now clean and fast, but without a firewall I couldn't go on the Internet without risking another invasion. That meant no IM-ing and no ability to work from home. I was frantic. And I had many empathizers.

One morning, when I was obsessively trying to make the computer work, the pediatrician called to say my daughter's routine blood work looked fine, and then, upon hearing about my computer, spent 20 minutes ranting about her episodic experience buying a new printer. It wouldn't work with their computer, no matter what they did. Bottom line: After hours on the phone (literally hours, she swears) with the manufacturer (she and her husband took turns), and many additional hours plugging and unplugging cords, etc., the manufacturer concluded she needed a new computer. She bought one. The printer still didn't work. It had been defective all along. She exchanged it. She needn't have bought a new computer, after all.

I cluck-cluck-clucked in heartfelt sympathy through the entire recitation. I had heard similar laments from nearly everyone I know.

A few hours later, I actually left the house. Amazingly, I immediately bumped into a friend who said he had had the same problem: His Norton anti-virus appeared to prevent installation of the Norton firewall.

Surely this was a joke.

I rushed to tell Glenn, who was coming to a similar conclusion. By now, two weeks had passed and I still had a computer I couldn't use to connect to the Internet. Finally, last Monday, a young summer intern working as a computer technician at The Post suggested we stop trying to make Norton's firewall work and instead try a program that he said was much, much better from ZoneLabs.com that could be downloaded free from the Internet.

Better? Free?

And it proved to be true! It worked! I loaded and installed ZoneAlarm in minutes! It is, as the intern said, like an "iron curtain," not letting anything in or out without my approval.

What a revelation: Four programs -- one a firewall and three to combat spyware -- I downloaded FREE worked better than one I paid through the nose for. Why would anyone create these terrific programs for free? Often, as in the case of ZoneAlarm, they hope people will like the product so much they will buy an upgrade or, in the case of the spyware, pay to subscribe for upgrades.

That's fine with me.

As for now, I plan to update my Windows and all protection software once a week and do checks for problems just as often.

Glenn and I explained our problem to executives at Symantec and asked if the company knew about the problem. It did! By now it was a relief to just know we weren't crazy. Kraig Lane, Symantec's product manager for consumer Internet products, put it this way: "We have an unknown incompatibility problem between our firewall software and the software of another company."

He said installation complaints like mine haven't been numerous enough, though, to enable the company to pin down what the offending software might be, or which company makes it. There have been enough complaints, however, for Symantec to know that if customers update their Windows application, then reboot and try to reinstall the firewall, it usually works, even if it didn't in my case.

Computer techs will tell you that, like fingerprints, every computer is configured differently. That's why highly complex software like a firewall, regardless of who makes it, may work fine on one machine and not on another. The truth is, many if not most popular software programs have unfixable errors embedded in them, though most go unnoticed until some unlucky consumer stumbles on one, only to be forced to plow through pages and pages of obscure material to find the small print saying that it's unsolvable.

My recent experience, besides taxing my time, my patience and my pocketbook, confirmed my general disdain for overly complicated gadgets like cell phones and computers that have many more features than I will ever use. It gave me solace to know I'm not alone in feeling I have a machine at home that is fast requiring me to have a second, full-time career learning how to operate it.

But it also gave me a tiny glimpse into the wild world of computer programmers, where, like the never-ending point-counterpoint struggle in Mad Magazine's "Spy vs. Spy," a battle wages daily between hackers and those who try to stop them. In 20 years of reporting, I've never written a story on a typewriter -- I've always used a computer. So it's not as though I don't know how to use technology or have a mental block against it.

Quite the opposite. I love technology. But I like it to work.

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'SP2' a Must For XP Users

By Rob Pegoraro

To get an idea of how Windows got to be such a mess, think of it as a house that was built on an island in the middle of a lake, deep in the countryside.

Because you're so isolated, you don't need to worry about keeping strangers out -- your security rests on being physically separate from the rest of the world.

So it doesn't matter that the windows can only be latched shut with great difficulty, that locks were picked to match the decor (no ugly deadbolts here!) and there's an extra key hidden under the doormat.

Now take that house and move it into the city. Shopping or socializing no longer requires a long drive; all the distractions you might want are right outside. But there are a few burglars in town, and they all know how easy your house is to break into.

In this case, security means making sure that nobody can get in the house unless you open the door yourself. You need to hire a good locksmith.

With a new update called Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, Microsoft is trying to perform the same repairs, making software once built for isolated desks safe on the crowded, bustling Internet.

Service Pack 2, "SP2" for short, is Microsoft's most important release since XP itself. It aims to stop viruses, worms, browser hijackings and worse by including security features that people had to add and adjust on their own. (Users of Windows 2000, Millennium Edition, 98 and 95 will still need to do that, since Microsoft has no plans for a comparable update of those systems.)

The most important part of SP2 is an new firewall program to stop break-ins by network worms such as Blaster. Unlike XP's earlier firewall, this one is turned on automatically and protects every connection on a computer -- even if you already have another firewall active. It also watches what your programs do; if one wants to open its own channel of communication with the Internet, you'll need to approve this action.

The need to make this choice for potentially dozens of programs, even Microsoft's own, can be a drag, but the decision should be fairly simple: If you recognize and trust the program, it should be safe to "unblock" its access. But if you've never heard of it, keep blocking it unless things stop working.

Automatic system updates are just as important in Service Pack 2. The first time you boot up a computer after installing SP2, a can't-miss, full-screen alert asks you to allow Windows to download and install Microsoft's security updates automatically.

A new Security Center control panel provides quick access to firewall and automatic-update settings, and it checks for active, up-to-date anti-virus software. Though anti-virus protection is essential to Windows security, SP2 doesn't include any; you must install your own.

As part of SP2, the Internet Explorer Web browser now -- finally! -- blocks unsolicited pop-ups. This overdue step eliminates many intrusive ads (yes, The Post's Web site runs its share) but also stops hostile Web sites from tricking users into downloading unwanted programs by barraging them with pop-ups.

To police browser-hijacking attempts, IE now restricts the ability of Web sites to push "ActiveX" programs on visitors; the default choice is to decline an ActiveX program, and you can reject all future installations from a Web site with two clicks. ActiveX should be retired -- this inherently insecure Microsoft technology grants a Web site unrestricted access to your computer -- but these changes should at least make a hijacker's job tougher.

When you use Internet Explorer to download new software, Windows will ask if you're sure you want to run each of these programs, even if that's days after its download.

Because of these and other security fixes, I did sometimes have to reload a "download now" page to convince IE that I really wanted the file -- a small price for a safer browser, albeit one still behind such competitors as Mozilla Firefox in its capabilities.

The Outlook Express e-mail program, meanwhile, no longer allows any access to programs sent as file attachments. Hiding a program inside a compressed "zip" file won't work either -- you can decompress the archive, but Windows won't let you run its contents.

This may frustrate users who send greeting cards and other little programs in e-mail. I don't care. The cost of mail-borne viruses is too high, and Microsoft did the right thing in placing security over convenience. (Imagine if it had made this trade-off four years ago.)

Many non-program attachments, such as Microsoft Word documents and MP3 audio files, also require a second click to confirm that you really want to open them. (Pictures didn't require that extra step.)

Outlook Express also stops the display of Web images in messages, a common trick spammers use to see who opens their junk.

Service Pack 2 does include one bonus feature that isn't strictly security-related; it now lists the signal strengths of each available WiFi wireless connection, an obvious feature that Microsoft inexplicably left out before.

Beyond these visible changes, Service Pack 2 folds in numerous alterations to the inner plumbing of Windows. Such unneeded features as the Messenger Service, which spammers exploited to broadcast official-looking pop-up ads, are now shut off, and others are exposed only to a local network. With SP2's firewall shut off, however, I did find that it left two network ports open for no apparent reason.

People running computers equipped with 64-bit processors get extra protection against "buffer overflow" errors, a common tactic used to sneak hostile programs onto a computer. Service Pack 2 can tell these chips to enforce "no execute" rules that prevent a program from running in a block of memory that isn't specifically reserved for use by programs.

Despite all the surgery Service Pack 2 conducts in the guts of Windows, all four of my installations worked. A Dell desktop needed 30 minutes; two others took closer to an hour, and an older IBM desktop needed two hours, counting the time needed to start from scratch after a first install was halted by a mysterious reboot. The only program I found that did not function afterward was a specialized networking utility.

Many of SP2's Internet features, such as its control over downloads and attachments, don't work in other Web and mail programs, but developers of those can add support for them.

Service Pack 2 still can't save gullible users from themselves, though. And since it continues to grant people "administrator" access to a computer, any one mistake can take down the entire machine.

This leaves Windows XP at a continued disadvantage compared with such competitors as Linux or Mac OS X. (Programmers call the idea of giving a user no more power than needed for the job "the principle of least privilege"; the same logic comes into play every time a parent gives a kid a $20 bill, not $50, before sending him out to pick up a pizza for dinner.)

Service Pack 2 is a free update, but it's not easy to get -- yet. A 266-megabyte download is available at Microsoft's site (go.microsoft.com/?LinkID=806688), while users with automatic updates enabled will have a smaller version sent to their PCs over the coming weeks. Around the end of the month, SP2 will be available on CD-ROM; to Microsoft's credit, it will ship these CDs at no charge.

Computer manufacturers should be able to add this update to their systems within a month or so, Microsoft says. I would like to suggest that any firm that isn't pre-installing SP2 by November has no business selling home computers at all.

Individual Windows users bear the same responsibility: If you run XP, you need to install SP2. Period. Loading a system update this big is never risk-free, but the far bigger risk is to keep stumbling along with an unpatched copy of Windows XP. Ask a computer-savvy friend to install it if you must. But don't wait for the viruses and worms to stop coming. They won't.

Living with technology, or trying to? E-mail Rob Pegoraro at rob@twp.com.

2004 The Washington Post Company