Now that even Android smart phones and the like are starting to suffer from malware infections, it’s helpful to review a number of steps you can take to rid your Windows 7 machine of malware and spyware.

Viruses are just as common now as they were 10 years ago, even though most people have antivirus and antispyware software installed.  Why?  The biggest reason is that social engineering techniques that virus and spyware writers use to trick people into infecting their own machines still work.

It used to be that most people were wise to the “don’t open unknown attachments” rule for keeping infections to a minimum, but with pictures, video and tweets being shared a such a rapid rate today, it’s easy to open things unintentionally, so keep an eye out for that.

-Invest in some good anti-malware protection like Microsoft’s Security Essentials application that’s free for users with authentic copies of Windows 7 and Vista.

-Beware of links shared over social networks, even if they come from trusted contacts or friends, especially links shortened using “link shortening” services like bit.ly.

-Be careful what sites you access on public wifi networks.  Access your banking and other sensitive sites only from the most secure of networks like your home or workplace.

These are only a few tips but they can go a long way to reduce the headaches many people experience every day from malware-infected PCs.

As offices grow and load increases on your network’s resources and bandwidth, it may be time to look at some simple network management software.  Assuming you’re running a file server in your environment, you can quickly add a number of free, downloadable apps to monitor different aspects of your network’s traffic.

Most network management apps monitor the following:

1. Bandwidth usage

2. Network permissions

3. IP mapping

4. SNMP logging

5. Uptime

I’ve always found Spiceworks to be a good option, it’s free and monitors all of these data points as well as including a help desk module to help you keep a handle on office IT assistance requests.

If you’re on a home or small office LAN, you might want to consider Cisco’s Network Magic software, which can help identify devices on the LAN as well as assist in properly locking down your network to prevent intrusion and malware.

If you’re in a larger enterprise environment (say above 50 users) I recommend taking a look at Solarwinds.com, they have a number of free downloadable tools that can monitor and manage a number of different areas of the network and traffic flow.

If you’re not sure what to choose, or want reviews etc, take a look at a few third party sites like Network Management Software for some independent analysis.

The MS team released a toolkit last month, called the “compliance Management Toolkit.”  The purpose of this new tool is help SysAdmins implement a secure network – no one wants to have a network full of security issues.

Since the release of this tool, claims of a hidden backdoor, a secret way into your computer, have flooded the internet.

The rumor mills started ramping up after an NSA official told a Senate homeland security sub-committee that the NSA (National Security Agency) had contributed to the development of the Windows 7 OS security guide.  The official also explained that they had worked with the other major OS providers, including Apple, RedHat, and Sun.  The NSA contribution was to ensure that each OS was officially secure, but the conspiracy theorists see the NSA as a less than altruistic agency.

Microsoft denies that there is any back door – secret or otherwise, and that the NSA’s involvement was purely administrative, a “rubber-stamp” to satisfy the new requirements of the US Government to ensure that the economy is not vulnerable due to IT infrastructure security issues.

The conspiracy theorists are fixated on the language that MS is using in their denial of a back door.  The official statement of “Microsoft has not and will not put ‘backdoors’ into Windows 7,” has some feeling that this is lawyerspeak.  The theorists are claiming that the NSA is the team that has added the backdoor, and MS is able to provide a semi-plausible deniability by claiming not to know.

Is there a secret way into your computer that only the proper legal authorities can use?  And if there is, what’s to stop hackers from exploiting this opportunity? What are your thoughts?

-         Jason

Hey folks, just a quick post today that might become a weekly feature – depending on your feedback.

MS is in the news all the time, but we felt it might be useful to have a synopsis once per week to help you keep in the loop.

And since we can’t predict what the news is going to be, we figured it would probably be more useful to do this at the end of the week J

So – the folk in Redmond have been kinda busy this week:

Facebook and Twitter are coming to Xbox 360 – Tweet your latest frags while listening to last.fm

MS confirms first zero-day bug – Yup, apparently there is a security breach in the new OS.  Until the MS team releases a fix, you can work around it by handicapping your browser.  Goodbye high speed surfing….

Hackers get copy of MS COFEE – MS is claiming that it won’t be useful for anyone but the enforcement agencies it was created for, but that hasn’t stopped folks from downloading copies of what they think is COFEE – Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor.

MS bans a few hacked xbox Live accounts – A few modded consoles are being used as an example of the wrath of MS.  They will strike down with great vengeance and furious anger  those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers console.

MS admits that Windows 7 was designed to look like Mac OSX – This one is my favorite this week.  A manager makes a comment that the rest of his team neither supports nor condones – the Windows 7 team was pretty quick to respond to this unauthorized comment.

Nothing too earth shattering this week, but a few items that are worth a read on your Sunday afternoon.

If this is a post that you would like to see return on a regular basis, please leave a comment.

-Jason

I came across this useful tip on the Geeks pirillo blog.  He’s done a great job of creating a video to show off exactly how to do it, and we have blatantly stolen felt that this would add tremendous value to the Windows 7 Help offerings.  Please check out Alpha’s blog as well, to support the great work that he has done.

We will give you the instructions, and you can watch the video to get a good idea of how this can help your computer look more impressive.

Now – just a bit of CYA for the writer – this is not an authorized Microsoft tweak – so please do this only if you are comfortable with making changes to system files.

As we were writing this, we figured this could actually kill a few birds with one stone post.  We are going to help you prevent future security issues, teach you how to create a batch file, and also show you how you can have you screensaver running in the background of whatever you are doing.  No – it’s not a super useful tweak, but it is kinda neat!

Security tweak

Ok, by default your windows doesn’t want you to see the full name of the file.  Every file has an extension, and this is how windows knows which program to use to open the file.  You have probably seen it in your office documents, they end in .doc for word files, or .xls for excel documents, or .ppt for power point (add an x on the end of these extension for the newest version of office)

The problem with windows hiding the extension for known file types comes from malicious coders taking advantage of the fact that you can’t see what the true file name is.  If your computer doesn’t show you that a files name is iloveyou.txt.exe, you might mistakenly open it because all you would see is iloveyou.txt.  There’s a quick change to make these extensions more visible.

1 – Click on the Windows Explorer icon in your taskbar

2 – Click “Organize” and select “Folder and Search options”

3 – Uncheck the box that says “hide extensions for known file types”

This will make your files look a bit different, because now they will show their full name.  This can be helpful for future troubleshooting, as well as for preventing malicious files from being loaded accidently.  And – it makes it easier for us to create a file that you can use to turn your screensaver on in the background.

Creating a Batch File

Ok, after you have completed the steps above,

1. Right click on a blank spot on your desktop, select “New” and then “Text Document.”  A file that looks like a piece of paper will now be on your desktop, and it will be named “New Text Document.txt”.
2. Right click on the file, and choose “rename.”  Change the name of the file to “Ribbonsbackground.bat”
3. Right click on the file again, and choose edit.
4. In the document that opens, type in “ribbons.scr /p65552” without the quotes.  If the ribbons screensaver isn’t the one you are looking for, replace it with one of the following system screensavers:
   1. scrnsave.scr
   2. ssText3d.scr3
   3. Bubbles.scr
   4. Mystify.scr

Now, when you run this file, you will see the screensaver in the background, behind your active windows.  If you can’t see your taskbar, click on your windows button on your keyboard, and you should see the taskbar pop up.  You can continue to have the screensaver running in the background, just make your active window small enough that you can see the screensaver behind it.  When you get tired of the screensaver running, you can right click on the file in your system tray – named ribbonsbackgound.bat” or whatever you called it, and turn it off.

There ya go, not an earth shattering tweak, but it does cover security, novelty, and helps you get a bit more familiar with your system.

Let us know how this works for you, and if you would like to see more tweaks like this in the future.

And here’s the video so you can see what you’re doing:

Geeks Video

-Jason

I was absently staring at my desktop, which maybe looks just like yours; a bubble-blowing beta floating in the deep blue.  It’s pretty, but it’s time for it to go.

I thought it might be a good idea to do a quick tutorial for those out there that aren’t familiar with how to change the desktop from the Microsoft default to something that speaks a bit more about their own personality.  One of the beautiful things about Windows 7 is how customizable it is.  You can change just about anything you want, usually with just a few clicks.

Changing your desktop background

Ok, this is pretty easy.  The hardest part of this step is finding an image that you want to see every time you see your desktop.

1. Find an image that you want.  This can come from Google images, Flickr, any website, or from your own digital camera.
2. Right click on the image
3. Choose “set as desktop background”
4. And, you’re done.  Your image choice should now be staring you in the face, ready for you to enjoy until you get bored with this one.

Changing your desktop icons

1. Click on any blank spot on your desktop
2. Select “Personalize” from the menu that appears
3. 
4. Choose which system icons you want to have live on the desktop (computer, recycle bin, network, etc) by checking or unchecking the appropriate box.
5. Change the icon for the various system activities by clicking the icon, and then select “Change Icon”.
6. 
7. Scroll through the available icons until you find the one that you are happy with. If you really wanted to, you could customize your desktop enough so it looks like it did in Windows 95 J

Click “OK”, and check out your new desktop.  If you want to switch things back, just click on the “Restore Defaults” button, and things should return to normal.

Adding/Changing Gadgets

Ok, gadgets are one of the best things about Windows 7.  You might remember them from Vista, where they were forced to live in a sidebar, longing to have the freedom to move around the desktop.  They’re free to roam wherever you want them to go now in Windows 7.  Choosing the right gadgets for your needs just takes a few clicks.

1. Right click on a blank spot on your desktop.  Choose “Gadgets” from the menu.
2. There are 10 default gadgets from Microsoft, and for the most part, they are pretty useful.
3. Choose the gadget that you want to see on your desktop
4. Once the gadget is on your desktop, you can move it anywhere by click/hold, and then drag it to its new home.
5. 
6. You might have noticed an option to get more gadgets.  When you click “Get more gadgets online” you will be sent to the MS website, and here you have the ability to add gadgets that go well beyond the original 10.
7. There are gadgets that you can use to have Bing on your desktop, gadgets to check your email and act like a mini-inbox so you don’t even have to open your email client.  There are other gadgets that you can use to play music, show off your xbox 360 avatar, and more.  Just click on the gadget that interests you, and you will be taken to a page that explains what the gadget does, and why it’s the best thing for your computing enjoyment.
8. When you are ready to choose a gadget, just click on the “Download” button, and then choose install.
9. 
10. Make sure that you select “Open with Windows Desktop Gadgets (default)” and then click “OK”
11. Click “install” when the security warning comes up, and then enjoy your new gadget, move it around to wherever you want it on your desktop.

You can add as many gadgets as you want, but remember that they are programs, so the more you have open the more resources will be used.

Next post we will look at customizing toolbars and start button, and touch on how to install and use new desktop themes.

-J

OK, here at windows7help.org, we like to make sure that you are getting the best bang for your buck; whether it’s free versions of compatible antivirus, free utilities to make your windows experience more enjoyable, or just handy articles to help you save time on the phone with your local ISP when things go a bit sideways.

So when we came across an article that would help you save major cash on the Windows 7 operating system, we knew we had to share it with you right away.  Ed Bott of ZDNet has compiled a list of 7 ways to get Windows 7 for cheap (or free), and we’ve listed them here.  Choose the link that works best for you:

Upgrade from a previous version of Windows

• Windows Anytime Upgrade – up to 55% off the retail price
• Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack – up to 58% off the retail price
• Buy a new PC, upgrade your old PC for half off – up to 50% off

Special Deals for Students

• The Windows 7 Academic Offer – up to 85% off!
• MSDN Academic Alliance – FREE!!!

Microsoft Subscription Services

• TechNet Plus – Free, for $349/year – kind of (read the details, but this is a huge deal on all Microsoft software)
• Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) – like the above, but more $$ with more software

There’s nothing wrong with paying retail prices, but why do it if you don’t have to.  You can use the money you save to buy more ram, external storage, or to send beer to the bloggers here at windows7help.org that work tirelessly to find you outstanding deals!

-          Jason (Loves Sleeman’s Honey Brown ale!)

Last week we reported about an incompatibility between Windows 7 and the iPhone.  It looks like a work-around has been found to prevent iPhone users from getting the dreaded “unknown error” while trying to synch their phones in iTunes.

The error message (unknown error (0xE8000065) occurred most often when:

• Running Windows 64bit
• Using an Intel P55 chipset
• Using an onboard USB controller (add-on PCI controllers seem to be immune)
• Running iTunes 9.x
• Trying to synch an iPhone or iPod Touch

It looks like the work-around for this is to disable USB power management, which can be done by:

• Click Start, type “Device Manager” (without the quotes) in the search box, then press enter.
• In the device manager screen, click View > Devices By Type – it’s probably already set to this view, but just in case.
• Next, expand the Universal Serial Bus Controllers section by clicking on the drop-down arrow to the left of the name.
• Finally,  right-click each USB Root Hub entry in turn, select Properties > Power Management, and uncheck the box that says “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”.

Restart your computer, and then try to resynch your phone.  It may not work for everyone, but it’s rumored that it is working. An official fix will likely be coming out soon from Apple and/or Intel.

Good luck, and let us know if there is something that you would like to see in future posts here on the Windows 7 help blog.

-Jason

The windows7help.org team wouldn’t be very helpful if we didn’t tell you about some of the available antivirus products out there that are compatible with Windows 7.  This is where all your Mac friends gloat about not needing to worry about viruses because there are only a few threats to their system.    You can laugh at them when they spill coffee all over their shiny macbook air while they are trying to look cool at the Starbucks.

Now, a few thoughts about protection.  A good antivirus is an essential part of protecting your data, but it’s just one part – there are a few others.

Before we discuss the software options, there are a few quick tips that you can follow to help keep you and your data as safe and secure as possible:

First – Don’t install it if you don’t know what it is.  

-          This is something that you should train your family on, or better yet, create a group with restrictions on what can be installed and add your family to this group.  If someone wants to put something on the computer, this should be vetted by the admin – or whoever will have to fix it when it breaks. 

Second – Use a hardware barrier

-          A router provides you with the convenience of wireless, or the ability to have multiple computers to the same device.  Another great feature of a properly configured router is it provides an additional level of protection for your system.  Let Google be your friend, and take the steps to secure your router to help keep your data safe.  A quick search of “how to secure your router” will provide you with a step-by-step tutorial for you to follow.

Third – Make a backup

-          OK, really this should be the first, second, and third steps.  If you don’t have a backup, plan on losing data.  If you only have one backup, you might as well not have any. Proper and regular backups include multiple copies on multiple mediums.  The original on your hard drive, backup numbers one and two on a raid network setup, on multiple drives (or you could choose to use some of the available online backup services).  You should have at least one copy of your backup offsite, just in case.  You might think that this over-kill or that you don’t store anything worth backing up – but what about those digital pics of your first nieces first birthday?  Yeah, you can live without them, but for the 10 minutes it takes to do a backup – do you want to risk the memories?

OK, back to the Anti-Virus options

You should decide if you want to pay for an anti-virus, or if you want to use one of the many free options available to you.  All of these options are officially sanctioned by the Microsoft team, for your user enjoyment!

Here are two options available to you for a fee:

-          Norton Antivirus 2010 –  $40/year/computer According to Symantec, the makers of this a/v, this version was built from the ground up to support windows 7, so it should be fully compatible with whichever flavor of Windows 7 you use.

-          Kasperksy 2010 Antivirus – $60/year/up to 3 computers Still a popular a/v choice for many, and the multiple PC licensing helps you protect your home network for a very reasonable fee. 

Here are two options available to you for free:

-          AVG Free 9.0 – AVG shows that they are more interested in your complete protection than they are at grabbing every available dollar you have.  This is version 9, and for a free a/v, it delivers adequate protection and will provide you the peace of mind – even when your teenager is surfing the web.  AVG also has a few other a/v products available for purchase if you would like to increase the level of your security.

-          Microsoft security essentials – Theoretically, an a/v product built by the folks that built the OS should be uber compatible.  The reviews on MS security essential are positive so far, and if the idea of having a matched set is something that you covet – this might be the right option for you.

Well, two fee and two free options – what’s the difference?  For the most part, it comes down to how much support you are going to need.  If you regularly search Google for solutions to any problems you have, you probably are going to be comfortable with AVG or MS security essentials  – or any of the multitudes of free antivirus options.  But if you would rather talk to a real person on the phone to walk you through any issues you have, step by step, then you should look into one of the fee services.

Whichever option you choose, make sure you backup before you install, or risk explaining to your wife where the only digital copy of your wedding pictures went! J The price of external drives and backup media has dropped to levels that everyone should have some basic backup system in place. 

Watch for a future post about your backup options!

-Jason

If the world’s most popular cell phone and the soon-to-be world’s most popular operating system can’t get along, what chance is there for world peace?

OK – just kidding, but it looks like there might be some compatibility issues between the two giants.  Engadget reports that users are experiencing occasional errors when they try to synch iPhones with computers that are using the Intel P55 chipset.

Gizmodo reassures us that the setup has to be pretty specific to get the sync error (Intel P55 chipset running on Windows 7, usually the 64bit version) so the majority of us should be fine.

The good news is, if you are experiencing this error, Microsoft is apparently investigating a solution for it.

The iPhone blog (where we stole borrowed the awesome pic for this post) provided a work around if you are suffering from this problem:

• Use a USB port on a USB card not part of the P55
• deleting the iPodDevices.xml file from C:\Users username\AppData\Local\Apple Computer\iTunes
• disabling Bonjour
• turning on C-state capability in BIOS

Let us know if you’re one of the lucky few that is experiencing this issue, or if you have a suggestion to fix it.

-Jason