Home Office: PC Speedups, Plus Worm Prevention
Do-it-yourself tricks for better performance; stop the latest worm.Steve Bass
Sign up to have Steve Bass's Home Office Newsletter e-mailed to you each week.
This week I'm tackling two issues. First comes an assortment of ways to speed up your PC with a handful of upgrades. Second, I'll help you deal with the hassle caused by a destructive worm that does a great job of imitating a Microsoft patch.
Put on Your Coveralls
Unless you just bought a PC, there's a good chance there are ways you can add a little more oomph to your system. Hell, even if it's working well, figure you'll help the economy by buying at least one new component. The neat thing about cracking the case and working on your PC is you won't get your hands greasy, and it doesn't need to be as onerous a task as you might think.
Start by reading "60-Minute Upgrades," a 16-page, comprehensive guide that'll help you figure out which upgrades are best for your PC; it'll also help you troubleshoot some upgrade problems. For instance, on page 3 you'll learn how to deal with master/slave jumper issues, without once having to log onto an adult Web site. Page 12 does a terrific job of explaining how to upgrade your PC's sound system.
You may not know it, but hard drive speeds are increasing, almost matching fast SCSI drives. Read "Step-By-Step: Boost Your Hard-Drive Speed With Serial ATA" to learn which manufacturers are offering Serial ATA drives, whether you'll need extra hardware to upgrade to one, why they're faster, and how to install one.
Dig This: Imagine you live in London and you've parked your car illegally. The police attached a boot on a wheel so you can't move it. Whatever can you do? Contact the Angle-Grinder Man!
Keep Your Work Gloves Ready
Chances are that unless you have a shiny new system, you're missing out by not having either USB 2.0 or FireWire ports. The two connectors are critical if you're considering an external hard drive for backups, or want to fiddle with videos from a digital camcorder. I have just the article for you: "Step-By-Step: Add High-Speed Ports for Turbocharged Peripherals." It's by our master mechanic, Stan Miastkowski--the guy we all call when we need installation and upgrade advice.
Now this is only a hunch, but I'm guessing many of you don't have a DVD or DVD-R drive on your system. That's too bad: You're missing out on watching movies and archiving tons of stuff on a high-capacity drive. Start out by getting some advice about choosing a DVD format in "Is it Time to Upgrade to Rewritable DVD?" Then take a look at our Top 10 DVD Drives chart (check the $250 Plextor PX-504UF, a Best Buy).
If you want a good overview for installing a DVD on your own, look over "Upgrade Guide: Install a DVD-ROM Drive." The article's old, true, but I read through it and there are plenty of valuable details throughout.
While you're clicking to articles, take a quick look at a handy Boot Failure Troubleshooting flowchart. It's free for the download from Foner Books--but it's 30 by 30 inches. You might be able to find a copy shop to print it for you; my guess is it'll cost about $10. Or you can just look at it on screen.
Dig This: Amzng sutdy--The phaomnneil pweor of the hmuan mnid.
"Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe."
Asboutely amzanig.
As a full-fledged dyslexic, I can't see what all the fuss is about... (though my spell checker started smoking).
BTW, you might be wondering if this is a hoax. The folks at the urban legend site, Snopes, say they're not sure.
The Worm That Masquerades As a Security Alert
There's a particularly nasty worm that many people have received as an e-mail message. It's name is Win32.Swen (also known as just "Swen," and often seen as W32/Gibe) and it arrives in a very realistically designed HTML e-mail masquerading as a Microsoft security alert and patch. There's also a plain text version of the bogus e-mail that looks just as real. The message claims to be a Microsoft patch. Here's an excerpt from the BitDefender page:
FROM: "MS Corporation Security Division" TO: "Commercial Partner" SUBJECT: New Internet Critical Upgrade
Body: Microsoft Partner
this is the latest version of security update, the "September 2003, Cumulative Patch" update which eliminates all known security vulnerabilities affecting MS Internet Explorer, MS Outlook and MS Outlook Express. Install now to help protect your computer from these vulnerabilities, the most serious of which could allow an attacker to run executable on your computer. This update includes the functionality = of all previously released patches...
(The message continues on for several more paragraphs.)
The Worm's Malevolent Strategy
The worm's malicious because it attempts to destroy your antivirus and personal firewall programs.
Most operating systems are affected: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, XP, and Windows 2000 and Server 2003. (You lucked out if you're still using OS/2.)
Take Precautions
Microsoft's Update, Patch, and Hotfix Policy
You can avoid problems by knowing that Microsoft doesn't send updates, critical updates, patches, or hotfixes attached to e-mail messages. Instead, the company supplies a link back to its site.
My advice is simple: If you receive an e-mail telling you there's a Microsoft patch you need, and you're using XP, use the Windows Update on the Start menu. If you're using Win 2000, which is missing this cool feature, open Internet Explorer, head for Tools, and select Windows Update. Or you might go directly to Microsoft's Help and Support site.