New Year's Checklist

By Rich Eichacker
Vibrance Technology Corporation

As the New Year approaches, I'd like to suggest a checklist for 2003; a list of items that will make your computing life a lot easier.

Anti-Virus Software. If you are still running the trial version of the anti-virus software that came with your PC, you should upgrade it ASAP. Remember to keep your virus definitions up to date. Norton AntiVirus is a popular program that automatically updates definitions via the web.

Email Filtering. A good email filter will not only reduce the amount of spam you receive, but it may also catch a virus before it is downloaded from your service provider. I've been using MailWasher and recommend it highly. My favorite feature allows me to bounce spam back to the sender, making it look like my email address is invalid. A number of other filtering programs exist, including Inbox Protector and Spam Killer.

Firewall. No matter how you connect to the internet, you're susceptible to hackers. Most DSL/Cable modems and Ethernet switches employ hardware firewalls. Make sure yours does. If you have dial-up access or would like extra protection, you may want to install a software firewall protector like ZoneAlarm or BlackICE Defender.

UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). I purchased a UPS a number of years ago after a power outage resulted in the loss of over an hour's worth of edits. Now I'm able to work through brownouts and dips, as well as being able to safely shut down during total power failures. Check out APC for a number of affordable UPSs. I recommend getting one for each computer you own.

Regular Backups. The most important item on the wish list is, unfortunately, the one that is most neglected: backups. Despite all the protections available to keep the outside world at bay, the simplest way to ruin your day is to overwrite or delete an important file. A backup will not only let you recover files after simple human errors, it will enable you to recover all your data should your disk drive crash or if a virus wipes out your system.

I've been using an Echo drive from OnStream for the past couple years. Sony, HP, Seagate, and others also manufacture quality backup drives.

Follow these simple steps for backups:

1. Do an incremental backup every or every other day.
2. Perform a weekly or bi-weekly full backup ("full" means everything on your computer or network).
3. Every 6 months, archive a full backup by storing it in a safe off-site location. Do not reuse archived backups! They will enable you to recover files that you don't yet know you've lost!

If you've already addressed these items, you're in good shape. If you haven't, then make this the year to implement them.

Winter 2003 -Volume 13, Number 1

All articles are copyrighted by the authors in the year published.