Atomic Learning Internet Security Tutorials

Computer Clean Up and Speed Up

There are several programs available to computer users that will clean up disk space on your hard drive. These programs feature ways to delete unwanted programs you have downloaded, duplicate programs, demo programs, older versions of programs, old files, and temporary files. There were a few new processes of computer clean up that I learned about while viewing the tutorials at Atomic Learning. One thing is called compression of old files. This feature allows you to minimize the amount of space these files take up but does not delete them from your computer. You can access this through “Disk Cleanup” in the system tools folder through accessories. I also learned about something I didn’t know existed, a way to clean up your computer by using an application from the internet called “Windows CleanUp!” It even makes a toilet flushing noise when you use this program. When you clean up space on your computer, this will allow your system to run more smoothly and at a faster rate.

Firewalls

This was an extensive section of information that I did not have much prior knowledge on. I have always known that you need firewall protection on your computer to protect it from viruses, but did not understand that there were different types of firewall, what exactly firewall does (or doesn’t do) for your computer, or the different free firewall programs available for users to install. One thing that I learned that I want to share with you is that it will be beneficial for you to have both a hardware and software firewall system on your computer because they each do different things to protect your computer from dangers of being connected to the internet. The hardware is usually part of your internet router and can hide your computer from hackers, but will not stop you from receiving/spreading viruses, spam, pop-ups, and spyware. This is when the software firewall comes into play. It will notify you when these threats occur on your computer and gives you the ability to protect your computer from them. What surprised me is that there are (at least) two free firewall programs that you can download that will protect your computer’s vulnerability from internet threats. These programs are Zone Alarm and Shields Up. Also, if you have a PC, you should have a Windows firewall program already on your computer that you can use to set your firewall settings at a high level of protection.

File Backup Options

These were the tutorials that caught my attention the most for this assignment and were the most beneficial to me personally. If you read my previous blog posting, you noticed my hard drive crashed and my old computer basically won’t turn on anymore. I was in the market for a new computer before this happened, but had I known about file backup, I might have been able to recover the files I had on my old computer and held out on buying a new one for a little longer. According to the Atomic Learning tutorials, there are many file backup options in existence. Some charge a fee for using their services (like Genie Backup Manager), some are free (like Karen’s Replicator and Folder Share), and there is also one on your computer in the system tools folder of accessories. Some of these back up your documents to an external hard drive (like a usb flash drive, big usb hard drive, laptop size hard drive, blank CDs), which you must purchase separately. For my work documents, I back up my files on our network periodically as well as on a usb flash drive. I also have some of my older documents from my old computer on this flash drive. With other backup programs, you can simply back up your files online, which I was excited to learn about. I will be looking into using one of the programs the tutorial recommended; media max, yahoo, gmail, 4shared, allmydata.

Wireless

This last tutorial I viewed discussed wireless connection for computers. I found this tutorial a little outdated, yet it provided me with some information that I felt increased my awareness of internet security. Of course, when you want to have a wireless internet connection in your house, you will need cable internet and a wireless router. Also, if you have an older desktop or laptop without wireless built in, you will need a wireless usb adapter. The prices are pretty similar now to what the tutorial claimed routers, such as Linksys and Netgear, were (about $60-$150), depending if they come with firewall built in. The important information discussed in the tutorial about configuring and securing your wireless connection is something I will make sure I do every time I move. I will also share this information with friends who also use wireless internet. It is very important to change your SSID name to something you will remember, but does not identify you. Also, the security option is essential to remaining protected from outsiders. You will want to choose the WPA-PSK protected access and create a good password. This way, you can prevent just anyone from accessing your internet for free and possibly damaging your network. I was surprised to learn that some people are known to drive around looking for unsecure wireless connections in neighborhoods and connecting to them from their cars. When living in an apartment complex it is especially important to keep your wireless network secure from outsiders, since you have so many neighbors close enough to have that access.