Windows Security Checklist - Part 17: Security Checklist Review II

by Larry Stevenson, aka Prince_Serendip, CastleCops Staff Writer
March 20, 2005

No one application nor technique can protect you at 100%, but you can still get pretty close to that. When these guidelines are followed by Windows users, it can bring their chances of being infected by malwares almost to zero. Now we begin our next installment of the Windows Security Checklist - Part 17: Security Checklist Review II

It is not as complicated as it may first appear, although there is a lot of information to absorb. The Security Experts, 1st Responders, Special Response Team members, Site Moderators, Administrators and Host consultants at CastleCops can help you, if you have questions about any of these techniques or featured applications.

The Windows Security Checklist was born November 28, 2004. The first installment of the seventeen parts produced so far, highlighted the need for firewall, antivirus and anti-trojan applications to ensure basic online Windows system security. Windows Security Checklist has been developed episodically, since the entire subject of Windows Security is huge, and continuing to grow. The world's largest set of operating systems in use today, developed by Microsoft, will soon be fully updated. Windows could even be superceded? Microsoft uses a planned obsolescence model for their operating systems. They had planned to make Win98/se and ME obsolete but too many are still using them. Their new operating systems, planned for release soon, are not ready yet. We are still awaiting the release of the newest Microsoft Operating System.

In the meantime, the rest of us are still using Windows as it stands now. It's good to secure Windows itself while also adding applications to help protect your computer. This series was started featuring Windows compatible security applications first because so many of you have so little protection online. Get the basic applied protections, then see about tweaking the operating systems for security and performance, and lastly review all procedures, applications andtechniques. So, yes, there is an actual Windows Security Checklist you can use to develop better security and safety for you and your PC's online needs.

Continuing from where we left off last week in Part 16: The Checklist Review:

31. Cleaning up your system will make it run more smoothly by getting rid of useless junk files and old unused applications using Add/Remove Programs.

32. System File Checker can help you replace or renew damaged or corrupted system files. Malwares such as viruses, worms, trojans and spywares can damage your system files. SFC can help correct these malfunctions.

33. Get Windows Security Updates for your system from Microsoft regularly. Although there are those who disagree with this, without the security updates, your system would be vulnerable to those problems so widely publicized by the media. Cyber-criminals read the news too. Please refer to the Windows Service Pack Road Map for more information.

34. Use Disk Cleanup (on Windows) and CrapCleaner to clean out your temporary files regularly, the Temp folders and the Temporary Internet Files. Adwares and spywares often hide in the Temp folders.

35. Cleaning remnants from the Registry will help your system run smoothly and boot more quickly. CrapCleaner and other registry cleaning tools can help with this task. It's always better to use a tool on the Registry than to try to do it by yourself as the Registry does not countenance mistakes.

36. Defragmenting Hard Disk Drives helps improve both hardware and software performance. You can find instructions for this for all Windows platforms in Windows Security Checklist - Part 9: Batting Clean-up. It will save wear and tear on your Hard Drive as well. It takes all of your software, removes the gaps and holes, and lays it out in one continuous body on the hard disk. The read and write heads will then not have to work hard to find things.

37. For users of Windows ME and XP, after cleaning and defragging your machine, set a new Restore Point. See above link in #36 for more details.

38. What to do if your browser has been hijacked? Windows Security Checklist - Part 11: Hijacker Horrors CastleCops Staff can help.

39. How to setup a Windows Home Wireless Network? Windows Security Checklist - Part 12: W...e Wireless and Part 13: Windows Home Wireless Security

40. Always backup your data in case you have irreversible problems later. Windows Security Checklist - Part 15: Are You Saved?

Windows Security Checklist has become more than a title of a given work, but the byline of my Sunday column. Consequently, although we have forty items on the Security Checklist, I will continue to write Windows security articles here every week.


Best regards and always take care of your security.