Presented by Don Yarman & Jim Mann. Online at www.oplin.org/presentations/tenthings.ppt
This was a nice “how to” discussion which had matter-of-fact advice about keeping your Windows machines current. It’s rare to see these go smoothly without a lot of “Why is Microsoft so BAD?!” talk, this was very value neutral and very well-received.
The best thing I learned: how to change nag messages telling you about updates/firewall/virus protection
baseline: updates, firewall, anitvirus, spyware removal. details vary
for: windows pc with internet connections
suggested sites: Windows Secrets, How to keep your PC spyware and malware free for nothing
meta information: ConsumerSearch.com
firewall: Microsoft Firewall info, ZoneAlarm if you don’t have XP
antivirus: Avast, AVG Free, House Call (free online scanner) and SysClean (triage computer fixing)
adware: “one program is not enough” SpyWare Sweeper, Spyware Doctor. Free: MS Windows Defender Ad-Aware
They discussed the difference between upgrading and updating and problems that are associated with each one.
“You will be amazed how many of your programs want to communicate with the Internet. PowerPoint communicates with the Internet.” How do you decide? “Google it and find out what other people are saying about it. We’re all good reference librarians.”
Know where to get help: Google, WebJunction, Vendor sites, Microsoft, Join a user group
The road less travelled: Firefox, Open Office, Gmail, Apple, Linux [Linspire/Ubuntu]
buy twice as much of everything: RAM, hard drives, wireless, new monitor, upgraded software, have a test/throw away computer (tigerdirect.com)
update: operating system, firewall rules, antivirus definitions, adware definitions
book suggestion: How to Expand and Upgrade your PC
Don’t you worry that using some of this software is… illegal without a site license? I know that you can’t just deploy AVG across multiple computers without a corporate license and getting into illegal activity just because you’re a library does not justify it. Just a heads up…
The talk was much broader than what I’ve written down and costs for site licenses were discussed as well as other tools you could use for free. No one suggested doing anything illegal.