Before all the bashing begins, let me first say that this is not an indictment of PC users — I know full well that many people find themselves stuck with Windows not by choice but by fiat, since Windows holds a monopoly.
That said, take look at this incredibly long, detailed page that lists the steps taken by someone who did the annual “fix Mom’s computer” dance. It’s a convoluted geekfest and one understands why there is such a market for “certified” Windows technicians.
Went home for the holidays this week, and of course, the annual fix-Mom’s-computer event. This year things on my mother-in-law’s Windows 98 PC were especially bad; it could’ve been used as a software showcase of the latest and greatest in malware.
For future reference, here’s a laundry list of steps I took to get Mom’s computer working and secured from evil software.
- Deleted spyware with Ad-Aware
- Updated Windows
- Secured Internet Explorer
- Switched default web browser to Firefox
- Trimmed down startup programs
- Removed Personal Web Server
- Installed ZoneAlarm firewall
- Uninstalled unneeded applications
- Installed spyware protection with Spybot Search & Destroy
- Installed virus protection with AntiVir
- Scanned and defragmented the hard drive
My mom has an Apple iBook. You know what I needed to do to it when she was here at Christmas?
Nothing. Nada. Not a single thing.
As a matter of fact, the only thing I needed to do that was even related to it was tell her that she didn’t need to turn the Airport card off when she was done using the web. She was afraid that people could “get in” to her laptop.
“Not on the Mac, mom.”
