Battleplan: Operation BUGS

While doing a restore on your computer ranks just above running a crime scene cleanup service, spending my entire new year's day doing that very excersise has given me several things to think about and opinions to share. Plus, it will let me get some basic guidlines in order so if I ever need to do it again, I can remind myself of what I was supposed to do after my last war with the bugs.

First off, if you are lucky enough to own your very own copy of Operating system media, I highly reccomend an operating system / data storage partition system. Basically the way this works is as follows. Using a disk partition utility, such as Fdisk (You can read about it here), split your Hard Drive such that you allow 20 GB for your operating system and the rest for data. What this does is set up your system so that in the event of a cataclysm, your data files are retained while you can trash your OS and start anew. Windows allows you to store your My Documents anywhere you want. You should store them in this seperate partition. Never store anything you value on your desktop. Keep in mind, using Fdisk will require a reformat of all affected partitions. Be sure to have something bootable handy in case you need to get your work completed outside the OS media disk.

During the course of owning a computer, you get a crapload of driver disks. As your attourney, I advise you to buy a CD binder and store all of these disks together. Fumbling through layers and layers of boxes and debris for driver disks isn't efficient or fun.

If you own software that is strictly downloaded without actually having any media, it's important to leave yourself directions on how to get a re-download.

Installing windows should be done as follows:

1. Install the OS media.
2. Install drivers to establish whatever means you use to access the internet.
3. Windowsupdate all critical updates in the order offered and until they refuse to give any more.
4. Install remaining drivers.
5. Install virus protection.
6. Install remaining software packages.

Once you have your computer running, the next phase is to create users. Create a user for every person using the computer. Make them all "Limited Users" meaning no administration rights. The account you are currently using will become the administration account. Only log onto this account for installs, updates, and maintenence.

Now some companies don't try very hard when it comes to Quality Assurance on a multi user platform. These companies suck ass. You will find yourself in forums trying to figure out which registry key needs altered permissions in order for their shithole app to work on a limited user account. Don't lose heart. When the next w32.Trats!Inf comes lookin for trouble, it will have a hell of a time getting past your security.



Myspace is a fucking cesspool. I fairly certain that's where my virus came from. Using the website alone gave me bugs. If I had been on a limited user account, it probably would have saved me. If it came from Myspace, it will give you bugs. Myspace IM be damned. Tom be damned. This is the first time I actually received an activeX virus from a simple website. It wasn't a hacker site either. It was a site that hundreds of thousands of users visit daily. Infected by the internets... All your base are belong to us.