Setting up your new xp pro box. for newby's

[tiDaLfAze23]

Just got your new p.c? There are a million things you need to do before you go randomly surfing the wilds of the internet.

This tutorial is aimed at newbies like myself (that learnt the hard way) using Windows xp pro (www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/default.mspx) Service Pack 1.

The first thing to do after organizing your Internet Service Provider, is race online and go togoogle (www.google.com/) , type in p0rn and go mad clicking every link that your fingers can access, right? WRONG. This is a sure fire way of getting your shiney new computer infested with all sorts ofSpyware (www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oi=defmore&q=define:Spyware) ,Adware (www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oi=defmore&q=define:adware), Trojans (www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oi=defmore&q=define:trojan) , Viruses (www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oi=defmore&q=define:virus) , and other nasties that will haunt you and cause your system to become almost useless, depending on, 1: who was able to hack you,and if they were malicious or not. 2: The amount of trojans and viruses that have infected your box, 3: After the p0rn dialler has racked up a couple of thousand dollars in premium call costs, you might not be able to pay for the cheapest dialup connection until you repay your phone bill. And 3: If you are competant to fix these new found joys of the internet or not.....

O.K. You are online reading this (hopefully someone is) Have you enabled xp's xp's built in firewall (www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/learnmore/icf.mspx) ? If no DO it now,
Click Start=>Control Panel if in Classic view double click Network Connections=> right click your connection icon=>click properties=> click the Advanced tab, and check the box that says "Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet" Click o.k.
You may have to disconnect from the internet, then reconnect to enable this change.

O.K. Now you are a little better off than you were, allthough it is only the first step in having a firewall that will protect you from unwanted connections.

The next security install will need to be a decent third partyFirewall (www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oi=defmore&q=define:Firewall). There are a few to choose from, (most are free and easily installed) some recommended more than others and some that are not so good at all. I have been usingSygate Personal Firewall (smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm) , (free version) for about a year now and find it works well, and is easy to configure. There is also a Support Page (smb.sygate.com/support/documents/spf/default.htm) , with step by step help.

Others to consider are, Kerio Personal Firewall (www.kerio.com/kpf_home.html) , Agnitum Outpost Firewall (www.agnitum.com/) and ZoneAlarm. (www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp)

Visit Shields Up (grc.com/su-firewalls.htm) for some more firewall info, and be sure to go to Firewall Leak Test (grc.com/lt/leaktest.htm) and test your firewall for its effectivness.


Next you will need to get anAntivirus (www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oi=defmore&q=define:Antivirus) program, or configure the one that came installed with your box, since i do not know which one you are using i cannot advise of it's settings, google up some info on you A/V brand and go from there. Hopefully you will become a member here and you could post any questions regarding your settings for the more senior and experienced members to answer for you.

I am using Norton Internet Security Professional 2004 (www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/nis_pr/) , despite it costing over $100 au, I strongly recommend it as a defense tool. It comes with Antivirus Pro, Personal Firewall, Privacy Control, AntiSpam, Productivity Control, and some advanced Web tools.

Next i would recommend Adaware (www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/) , a detection and removal tool, And also Spybot Search and Destroy (www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html) , an application to scan for spyware adware, hijackers and other malicious software. Once you install, get them updated with the latest definitions, open the program and click the update link. Once you have updated them, and also your antivirus definitions, turn off the System Restore function. To do this go to Start=> Control Panel=>System=> click the System Restore tab and check the "Turn off System Restore" box, click Apply click o.k. Now turn off your computer and restart it into safe mode. To do this, simply press the f8 key when you first get the system info screen. I find that if you repeatedly press the f8 key during this time, you wont miss out on getting into safe mode. When you get the Advanced Option screen, select Safe Mode by pressing the up/down arrows, then press enter. Run your A/V, Adaware and SpyBot as normal, deleting what has been found. I understand that some threats have the ability to hide from scans in normal mode, so Safe Mode is a good way of ensuring you find all of them. Once you have scanned your box and fixed/deleted anything found, restart as normal. IMPORTANT Make sure you re-eneble System Restore straight away after you have logged back in.

O.K. we are much more protected from unwanted nasties and have less of a chance to pull our hair out having to re-install the whole O/S again, cos we were unprepared for the traps online, don't feel stupid if you have to re-install, i have had to do it twice, the first time losing all my data,mainly photos that i took, and it's something that sometimes just has to be done. And don't feel stupid asking for help, there are many here who will give their time to assist newbies in trouble.

Next important action is to go to the Windows update site and check for new patches, click on the icon in the Start Menu, once you are there click "scan for updates" and install all Critical Updates, choose any of the other updates that apply to you. I have Automatic Updates disabled, so i can manually update. This gives me the option of reding the updates before they are installed, and why i need it, and really just to be in control of it all.
YOU MUST REMEMBER TO CHECK THE UPDATE SITE IF YOU DISABLE AUTO UPDATE.

A few more tips:If you down load anything from the internet, save it to a folder in My Documents, and SCAN IT with you up to date AntiVirus Software BEFORE you open/run it, this ensures that you don't infect your box with whatever malicious evils that may or maynot be in it.

If you buy all those PC Mags as i do, the ones with the free cd, make sure you also scan the disk with you updated AntiVirus BEFORE you open it. To do this BEFORE you insert your disk, click Start=>My Computer=>right click the DVD/CD-RAM icon=>click properties=>select the Auto Play tab, you can select the "Prompt me each time to choose an action" option, or prolly a better way is to check the "Select an action to perform" option, and click "Take no action". After you have made your choice click Apply, click o.k. Now you can insert your disk and Windows will prompt you or wont open it. Now click Start=>My Computer=>right click DVD/CD-RAM icon and scan it with your Up to date A/V.


O.K. I have left things out of this tutorial, mainly not to confuse the beginner who would be confused or overloaded with too much info.....


If i have posted anything that's not right, or could be expanded, please let me know and i will fix it, also if the order of things to do could be changed, could someone with more knowledge point this out.

I hope that this is helpful to the new users of the internet.
cheers.....
TidaL.....

Source (www.antionline.com/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=184925)

[tiDaLfAze23]

:confused: SDK, could you give me a reason as to you not approving of my tutorial?
Was there things wrong with it? or not up to standard ? Areply would be appreciated.....

[Spyder32]

Considering it was covered MILLIONS of time's, quit bitching about AP's. It won't help you but get more negative AP's.

[tiDaLfAze23]

Considering it was covered MILLIONS of time's

Ahh, just where are these millions of newby xp pro tuts?

I wasn't bitching about a/p's , i asked if there was anything wrong with it. You say it's been done a million times, can you prove that? Mine is original.....

[Cybr1d]

Google (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=newbie+windows-+XP+tutorial&btnG=Search)


LOL...Tidal stop whinning, and stop trying so hard.

[tiDaLfAze23]

:) O.K me stops with the whining... Would you at least say if it is helpful or not. I think it is and would have almost paid for this kind of advice last year after screwing up my pc.....




No i wont leave
----------------------

[Cybr1d]

Yes it is helpful. Thank you for your contribution to the community.

[tiDaLfAze23]

:) Thanks your'e welcome.....

[NemorY]

Yeah it's somewhat good :)

[Cybr1d]

All these one liners should get negged to death :D...OK NO More one liners from now on...type in with your AP assignment.

-Second Sentence added to avoid another one liner-:D

Peace.

[NemorY]

OK NO More one liners from now on...type in with your AP assignment

What if i didnt like it that much that i wanna give him AP's. I just wanna leave a comment, what then ?

[Cybr1d]

What if i didnt like it that much that i wanna give him AP's. I just wanna leave a comment, what then ?


You can always neg em :)....or just use the PM system.

-Second Sentence added to avoid another one liner- :D

[Spyder32]

I can't assign him any AP's. And this tutorial is somewhat good (like NemorY said) all I said was that it has been covered before. Search AO for Window's Security Tutorial's or Window's Hardening or Win XP Security Guide. There are many tutorial's like this one. However, this one is a decent one and I commend you for it. Happy?

[annihilator_god]

This is a "newbie" tutorial, so I guess "newbie" = pay money until all the problems go away. The methods stated in this tutorial have been covered in (all) other "secure xp" articles wasting space on the internet.
To review:
firewall, anti-virus, anti ad and spy programs, and hit windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Look, I just wrote my own tutorial!

How about a tutorial in setting up ZA, norton, iptables, or other firewalls. Just installing the program does a little to secure the machine, but that's not enough to really stop anyone.

This tutorial also doesn't cover shutting down services that are un-necessary or security risks. How about the messenger service? How about disabling NetBIOS if the system doesn't need it?

Also, killing activeX in IE can be a great way to limit spyware on a new install. (if not killing IE all together, but that's not necessarilly "secure")

How about creating a log of running processes and a log of programs that startup with windows? Having a log (one you create yourself, hijack this, other audits) of a fresh install that you can compare later is a great resource.

Let's also talk about what to do with the administrator account. like re-naming, password protecting, and creating a "guest" administrator. Also, don't do everything in an admin account. User or power user is great for everyday use.

Speaking of passwords, c1aw3D|<|cK (clawedkick for you non-leet readers) would be much harder to break than *shudder* secret, zzzzzzz, or asdfghjkl.

There is more, but this is just my little rant.

edit: in case you can't tell, i am working on a tutorial like this myself... but i'm actually putting time and research into it with links to tools and resources that would be helpful.

[tiDaLfAze23]

:) annihilator_god, This was my first tut, and as i stated, "O.K. I have left things out of this tutorial, mainly not to confuse the beginner who would be confused or overloaded with too much info".....

This tut was for newb users, first time internet users, not for people who understand such things as iptables.

I could have (maybe should have) posted links to blackviper (www.blackviper.com/WinXP/service411.htm) But thought that getting too far ahead would confuse people i am trying to help. I also think that disabeling services is a more advanced process for more advanced users. Becoming comfortable with the very basics is more important than trying to learn too much too fast, i think.

I also saidIf i have posted anything that's not right, or could be expanded, please let me know and i will fix it, also if the order of things to do could be changed, could someone with more knowledge point this out. I see that you are more knowledgable than what i am, as i don't even know what iptables are, you would have helped by posting this info, so we could learn from it.

but i'm actually putting time and research into it with links to tools and resources that would be helpful. I put the time and research into it , the best way i could for now, i will , thanks for your comments expand this tut to include the points that you raised.

Being my first tut i think that is o.k. and the only copy and paste done on it were links to tools and resources.....

[Spyder32]

From TigerShark's tutorial on what not to write in a tutorial:

2. Starting your "tutorial" by saying "this is for noobs" does one of two things. Either, it implies that you do not really know your subject, or, you think you are some kind of hot-shot. In the first case, (which seems to be the norm), you are pre-stating that the information that follows is of little use to anyone or is already easily discovered elsewhere. In the second case, the subject matter of your "tutorial" had better be detailed, informative and of use, (How to tracert an IP is hardly something a truly 1337 h@x0r should be writing about).

From TiDaL:

This tut was for newb users, first time internet users,

Just figured I'd point that out. Oh and TiDaL, turning off netBIOS is not what I would call "advanced". Disabling any window's service (messenger or netBIOS) isn't advanced. Just letting ya know.

[Cybr1d]

first time internet users,

Not picking on Tidal, but what does "first time internet users" have to do with being able to secure windows XP? Maybe I'm missing the point. If it was my first time using the internet, I would have no clue what anything in that tut is...I wouldn't even be able to find AntiOnline.

[tiDaLfAze23]

:) Starting your "tutorial" by saying "this is for noobs" does one of two things. Either, it implies that you do not really know your subject, or, you think you are some kind of hot-shot. In the first case, (which seems to be the norm), you are pre-stating that the information that follows is of little use to anyone or is already easily discovered elsewhere. Yes me bows head down in shame and accepts defeat.....


but what does "first time internet users" have to do with being able to secure windows XP? Maybe I'm missing the point. If it was my first time using the internet, I would have no clue what anything in that tut is...I wouldn't even be able to find AntiOnline.


What i mean is, last year when i bought my pc, I had never surfed the Internet or operated a computer, apart from the odd game of patience. I just got on line as soon as i got my ISP sorted and went on my merry way into the unknown. I didn't enable xp's firewall, i had no third party firewall, i don't think i had my Norton 2002 enabled. I surfed the usual exploration sites ( you know the ones) and got infected with all sorts of stuff, Trojans, virusus. I just happened out of frustration to buy a pc mag that had some security sites in it, and AntiOnline was one of them.

This is what i mean when i say first time users, using a computer for the first time surfing the Internet.

[tiDaLfAze23]

:confused: O.K. as has been pointed out, there should have been more included in this tut.
My question is should i delete it and re-write it with the ommited parts put in?????

What do you think, would it be better to fix it properly, or leave it as is and just add to it???
Any answers will be helpful.....

[instronics]

Actually, despite the fact that this info is around many other places, i find it a decent introduction to the windows n00b user. It doesnt hurt to have multiple tutorials on a subject. I would say that tutorials is the exception. I liked it, it was written in a way that even dumb lusers can understand and get started. Taking the steps mentioned in this tut, the luser can from there on move on to more 'advanced' subjects, being a little bit safer along that way. There are a few members that might have a problem or two with tidal, i too was annoyed by his 'useless' threads in GCC, but this thread is usefull, and well written. So i leave aside my personal feelings for him, and i rate the info in this thread.

//offtopic

tidal, why the f*&$ did you do that shit in gcc for? I liked your previous threads... why that BS?

Anyways, lets hope you contribute in the future, and dont do shit like you did before.

Cheers everyone.