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Securing
Your PC
With
the festive holiday season upon us, no doubt you will
be thinking of visiting relatives, relaxing by the
beach, or camping out with your friends. You will be
arranging with neighbours to check your mail, feed the
dog and cat, and keep a general lookout for you. You
will be making sure your house and outbuildings are
secure, and that no one can use or abuse your
valuables while you are away.
One
of these valuables that you will want to protect
against unauthorized access is your PC. If you have
people staying with you, or you want to limit some
family members from accessing your private
information, there are several ways to secure your PC.
The
first method for securing your PC is the humble
password. There are several places where you can
password protect your computer. You will notice, when
switching on your PC, that several different black or
coloured screens show before your Windows logo
appears. In the first of these screens, you can press
a key, usually the Delete or F2 key, and access what
is called BIOS Setup. You can then add a password in
BIOS Setup, which must then be entered every time your
PC starts up. This is the most secure and effective
place to have a password.
You
can also password protect your Windows operating
system. All versions of Windows, including 98, ME,
2000, and XP, can be password protected, with the
later the version, the better the security. Windows 98
and ME allow for a password to be set just before the
desktop shows; however this is quite easy to get
around. Windows 2000 and XP have a much better
password security. In both versions, you can set a
password for all or a single user. These passwords,
once set, are very difficult to get around.
Another
part you may want to secure on your PC is access to
your Internet connection. This is a relatively easy
step, in that when you go to access your Internet,
remove the tick from the “Save Your Password” box.
This way the password must be typed in before access
is gained to your Internet connection.
For
Windows 2000 and XP, your Windows folders such as My
Documents and My Pictures, can also be individually
password protected. To do this, right click on the
folder you want to protect, and click the Sharing and
Security link. Then put a tick in the box “Make this
folder Private”. If you haven’t already done so,
you will be asked to create a password for the folder.
Now whenever you want to access this folder, double
click it, enter your password and you can open it.
Taking
security precautions will help you enjoy your holiday.
It will also improve your insurance return if you do
have the unfortunate experience of being burgled.
If
you would like more information on improving or
setting up your PC’s security, you can call us on
4163 8061 during business hours, or email us at info@mcsyarraman.com.au.
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