Maintaining your Computer

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of California - Santa Barbara
1

<p>This post mostly pertains to students who are running Windows. I'm a student working part time at Computing Services at UCSB as a PC Technician. It seems that quite a notable amount of incoming students do not know how to properly take care of their computers, and with the beginning of last year, Resnet (our campus local ISP) has required all students who live on campus (or in University owned apartments that use resnet as their ISP) to download and use Cisco Clean-Access Agent (CCA). This is a small program that constantly checks whether you have the latest virus definitions and windows updates. If you don't, then you simply will not have internet access because CCA will prohibit it. Also, your system must be clean of viruses that may disrupt network activity, otherwise resnet will prohibit your internet access.</p>

<p>If you're running WinXP, please make sure you have the latest updates and latest virus
definitions. If you don't have virus protection, you can get a copy of Symantec
AntiVirus Corporate Edition from Resnet when you get here.</p>

<p>I just want to give you guys guys a heads so you can take the proper pre-cautions now, clean up anything (reformat if need be), and save yourself headaches when you're trying to get online, because the queue in servicing computers tends to be pretty long in the beginning of the year. Not only that, but I'm also saving myself and the other techs possible work. ;)</p>

<p>Mac and Linux users, none of this really pertains to you. :) However Mac users, if you do have problems with anything, we have great specialized Mac techs as well. </p>

<p>Here are some free tools we use everyday on your windows machines that we recommend:</p>

<p>Adaware download located here:
<a href="http://www.lavasoft.de/support/download/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.lavasoft.de/support/download/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Spybot here:
<a href="http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>AVG - free virus scanner here; you will be using symantec (or norton) after you get here:
<a href="http://www.majorgeeks.com/download886.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.majorgeeks.com/download886.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>AIM fix - removes most AIM related viruses and hijacks:
<a href="http://jayloden.com/aimfix.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://jayloden.com/aimfix.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>CCleaner - removes unused registries, temp files, etc.
<a href="http://www.ccleaner.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ccleaner.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Firefox web browser - more secure than IE
<a href="http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>HijackThis - use if you know what you're doing:
<a href="http://www.majorgeeks.com/download3155.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.majorgeeks.com/download3155.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Windows update - get the latest security patches here:
<a href="http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Note: Any cleaning you do on your own is at your own risk; on occasion nested viruses/spywares infect critical system files, thus removing it may prevent your machine to be unuseable.</p>

2

<p>WHAT???!!!! i don't need to have some stupid memory hogging program running in the background constantly telling me to update my computer or else!!!! i keep my computer free of spyware/virusus w/ out the help of 3rd party software (except highjackthis). also keeping windows update is not my concern. i use my pc for gaming and don't need windows updates or spyware removals taking up precious memory.</p>

<p>i am very disappointed and exasperated. i guess i'll be brining my old my mac w/ me.</p>

3

<p>It's really uptight, I agree, but the main reason they employed it, is because many people don't know how to properly care for their computers. There were widespread network outages due to certain worms (including Sasser) because many didn't keep their windows up to date. The internet is of GREAT importance to many students that have assignments that need to be turned in online by a certain deadline, and if there happen to be inopportune outages, then there will be many hapless students that can't turn in their labs, papers, projects, etc. </p>

<p>Resnet doesn't want that to happen again, and ever since they employed it, I must say it has been noticeably more robust. </p>

<p>If its any consolidation, CCA runs in the background consuming only 2,124K of your memory. Symantec Corporate edition is also much more memory conservative than Norton.</p>

<p>Windows update really doesn't take all that long to run either. Especially with our T-x (3 I think) connections, you download the updates extremeley fast. Then just let it install the updates when you're not at your computer.</p>

4

<p>Also, if you have Windows XP, make sure that you have SP2 installed. I have seen some computers were people turned off automatic update and did not get this crucial update and therefore had a very difficult time getting online.</p>

<p>CCA isn't that bad though (at least during the school year). During summer, I had to log into CCA every single time I started up my computer. Hence, I never turned my computer off (and probably wasted some energy). But now, I only have to log in when there is some new update.</p>

5

<p>
[quote]

CCA isn't that bad though (at least during the school year). During summer, I had to log into CCA every single time I started up my computer. Hence, I never turned my computer off (and probably wasted some energy). But now, I only have to log in when there is some new update.

[/quote]

On a brighter side it's better for your computer if you leave it on 24/7. :)</p>

6

<p>Yen,</p>

<p>While you're at it, try to get the kiddies to defrag once in a while...</p>

7

<p>Yen,</p>

<p>I had a question about the ResNet service. Since you guys prohibit wireless networks (even encrypted, booooooo), would it be acceptable to have a desktop computer connected to ResNet broadcast the connection over Bluetooth so that it would be wireless for about 100 feet? This setup would be to allow my MacBook to be wireless while in my dorm or in a neighboring one. Or really, would anyone even find out since it would look like a bluetooth cellphone anyways...</p>

<p>Please and thank you :)</p>

8

<p>And on that note as well, I considered bringing a wireless router and setting it up with a MAC address filter, so my computer, and my computer alone can access it. This is WAY better than your simple password encrypted wifi... would this be allowed?</p>

<p>And on a slightly different note, what are the penalties and odds of being caught with an [encrypted] wireless router?</p>

9

<p><a href="http://www.housing.ucsb.edu/resnet/responsible-use.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.housing.ucsb.edu/resnet/responsible-use.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]

Wireless Access Points (WAP) are not permitted in student's rooms. Students found running a WAP can have privileges terminated.

[/quote]

Resnet tends to treat everyone equally, whether you're savy with computers or not. It would be much too difficult for them to differentiate and allow exceptions for different cases amongst thousands of students. And even moreso, they don't know who to trust; since whose to stop users from giving out their (wireless) WEP keys (or allowing more MAC addresses) so that people who don't live on campus to be able to access resnet networks? Of course i'm not suspecting that you guys would, i'm just throwing it out as a possibility that resnet would have to consider. :)</p>

<p>On a side note, even w/ another layer of MAC filtering, i'm sure someone can break the encryption (especially if WEP) and then spoof their packets to look like your MAC address to get in on your router. ;)</p>

<p>
[quote]

I had a question about the ResNet service. Since you guys prohibit wireless networks (even encrypted, booooooo), would it be acceptable to have a desktop computer connected to ResNet broadcast the connection over Bluetooth so that it would be wireless for about 100 feet? This setup would be to allow my MacBook to be wireless while in my dorm or in a neighboring one. Or really, would anyone even find out since it would look like a bluetooth cellphone anyways...

[/quote]

It would be best to ask Resnet themselves about this. I would bet they wouldn't really care about the bluetooth, but don't take my word for it as the department I work with is apart from resnet.</p>

10

<p>The logic just doesn't seem to be all the way there, being that UCSB itself has wireless access around campus. If someone was going to try and break into the resnet internet, they'd have a much easier time doing it elsewhere than on my MAC filtered wireless connection. Theres got to be some way that I can get wireless internet for my computer just on my bed, heh heh.</p>

<p>I hope its not time to just invest in a long ethernet cable...</p>

11

<p>The wireless access around campus (it only covers a few areas) also require logging in.</p>

<p>I believe that CCA will not let you install a router and let you log in. That being said, I have seen quite a few ad-hoc networks around the residence halls.</p>