Basic Security For Windows XP

Many new computers are shipped with very poor default security, which becomes very hazardous when they are connected to the Internet. Here are some basic steps to make things a little safer.

I. Know/lock down your usernames and passwords
II. Turn off File and Print Sharing
III. Install Norton Antivirus and update it regularly
IV. Turn on your firewall
V. Run Windows Update regularly
VI. Other stuff..



I. Know what your local and administrative (and other) accounts are and be sure they have good passwords or are disabled.

Many new machines we have seen ship with an administrator account they never tell you about that has a blank password AND they encourage you to create a second administrator-level account with no password. To find out what administrator and other accounts you have on your computer and set passwords for them, do this:

On the start menu, right-click on My Computer and choose Manage.

If you have never set the password of the administrator account, or you set it to a really easy password, change it by right-clicking on the Administrator account as shown below and choosing "Set Password...". To make a good password, don't use a real word--think of a phrase that contains numbers and use the first letter of each word and the numbers. This is where the hard part comes in--don't forget or lose it, or Windows XP will lock you out of your computer for good and you'll have to reinstall XP. That would be bad, we know.



You'll get this scary-looking warning. Proceed, unless you know you have encrypted some files (you would know). You'll need to click OK again, too.


Go ahead and do this for all accounts you do not already know the passwords for. Alternately you can disable some accounts, like the Guest account, as shown below, by clicking on the Properties item in the right-click menu, and then choosing disable, and clicking OK.






II. Turn off File and Print Sharing.


Go to your network connections page..



For EACH network connection shown on Network Connections Dialog, do the following--right-click and choose Properties



UNCHECK file and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks if it is there, or verify that it is unchecked, and click OK.


III. Turn on Your Firewall
Service pack 2 may have already done this for you, but if it's not on, it should be:




IV. Download and Install Norton Antivirus, and use Live Update to Update it Weekly.
Hopefully, you've already done this, or it came on your law bundle. If not, get it from Software Central (instructions are there, too). Update it weekly or more often. Be obsessive. Really.


V. Run Windows Update: