It shouldn't happen to an IT consultant
Spend your time doing business, not IT.
Thursday 23 October 2008, 1:55 AM
Things your PC never volunteers
I discovered recently one of my clients, the owner of a catering products exporter had no idea that cut and paste existed. For years he has been re-typing rather than moving paragraphs. This is an extreme example but because these days, in part, because software rarely includes a printed manual many basic features remain hidden, even after years of PC use.
Ideally send staff on a training courses or at the very least buy in some training materials but in a small business one absent staff member is a significant reduction in the workforce, combine that with the ever present need to keep overheads down and it explains why not a single one of the small business I look after invests in IT training.
Whilst it is tricky sparing the time to send staff on training courses why not offer an incentive for them work at one in their own time? Say a £300 bonus on successful completion plus course fees. For less than two percent of the average salary I’d expect much more than a two percent productivity gain. Particularly so because what one employees learns often quickly spreads round the office.
I recommend the well designed European Computer Driving License (ECDL). It’s widely available, often heavily subsided by local authorities, sometimes even free.
Even the smallest chunk of training can pay big dividends. Take the time to carefully run through this list with each member of staff, if only a couple of these tips are of use to them it'll be time well spent.
General
CTRL+Mouse Wheel: Zooms in and out in Office, Web browsers and many other apps.
Right Click - for a context menu. I suggest demonstrating spelling corrections and cut and paste.
Selecting Items:
Left Click+CTRL toggles selected item.
Left Click+SHIFT selects everything between the point clicked and the previous selected item.
CTRL+A selects everything.
Word
Format Painter tool – copies text formatting. Access it via the toolbar button with a paintbrush on it.
Shift+F3 - Switches the capitalization of the current selection between upper case, lower case and title Caps (the first letter of each word is capitalised).
Select rectangular blocks of text in Word (2003 and later) by dragging with left mouse button while holding down the Alt and key.
Windows
Hold down Alt, and repeatedly tap Tab: to task switch in Windows, an incredibly useful shortcut many PC users don’t know about..
Dragging and dropping files – always do so with the right mouse button, a little menu will pop up asking whether you want to move or copy the file. Getting into the habit avoids an inadvertent move rather than a copy. Check users know how to drag and drop, as well how to create and delete folders.
Windows Explorer folder views
Alternative views of a folder are accessed via the View menu or a button with a (rather indistinct) list image on it.
Do staff know that in details mode that they can click the folder headings to re-order the list of files? Demonstrate bringing the most recently modified to the top of the list by clicking the 'Date modified' column heading.
CD Writing
Discovering only when a third party gets your disk that it is faulty or blank can prove disastrous. Check users know how to write a CD/DVD In most cases this is best done with the software supplied with the PC or drive, rather than Windows own tool which lacks the ability to verify the result. If you must rely on Windows copy the data back to temporary folder to check the CD.
If you have Roxio / Sonic’s writer software switch on ‘Verify’ in Options (in some versions accessed via a spanner icon) then click on 'Data'. In the current version of Nero Express the verify box should be ticked each time a disc is written.
Whatever software you use ensure the PC is doing as few other tasks as possible when writing a disc, including not using it until it starts verifying.
Ideally send staff on a training courses or at the very least buy in some training materials but in a small business one absent staff member is a significant reduction in the workforce, combine that with the ever present need to keep overheads down and it explains why not a single one of the small business I look after invests in IT training.
Whilst it is tricky sparing the time to send staff on training courses why not offer an incentive for them work at one in their own time? Say a £300 bonus on successful completion plus course fees. For less than two percent of the average salary I’d expect much more than a two percent productivity gain. Particularly so because what one employees learns often quickly spreads round the office.
I recommend the well designed European Computer Driving License (ECDL). It’s widely available, often heavily subsided by local authorities, sometimes even free.
Even the smallest chunk of training can pay big dividends. Take the time to carefully run through this list with each member of staff, if only a couple of these tips are of use to them it'll be time well spent.
General
CTRL+Mouse Wheel: Zooms in and out in Office, Web browsers and many other apps.
Right Click - for a context menu. I suggest demonstrating spelling corrections and cut and paste.
Selecting Items:
Left Click+CTRL toggles selected item.
Left Click+SHIFT selects everything between the point clicked and the previous selected item.
CTRL+A selects everything.
Word
Format Painter tool – copies text formatting. Access it via the toolbar button with a paintbrush on it.
Shift+F3 - Switches the capitalization of the current selection between upper case, lower case and title Caps (the first letter of each word is capitalised).
Select rectangular blocks of text in Word (2003 and later) by dragging with left mouse button while holding down the Alt and key.
Windows
Hold down Alt, and repeatedly tap Tab: to task switch in Windows, an incredibly useful shortcut many PC users don’t know about..
Dragging and dropping files – always do so with the right mouse button, a little menu will pop up asking whether you want to move or copy the file. Getting into the habit avoids an inadvertent move rather than a copy. Check users know how to drag and drop, as well how to create and delete folders.
Windows Explorer folder views
Alternative views of a folder are accessed via the View menu or a button with a (rather indistinct) list image on it.
Do staff know that in details mode that they can click the folder headings to re-order the list of files? Demonstrate bringing the most recently modified to the top of the list by clicking the 'Date modified' column heading.
CD Writing
Discovering only when a third party gets your disk that it is faulty or blank can prove disastrous. Check users know how to write a CD/DVD In most cases this is best done with the software supplied with the PC or drive, rather than Windows own tool which lacks the ability to verify the result. If you must rely on Windows copy the data back to temporary folder to check the CD.
If you have Roxio / Sonic’s writer software switch on ‘Verify’ in Options (in some versions accessed via a spanner icon) then click on 'Data'. In the current version of Nero Express the verify box should be ticked each time a disc is written.
Whatever software you use ensure the PC is doing as few other tasks as possible when writing a disc, including not using it until it starts verifying.
Sunday 12 October 2008, 7:06 PM
Keeping malware at bay
Choosing AV and anti-spam approaches is tricky, with many variables and much hype. Here are my experiences in keeping things simple and working in ways that won't distress users but will keep trouble at bay.
My AV of choice is Kaspersky Anti-Virus, it's relatively stable with a respectable detection rate. I also like its ability to build a bootable rescue disk, a feature, that used to be standard in AV packages. It enables a PC to be scanned and cleaned by booting from an clean uninfected CD. This prevents malware starting up along with Windows and fighting back. Like every other AV package it's not perfect, occasionally I've found machines it disagrees with, but it has a free one month (albeit very naggy) trial. It's worth making use of until you are happy all is well.
I use Kaspersky's custom install to leave out 'Pro-active protection'. That's a 'feature' that intercepts and ask user approval for application activity it considers suspicious. It's near impossible for even the technically aware to know whether to block or allow actions, let alone your average user, so it's best turned off.
Why not use Kapsersky Internet Security that includes a personal firewall and spam filter? Like Hi-Fi systems you'll get a better result if you buy separates, freeing you to pick the best components from different makers and just as importantly leave out the ones you don't need.
In particular I dislike personal firewalls. When a program contacts the outside world for the first time they demand explicit permission. These days almost all programs legitimately make a call home to check for updates. Since most malware is installed in good faith by users unaware it of its evil ways the fact it wants to talk to the outside world is no guide to the level of threat. Worse many apps do so without warning at unpredictable times, so user action can not be linked to the message asking permission. Non-technical users stand no chance of always making the right choice, When they get it wrong, applications can stop working altogether or no longer update, leaving the machine at greater risk. It's arguable which is more dangerous.
Stick with Windows or more usefully, your router's firewall though I'd disable the routers' Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) capabilities, a Microsoft protocol that that enables incoming connections to pass through a NAT router/firewall. When a serious UPnP vulnerability becomes public (which hasn't been for a while) every port scanning hacker potentially has access to every unpatched the PC on the LAN. UPnP is used by some games and applications, such as some MSN Messenger features; if disabling it causes problems, you can generally set up the application's requirements manually on your router.
My spam filter of choice is Spamfighter. For the moment Outlook 2007 also does a pretty good job while Outlook 2003 increasingly lets through more spam. Microsoft's protection is of course a top spammer target while Microsoft's desire to shift the latest version suggests that come Office 14 Outlook '07s anti-spam abilities will also decline.
I'll revisit this area later. Threats change and software can change even more - just because a particular package is excellent this year, that's no guarantee that next year's version won't be much worse. I have to look after a large and very varied set of clients, so it doesn't take me long to find out when something stops cutting the mustard. None of the vendors admit it, but we're all part of an ongoing experiment in silicon ecosystems that would make Darwin's eyes water. Happy mutations!
My AV of choice is Kaspersky Anti-Virus, it's relatively stable with a respectable detection rate. I also like its ability to build a bootable rescue disk, a feature, that used to be standard in AV packages. It enables a PC to be scanned and cleaned by booting from an clean uninfected CD. This prevents malware starting up along with Windows and fighting back. Like every other AV package it's not perfect, occasionally I've found machines it disagrees with, but it has a free one month (albeit very naggy) trial. It's worth making use of until you are happy all is well.
I use Kaspersky's custom install to leave out 'Pro-active protection'. That's a 'feature' that intercepts and ask user approval for application activity it considers suspicious. It's near impossible for even the technically aware to know whether to block or allow actions, let alone your average user, so it's best turned off.
Why not use Kapsersky Internet Security that includes a personal firewall and spam filter? Like Hi-Fi systems you'll get a better result if you buy separates, freeing you to pick the best components from different makers and just as importantly leave out the ones you don't need.
In particular I dislike personal firewalls. When a program contacts the outside world for the first time they demand explicit permission. These days almost all programs legitimately make a call home to check for updates. Since most malware is installed in good faith by users unaware it of its evil ways the fact it wants to talk to the outside world is no guide to the level of threat. Worse many apps do so without warning at unpredictable times, so user action can not be linked to the message asking permission. Non-technical users stand no chance of always making the right choice, When they get it wrong, applications can stop working altogether or no longer update, leaving the machine at greater risk. It's arguable which is more dangerous.
Stick with Windows or more usefully, your router's firewall though I'd disable the routers' Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) capabilities, a Microsoft protocol that that enables incoming connections to pass through a NAT router/firewall. When a serious UPnP vulnerability becomes public (which hasn't been for a while) every port scanning hacker potentially has access to every unpatched the PC on the LAN. UPnP is used by some games and applications, such as some MSN Messenger features; if disabling it causes problems, you can generally set up the application's requirements manually on your router.
My spam filter of choice is Spamfighter. For the moment Outlook 2007 also does a pretty good job while Outlook 2003 increasingly lets through more spam. Microsoft's protection is of course a top spammer target while Microsoft's desire to shift the latest version suggests that come Office 14 Outlook '07s anti-spam abilities will also decline.
I'll revisit this area later. Threats change and software can change even more - just because a particular package is excellent this year, that's no guarantee that next year's version won't be much worse. I have to look after a large and very varied set of clients, so it doesn't take me long to find out when something stops cutting the mustard. None of the vendors admit it, but we're all part of an ongoing experiment in silicon ecosystems that would make Darwin's eyes water. Happy mutations!
Sunday 5 October 2008, 11:34 PM
Anti-virus reviews make things worse (or Symantec: just say NO)
Several times a month I fix a slow or unstable PC just by removing Symantec's Norton security products. Typically they break the PC's internet connection or slow it to a crawl, and getting rid of them is a miracle cure. That makes me look good, but I'd prefer things to just work. There's no lack of real problems to solve.
When I recommend removing a Symantec product many clients are unhappy. They say that they bought it because it came top in such and such a magazine or web sites' anti-virus test.
It's precisely those reviews which make things worse. Most of them score features and usability highly, giving anti-virus makers an incentive to give in to feature bloat. But the more anti-virus (AV) software tries to do, the more code there is and therefore the more bugs -- and the fewer PC resources are available to other applications.
Instead they should do one thing well: catch and disable as many viruses -- and as much other malware – as possible, while bothering the user as little as possible. It's crucial AV products are well coded, because they're so intimately connected with everything the computer does. They intercept file accesses, network packets, and emails, scanning them before handing the data on to waiting programs. When AV goes wrong, everything else collapses: as it often does.
Worse, reviewers rarely check things like stability. If something goes wrong every so often, how can you pin it on the AV software instead of something else on your setup? And if you can't prove it, how can you write about it?
So if they can't score stability what about actual functionality? Do they catch malware? There are getting on for a million viruses out there, most of them variants of a hard core of a few thousand. Proper testing demands a vast library that reflects this. A significant proportion is fed to each AV under test in a ways that simulate real world use, demanding significant resources including time. It's beyond magazine and web sites budgets for the occasional review. As a result, slow buggy programs with poor detection rates come top in many reviews because they are easy to use and feature 'rich'.
Norton isn't just buggy when it runs. It can refuse to leave. When most other applications fail to uninstall it's not the end of the world. Worst case one can use, msconfig to disable their services and programs, then rename their program directories to hide them: far from optimal but enough to neutralise most apps. Not so with AV programs. Most sensibly refuse to install when they sense a competitors product got there first. That's because when two resident AVs run at the same time, they fight each other with the sort of enthusiasm they should devote to the real threats.
To Symantec's credit they supply an effective downloadable removal tool. It effortlessly roots out every file and registry associated with Symantec products from 2003 onwards. But why isn't it installed as standard? After all one of the reasons to remove Norton is because it has cut off access to the net. Online solutions previously unknown to most users are no good at this point.
Next Installment: My favored AV product and why it's wise to avoid integrated security suites and personal firewalls.
When I recommend removing a Symantec product many clients are unhappy. They say that they bought it because it came top in such and such a magazine or web sites' anti-virus test.
It's precisely those reviews which make things worse. Most of them score features and usability highly, giving anti-virus makers an incentive to give in to feature bloat. But the more anti-virus (AV) software tries to do, the more code there is and therefore the more bugs -- and the fewer PC resources are available to other applications.
Instead they should do one thing well: catch and disable as many viruses -- and as much other malware – as possible, while bothering the user as little as possible. It's crucial AV products are well coded, because they're so intimately connected with everything the computer does. They intercept file accesses, network packets, and emails, scanning them before handing the data on to waiting programs. When AV goes wrong, everything else collapses: as it often does.
Worse, reviewers rarely check things like stability. If something goes wrong every so often, how can you pin it on the AV software instead of something else on your setup? And if you can't prove it, how can you write about it?
So if they can't score stability what about actual functionality? Do they catch malware? There are getting on for a million viruses out there, most of them variants of a hard core of a few thousand. Proper testing demands a vast library that reflects this. A significant proportion is fed to each AV under test in a ways that simulate real world use, demanding significant resources including time. It's beyond magazine and web sites budgets for the occasional review. As a result, slow buggy programs with poor detection rates come top in many reviews because they are easy to use and feature 'rich'.
Norton isn't just buggy when it runs. It can refuse to leave. When most other applications fail to uninstall it's not the end of the world. Worst case one can use, msconfig to disable their services and programs, then rename their program directories to hide them: far from optimal but enough to neutralise most apps. Not so with AV programs. Most sensibly refuse to install when they sense a competitors product got there first. That's because when two resident AVs run at the same time, they fight each other with the sort of enthusiasm they should devote to the real threats.
To Symantec's credit they supply an effective downloadable removal tool. It effortlessly roots out every file and registry associated with Symantec products from 2003 onwards. But why isn't it installed as standard? After all one of the reasons to remove Norton is because it has cut off access to the net. Online solutions previously unknown to most users are no good at this point.
Next Installment: My favored AV product and why it's wise to avoid integrated security suites and personal firewalls.
