Microsoft Windows HOWTOs & Tutorials
This is a new area for me. You see, I am an Information Technology Consultant now days, working exclusively in the area of MS Windows and the programs that run on those platforms. So writing about that stuff as a hobby is a bit like a baker making bread during time off; very unusual. So there aren't many Tutorials in this section. Maybe I'll rectify that, maybe not.
My aim here is to present some information articles that promote do-it-yourself ways of improving the operation of Windows operating systems and the applications that run in them, with a view to saving small office and home office people money by adopting free alternatives to the hugely expensive proprieory software packages available in/for the Windows environment.
HowTo: Microsoft: Security: Protect Your Computer from Malware and Viruses for free
About: One major disadvantage of Microsoft's Windows is the lack of security, with consequent vast cost to consumers imposed by the "Malware" industry. This article shows HowTo download, install and update five free software packages that perform as well as many cleverly marketed and shamelessly overstated industry leading packages. I have chosen from the many praiseworthy contenders a vius scanner (Grisoft's AVG Antivirus), a firewall (Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm), a malicious ware cleaner (Lavasoft's Ad Aware), a spyware defence gate (Javcool's SpywareBlaster) and a registry malware cleaner (SpyBot's Search & Destroy). I will show you how to download and install these packages, and lead you through a method and schedule that should keep your home or small office computers relatively free of damaging pests.
Together, these five quite excellent free programs provide multi faceted security unparalled by any single multi-faceted proprietary [i.e. non-free] security package.
About: You have a small-office or a home-office (SOHO) workgroup running some combination of Windows 98 (2nd ed), ME, NT, XP home, XP pro, etc. This How To uses Windows simple SMB (=server message block) sharing to effect file exchange across the workgroup and to provide printing services to all workstations from a printer attached to one workstation (a print server).
I wrote this HowTo for people who fall foul of Microsoft's networking wizard called set up a home or small office network. Sometimes it works just fine. Sometimes apparently irretrievable bother is the result. This HowTo should help and maybe obviate the need for a service call.
About: This tutorial shows how to set up a router to feed broadband cable or ADSL/DSL internet to a home, home-office or small office (SOHO) network of computer workstations --and-- how to set up each workstation to accept a TCPIP address assigned by the DHCP server in the router, to form a network of computers that communicate with each other and with the internet.
Well that's all for now, folks. I've got some planned for the future though.
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