View Full Version : Booting Internet Access off a Power PC



okcpulse
08-23-2004, 08:24 AM
Due to a number of virus and worm issues that stream across the web like a river, I felt it was in my PC's best interest to ban internet access from it altogether. After a recent trojan virus wiped out my settings on my Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card and TV tuner card, and recieving damage to some of my digital recording projects, I went off the deep end after a 4 hour virus scan of over 118,000 files on my computer, many of which were junk files accumulated from the internet.

So, instead of investing repeatedly in web protection gear, I found it more productive to buy my wife a lap top computer where we can use the internet, and not have to worry about maintenance issues on my computer when it comes to the internet. I have too much valuable software and projects on my PC to worry about protecting my PC from the next virus. I had McAffee Firewall and Virus Protection... well, I still got the trojan virus.

Problem solved from my end. Since then, my Power PC runs better, more smooth, and without disruption from those Windows XP automatic updates.

How do you protect your PC? Do you feel that a PC built specifically for high-end projects should be connected to the internet?

Keith
08-23-2004, 09:56 AM
I hear you......I still have the old dial up internet access at home. It's ok for what I do, however, I have had so many problems with pop ups. I downloaded Google, which has helped block quite a few pop ups. It was at the point where, everytime I would try to access the internet, I would have about 7-10 pop ups invade my screen. I spent a lot of time closing them. I don't have as much important stuff on my computer, but I still don't want to lose any of it.

I also have Spybot which has helped clean up some of the junk I have, plus I have the Norton Anti-virus. So far I have been real fortunate not to get a virus. Can anyone tell me how to delete my temporary internet files?

I'm not very literate when it comes to solving computer problems. I either call ole' Patrick, or I call my sister, who is a computer whiz.

Joe Schmoe
08-25-2004, 01:52 PM
Well, this is brazenly partisan, but my solution is to not use the Windows OS, or anything that Microsoft makes.

Some software like accounting or business packages don't run on anything but Windows, but comparable or even superior software is available on other platforms. I prefer OS X its BSD UNIX based, the most secure OS ever devised.

I cruise fearlessly on the Web knowing that there are no trojans or virii waiting to bite my azz.

In general, I have a router with firewall, run a software firewall on my OS, never open attachments until it is confirmed who it is from & never use MS email software. Its just a vector for malicious code.

Mozilla has an excellent popup blocker with a fair amount of granularity. Besides, major security sources are telling people to stop using Internet Exploder, oops, I mean Explorer.

okcpulse
08-25-2004, 04:14 PM
Thank you, Joe. And I have a question. My PC is built specifically for motion picture and audio restoration projects. My current desktop is Windows XP. When it comes time to upgrade my OS, or even change it, what would be the best OS (not Mac) for what my PC is built for? I hear Linux is good, but it is more for servers and mainframes, as I am told. I prefer to stick with GUI. Any suggestions?

Joe Schmoe
08-25-2004, 10:18 PM
"My PC is built specifically for motion picture and audio restoration projects. My current desktop is Windows XP."

If your platform is built for specific range of projects, then your OS is going to be determined by the software you have or need. So I'm guessing that you are somewhat tied to Windows.

In that case, having seperate computers for work & web makes a lot of sense. You could set up an ethernet LAN to periodically connect your audio video computer to the web if you need to. So thats another good reason for a router. I have a small Cisco router that I got on ebay for like 40 bucks. I think I've seen the same thing at Office Depot for $65 -70. Has a hardware firewall & 4 ports.

Since you probably will need to stick to Windows, just segregate your machine from the inetrnet. It sounds like it is too mission critical to risk it, & it would be complex to reinstall & reconfigure everything should a virus get you. People forget that not every computer really needs to be on the net.

Patrick
08-26-2004, 12:30 AM
Well, I'm not too computer savvy, but I can say I've experienced similar problems with viruses and worms. I guess I finally got fed up with it when the Blaster worm hit my computer last summer. Unfortunately, I had been pretty lax in keeping up with my Windows XP updates, so I paid the price. Rebuilding the system was not a picnic....it took about 10 hours to completely clear the hard drive and put everything back on!
I currently just keep an eye on Windows XP updates. For viruses and worms, I do have Norton Firewall and Norton Antivirus. Only problem I have with that latter is that, while it deletes infected files from your computer, it doesn't alter the changes that were made to the system registry. It's a hassle having to do that manually, and sometimes that still doesn't fix the problem. In general I end up having to erase my hard drive at least once a year. I know, it's no fun!

OKC Pulse, since you have so much valuable info on your PC, getting a lap top for internet use sounds like a good solution. That prevents the whole problem on your PC.

And Joe Schmoe, we probably all need to take your advice and get a Mac. You probably don't want to encourage too many people to buy Macs though....if everyone gets one, then you'll start having the virus problems, as it will entice evil-minded programmers to generate Mac viruses!

okcpulse
08-26-2004, 01:39 PM
Thank you, Joe and Patrick, for your feedback and suggestions. And you are right, Joe. Not every computer needs to really be on the net. Like I said before, my PC runs perfectly smooth now that internet access has been cut off.

I also look forward to putting more power to my PC workstation to expand the capabilites of my digital editing studio, as CAD animation generally needs a high-speed CPU (I prefer AMD) and 2GB of RAM. Right now, I have 1GB of RAM and an AMD 1.8GHz processor on my workstation, which takes seven hours to render, compress, compile and burn a 1hr 45min feature length movie onto a DVD-R.

I also agree, Joe, that it is best to stick with Windows since changing desktops takes a lot of work and know-how. Even though I am working toward getting a Computer Science AA degree from OKCCC, it will still be time-consuming.

Joe Schmoe
08-26-2004, 05:41 PM
*He opens his mouth & drools, Homer Simpson like & says: "Ahhh... 2 gig of RAM...."

What kinds of audio/video projects are you doing?





(also, I'm not trying to change you ways, but,)
Check this out, the synergy of the software, hardware set up is sweet:

http://www.apple.com/pro/filmvideo/

okcpulse
08-28-2004, 01:15 AM
Thank you for the link, Joe. Someday, when I have the $$$$, I will purchase an extrememly high-caliber digital studio such as Final Cut Pro. At this point I am doing archiving projects of old family home videos. I completed and presented a video, with music soundtrack, for my brother and sister-in-laws for their wedding present. I also transferred a 14 year-old VHS recording to DVD.

As for audio, I soon hope to purchase a turn-table and mulit-band equalizer (some stuff I like to do the old-fashioned way) to preserve some of my favorite LP's onto compact disc. They say that LP sounds better than CD. Why? Because albums put on CD in the late 1980's were taken from the source tape, not LP.
This will be a direct transfer, with some filtering, of course, so why not have the best of both worlds with the awesome sound of LP and the eternal digital life of CD before these albums start to really warp!

Someday, I hope to take audio AND video to the next step with a motion picture project... all digitally!