How to be secure from the get-go?

[Lars Eighner]

I am buying a new computer which (only) comes with windows-xp.
I have a lot of computer experience, but only with secure
operating systems. I want to keep xp on a small partition in
order to look at web sites with its browser. But I want to be
certain it never attempts to fetch (and certainly never opens)
my e-mail and that it will never launch an insecure application
like MS Word from the browser.

I imagine it is going to try to call home as soon as it is
plugged in and will want me to give it my e-mail address.
Obviously it will have to have to have my internet access
password. What can I do to prevent it from doing insecure
things in that first session?

Will it run at all if I never let it on the internet, and
just use it to view files from floppies and CDs? Can I keep it
from accessing the internet without my explicit permission (i.e.
so it doesn't try to connect on boot)?

My friends' experiences with worms, viruses, etc. on MS products
have me terrified. I am used to being able to open my mail and
follow web links with impugnity. I am afraid I will forget that
I cannot do things like that on an insecure system.

 

[Kevin]

Windows XP has a built-in firewall. Make sure it is enabled before you
connect the machine to the internet. If you never set up your email
application, you will never receive email. Having the firewall on before
you connect to the internet will prevent anything from being able to enter
your system.

If you want to be able to browse the web and send and receive email then you
will have to take the steps necessary to protect your system. This means a
more comprehensive firewall, an anti-virus application and adware and
spyware scanners will need to be installed. All this can be managed for no
cost to you.

I use Zone Alarm, a very good firewall application which is available in a
free and a subscription version. The free version is very good and can be
found at www.zonelabs.com. I also use an anti-virus application called AVG
Anti-Virus Free Edition. Look at www.grisoft.com for it. Go to
http://www.spybot.info/en/index.html and you will find a great, free spyware
application. Then browse over to http://www.lavasoft.com/ for a very good
adware program. All this for free!

Remember to keep your machine updated by going to the Microsoft Windows
Update website to download and install all the critical updates and patches
for your system.

When you get your new computer you will activate Windows and, if you wish,
register Windows with Microsoft via your internet connection. This is the
only time you will need to have internet access, with the exception of the
critical updates, of course. The computer will work just fine without
connecting to the Internet. Computers worked just fine for decades without
the Internet, and they can work just fine now without it.

Don't be paranoid about connecting to the Internet. Be smart.