Upgrading to XP Home - How to Prevent Virus Prior to Patch

  • Thread starter Thread starter SKlep
  • Start date Start date
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SKlep

Upgraded friend's machine from ME to XP home edition.
Immediately after activation, before patches could be
downloaded, his machine was hit with blaster because we
didn't turn on firewall in XP (don't remember if we were
prompted or not). What is the right sequence to follow
when upgrading to make sure someone is protected? Unplug
from the internet during install? Won't that mess up
activation plus updates need to be downloaded? I read
the install tips on ms.com and this doesn't seem to be
listed anywhere.
 
I would recommend the following:

If you have a broadband connection to the internet (LAN, Cable Modem, DSL),
unplug your computer's connection to that resource. You can plug it back in
after the upgrade.

Upgrade to XP. There's a Dynamic Update section of Setup that will fail
because there's no internet access, but I'm not sure it really matters
anyway. If you'd prefer, you can wait to unplug your computer from the
internet until after this step has been completed.

Once XP has been installed, turn on the Internet Connection Firewall for
your network connection. You'll be able to do this even in the cable is
unplugged from your computer. Once the firewall has been turned on, you can
plug your internet connection back in to the computer.

Activate Windows as necessary, and go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
to download the necessary updates. You'll want to make sure that you have
*all* critical updates installed, at very least. You may need to reboot
your computer a few times to get all the updates installed, but make sure
that the fix for the vulnerability that Blaster targets is in the first
group you install. That patch is called MS03-039 (KB824146).

Once this has been completed, it's up to you on whether or not you want to
turn off the firewall. If all the updates have been installed, you're no
longer vulnerable to Blaster, but I would still recommend that you use the
firewall anyway. Firewalls can help protect your computer for all kinds of
nasty things - they're just a nice thing to have. You may also want to
check out http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect. There are tips on that
site that will help you protect your computer.

Good luck!

--
Mike Kolitz MCSE 2000
MS-MVP - Windows Setup and Deployment
Remember to check Windows Update often,
and apply the patches marked as Critical!
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect
 
Thats correct,actually unplug everything from the computer but neede
devices (mouse keyboard),once xp is installed,you can plug in th
connection then register,but really before anything else gets installe
you should turn on firewall,then set-up and run anti-virus.XP gets 3
days to register,dont worry you'll be reminded frequently.
 
Hello SKlep and whoever else reads this;
In my opinion, this should go out in printed form with all new computers.
It should also be bundled with any Windows XP software.

Internet Storm Center: "If you know of someone who is about to receive
a new computer, or if you have received one yourself, please, please read
our new Windows XP survival guide, 'Windows XP: Surviving the First Day. (PDF)'"

http://isc.sans.org/presentations/xpsurvivalguide.pdf
 
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