Identify and zap rogue background processes

If you open up your Windows task manager and take a peek at the list of programs running in the background you might be surprised to see how much memory they're sucking up. Are they all absolutely necessary? Are they malevolent or benign? Often it's difficult to tell because Task Manager only displays their truncated file names. Rarely do malware authors label their wares, 'enormous memory-hogging computer destroying virus.exe', which if you ask me is rather cheeky of them.

One way to find out for sure what these processes are up to is to search for them in the Process Library database. The results will either put your mind at rest, or inform you of the level of threat the parasitic code poses if left to lurk on your system.

Anti-spyware tools should eliminate such gremlins, but since no single scanner is capable of detecting them all, I'd strongly advise you to run any remaining suspect processes through the above search engine to keep your system healthy.

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Whah ah lurrrve mah Mah-ac

When I tell people I've detracted to the light side of computing (aka buying an Apple Mac) people tend to react in the same way. They squint at me in bemused wonderment as though I'd just suggested that volunteering to be chased down a narrow, cobbled street by a 3600 kg herd of raging, blood-thirsty bulls is an amusing way to while away a Saturday night. For Spanish readers: they think I've lost the plot, gone gaga, am a sandwich short of a picnic.

By listing below some of the main advantages Macs offer over PCs I aim to, in future, be able to more efficiently harangue them into accepting my point of view - the only sane perspective. It's not that I'm a Mac zealot; far from it. I just happen to know for certain that every single project Apple undertake represents the epitome of pioneering ingenuity, while Microsoft is a lame duck with absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Even Steve Jobs' jumpers are nicer than Bill Gates'. Look Bill, tell your gran you don't like her homespun knitwear and be done with it. See, I'm a reasonable chap. Who could argue otherwise?

So with a deep breath, I'll begin...

- While there are well over 97,000 known viruses, worms and trojans for the Windows platform, there are virtually none for OS X. Furthermore, the Mac OS is virtually a spyware-free zone. These are primarily Windows problems because its 'security' model leaves it wide open to attack.

One reason for this is that most Windows setups are configured by default to run in administrator mode, and this means that you are able to make high-level, system-wide changes (you can install applications for instance) without being asked to confirm your identity. Microsoft designed Windows this way so as not to inconvenience users by repeatedly asking them for their administrator password - they wanted people to be able to hit 'yes, yes, yes, yes' and get on with their work with minimal fuss.

This may save time, but it's a false economy. Because no safeguards are in place to protect your Windows system, maliciously coded web sites or inadvertently executed email attachments are able to install and run applications which can seriously foul up your computer. These could be trojans which aspire to turn your computer into a spam-generating zombie, back-door exploits, data-mangling viruses, key-logging software capable of transmitting your passwords to hackers behind your back or much less troublesome, but still infuriating, ad-ware and habit-monitoring spyware.
OS X, on the other hand, uses identity verification procedures as standard before granting the user 'root access', so even if an exploit found its way onto your Mac, it wouldn't be able to do much damage without cracking your password first.

I know what you're thinking - you've used Windows for years and your system has never been seriously compromised by any of the above. That may be true if you're a wary, clued-up technophile, but what about the computers of the novices you support? How often has a relative, friend, partner or colleague called upon you to fix their malware-infested computer because they've been running Windows without taking the necessary precautions? Every couple of weeks if my experiences are representative of the wider community. Some people never learn from their mistakes. You can spend hours getting their systems up and running again following a virus meltdown, and then go on to explain to them how to avoid falling victim to similar attacks in future, and your advice will be deflected like water off a ducks back. If they were using a Mac they could be, by and large, as foolhardy as they like and still remain safe - and you wouldn't have to give up your free time to bail them out.

Passwords aside, securing a Windows system requires a tonne of work, whereas OS X, which is based on the extremely robust UNIX-like Darwin core, is relatively secure out of the box.

- Low-end Macs such as the iBook and Mac Mini are virtually silent, making them perfect companions for serenity-seeking techies and anyone wanting to create an intrusion-free media centre. On a related note, they consume far less electricity than your average PC.

- All the best, can't-live-without-it software has already been ported to the Mac platform. Mac users benefit from an impressive array of exclusive software besides. If PC software X isn't available, it's because the Mac community have developed an equivalent which is as good if not better, so feel no compunction to badger the developers to support them.

Apple computers are supplied fully-equipped with an impressive array of top-notch software, so very often it's unnecessary to scour the plethora of third-party alternatives available from Mac software database stalwarts such as Mac Update or Version Tracker.

There's no denying that there is less software available for the Mac, but this isn't to say that Mac users are missing out in any way. Having one hundred extra mediocre Windows programs at your disposal to carry out the same task is neither here nor there. People will home in on the most exceptional software in each category and stick with it regardless of the platform they favour. For example, the VLC media player is available for Linux, Windows and OS X. Quality beats quantity every time.

- In OS X you are able to 'print' any document to a PDF file without the need for third-party applications or plugins. This is especially useful for distributing standardised documents that retain their formatting no matter which platform or application they are viewed with. Did you know that Word re-formats your documents from one computer to the next depending on the specifications of the printer you have installed? This can break your carefully constructed page boundaries, tables, diagrams and so on. Also, to be able to display non-standard fonts within a Word document on a client's/friend's computer you would first have to email the fonts to them and explain how to install them. With PDF files all fonts are embedded and transmitted by default.

OS X is replete with such examples. Windows freebies compensate for these deficiencies, but nothing beats having everything included in a ready-to-roll, single package.

- Mac users dote upon their computers much like they would with an adored family pet. This shared passion creates a cosy community cohesion last experienced between Amiga fanatics in the early '90s. Being part of the Cult of Mac is not simply a matter of using the same tool to accomplish one mundane task or another - Mac users feel an affinity towards the hardware because using it is a pleasure, rather than a daily, unavoidable chore. Faced with the prevaricating, intangible alternatives; Scientology, the Moonies and so on, what do you have to lose? ;)

- OS X allows you to install most programs by throwing a single file in the applications folder (or running it from a location of your choice). Uninstalling applications is just as simple - chuck the file in the bin and your system is as fresh and clean as it was before you installed it. Some applications require supporting preference files, but as they are stored in a single location and named appropriately, they are just as easy to remove.

- Hard drive defragmentation isn't necessary in OS X. Similarly, clean-up programs are superfluous seeing as the Mac OS does such a superb job of keeping everything neatly organised; hurling random - and often duplicate - DLLs all over the show when installing applications is unheard of. OS X is virtually self-maintaining.

- Mac software is less bug-prone as programmers are coding for a limited number of hardware configurations. Windows programmers are fighting an uphill battle by trying to take into account each and every motherboard, video/sound card, RAM, optical drive etc combination. Sometimes less is more. Even so, if you wish to swap the peripherals in your Mac tower, you are able to do so using generic PC hardware.

- The Mac OS and hardware is aesthetically stunning. While this shouldn't be a be-all and end-all factor, it's a welcome bonus, all else being equal. Some people are willing to pay through the nose (whatever that means) for a visually appealing car and few onlookers find that strange, yet they spend a tenth of the time using them as they do their computers. Why then is it considered unreasonable for Mac users to refuse to settle for an ugly, beige box?

- Granted, major game releases are ported to the Mac long after they appear on the PC, if at all. Personally, I couldn't care less - I'd rather read a book, watch a movie or surf the net than play some cookie-cutter FPS, RTS or sim knock-off.

- Yes, it's true; Macs are intentionally designed to ease the metamorphosis of technophobes into competent computer users in a matter of minutes, but that isn't to say they don't have much to offer geniuses like myself. :| I know my way around Windows thank you very much - I've used Microsoft operating systems since I was knee-high to a vertically challenged grasshopper. I know perfectly well how to troubleshoot its inherent flaws and incompatibilities, but if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not have to bother. Using OS X instead affords me this option. As cheesy as it sounds, Apple are right; it does 'just work'.

- Windows XP was spawned by melding together layer upon layer of jumbled legacy code, some of it dating back to ye olde DOS days. Consequently, it is a horrendously inefficient, bloated, insecure and unreliable, interbred monstrosity. When Apple began developing OS X they decided that merely slapping a plaster over the flawed OS 9 code and re-releasing it as an entirely new operating system was a dirty trick they weren't prepared to pull on their loyal followers. Instead, they had the foresight and resoluteness to set about re-writing it from the ground up. The result? OS X is the anti-thesis to all that is wrong with Windows.

- One charge commonly levelled at Apple is that their hardware is unjustly expensive. It's true that you pay a premium initially for high-end Macs, but this doesn't account for the total cost of ownership. When TCO is factored in, many people believe a totally different picture emerges. This, of course, remains a contentious issue. I'm still making my mind up too.

More clear-cut is the price distinction between low-end Macs such as the Mac Mini, and its PC counterpart, the Dell 2400. Comparing Apples and oranges only serves to obscure the matter.
I'm delighted with my Mac Mini and feel I got a very good deal, but even if I had paid more than I would for a PC, I'd consider it money well spent. If you get more (see my list above) you expect to have to pay more.

Even Bill Gates is a starry-eyed Mac disciple. That's a wrap then; Macs good, PCs bad. If you hurry you may be able to get to your local Apple retailer before they close up for the night. Meanwhile, I'm off to provoke an especially savage, and already seriously miffed bull into making a human kebab out of me.

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Rootkits; another day, another security threat

A rootkit is a piece of software used to gain privileged access to a system for the purpose of camouflaging malicious code such as viruses, Trojans and spyware, allowing them to wreak havoc upon the host system undetected.

Once a hacker gains a foothold in this way, it is perfectly feasible for them to steal your login details, log key strokes, monitor traffic, open the floodgates to further attack from internet miscreants and so on.

It's not my intention to alarm you, but this is ...erm, bad. Luckily it's also avoidable. Rootkits are specifically designed to operate without arousing the suspicion of your anti-virus and anti-Trojan scanner, which is why to you will require a special kind of detection tool to stop them in their tracks. F-Secure have developed such a tool - it's called BlackLight and the beta version is available to try free of charge until 1st July.

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Shocking news just in - programmers find a use for Internet Explorer!

Hate them or hate them, we all hate viruses. Regardless, far too many people throw caution to the wind, refusing to use a virus scanner on the basis that they are too resource intensive, or because they feel they are somehow immune to being caught out - "I'm a careful surfer", they'll tell you. Careful or not, viruses can come from all kinds of unexpected sources, not just the more murky areas of the web, which is why you shouldn't rely on other people to be vigilant for you.

If you're one of those people who avoids installing a dedicated anti-virus suite because you would rather keep your computer running at peak performance, an excellent compromise is to use an online anti-virus tool and conduct regular manual scans via your web browser. As these make use of ActiveX components, and Internet Explorer is the only browser that supports them, you are forced to use the spawn of Satan to keep your system free from the scourge of viruses. That grumble aside, online virus scanners are an ingenious innovation even if you only plan to use them as a 'catch-all' backup to your usual integrated scanner.

Some of the most adept online virus slayers include eTrust AV Web Scanner, Bit Defender Online Scanner System, RAV Anti-Virus Scan Online, Panda Active Scan and Symantec Security Check.

The first time you opt to have your system scanned you will be asked to install a plugin ...of sorts (don't go getting all technical on me you nitpickers :p); these will be in the region of 1.5mb per scanner. That task out of the way, scanning will commence - note that you don't have to remain connected to the internet in order to maintain the virus hunt, but you do need to be online to get the results. This I'm sure will be a relief for those of you who are subjected to regular hard cut-offs by your ISP.

Now you have no excuses not to take precautions, so get scanning now ...if not sooner!

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Silence (remix): first impressions of a switcher

As the long-suffering regular readers amongst you will be all too aware, I'm a smidgen preoccupied with computer generated noise, or rather the elimination of it. When you've tried all the tweaks, mods and specialist racket-hushing kit available and still aren't satisfied with the results, where is a neurotic silent PC enthusiast to turn? The fruity uncharted territory of Mactopia, that's where! You heard me correctly, I've made the switch - my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

My new G4 1Ghz iBook is absolutely silent, but for the subdued purr of the miniature hard drive. It does contain a single fan I'm led to believe though I've yet to hear it actually spinning, even after playing a DivX movie continuously for two hours! It's not that the thing is broken or stuck, the system simply doesn't seem to require active cooling - after extended use, the left palm wrest (presumably the area over which the hard drive lies) becomes only slightly warm to the touch. It looks like my days of ever-vigilant temperature monitoring are finally numbered. I think it would be safe to assume I'm just a wee bit smug about my defection to the light side of computing.

One motivation for switching you often hear bandied about in Mac circles is that Macs are so much easier to use than PCs (the distinction between PCs and Windows is rarely made since Microsoft's panoptic dominance leaves little scope for diversity). OS X may, at first, look like a dumbed-down operating system, yet appearances can be deceptive. OS X is designed to appeal to everyone - if you're daunted by the prospect of using a command shell, or manually editing configuration files, then don't - you won't be putting yourself at a disadvantage by navigating your way around the system using the charismatic Aqua GUI. Conversely, if you like to tinker and laboriously tweak every last detail of an operating system, you can really go to town learning all the intricacies and Unix-like commands of the Darwin core and XNU kernel.

Personally I think the same can be said of Windows XP - how anyone could be fearful of that idiot-proof Fisher Price interface is a complete mystery to me. It's not so much that OS X is easier to use, unless perhaps you're totally new to computers, it's just so much more refined and graceful. Take for instance OS X's effectuation of the anti-aliasing technique - it can be applied to text, widgets and window elements and is so much sleeker than Microsoft's implementation. One innovation I am particularly impressed with is the ability for applications to run within each other as services by default. For instance, my third party dictionary is able to latch onto Mozilla or Text Edit giving me the option to highlight any word and instantly obtain a definition of it.

The possibilities for automatic integration are endless. I'm discovering additional simple, but beautifully executed elements like this each day. Many programs don't require a proper installation routine - you extract the single program file from a zip-like archive and poke it with your cursor to make it leap into action. Other applications do come with installers, though unlike Windows installers, they don't indiscriminately scatter unhelpfully named dependent files throughout the system. Preference files tend to be labelled logically and are sensibly stored in one place so that later manual un-installation is as effortless as dragging a preference file and application folder (or single file) into the trashcan.

10 minutes after pressing the power button I had dialled into my ISP account, checked my email and opened up Safari (the OS X equivalent of Internet Explorer) ready to visit some of my favourite web sites. Whereas I would typically spend at least an hour tweaking a new Windows XP installation, removing superfluous junk and MS sponsored spam tools and securing it against viruses, trojans, worms and hackers, with OS X there was practically no prep work for me to do. Furthermore, OS X doesn't make use of a horrendously messy Windows-like registry system and this contributes to its exceptional talent for effective self maintenance. This facet of the system is emphasised by the distinct lack of available third party repair and clean-up tools. The piddling number on offer are largely redundant since the functions they perform can easily be replicated manually with minimal technical expertise.

OS X was recently bestowed the shared accolade of being the most secure server available. Similarly, using OS X as a personal operating system is a safe bet as its out-of-the-box security is top notch. While it would be silly to declare Macs immune to viruses and worms, the threat at present is less than negligible. This is partly because virus writers and hackers aren't prepared to expend time and effort exploiting such a niche system - they want to cause maximum havoc or harvest, for example, as many credit card details as possible so they target the most widely used operating system, Windows. Another factor is that OS X is more difficult to meddle with in the first place as it requires hackers and virus writers to get to grips with bespoke Apple coding techniques.

While the iBook copes admirably with everything I throw at it, it's certainly not as responsive as my old Windows-based system. Applications take a few extra seconds to pop-up and I'm seeing the busy cursor more often than I'd like. I'm told that this is due to the fact that the system is only shipped with 256 megabytes of RAM, and that to get the best from OS X you should ideally 'max out', or at least boost the memory capacity (you can install up to 1.25 gigabytes of RAM if you so wish). It's all very well to have this option assuming you've got money to burn, but you shouldn't have to upgrade a brand new computer right off the bat. I'm sure an extra 256 megabytes of RAM would put a spring in its step and it wouldn't have killed Apple to make this the base configuration.

A more fundamental gripe on first booting OS X was the terrible mouse cursor control. Moving it from one side of the screen to the other required me to push the mouse across the length of its pad, pick it up, move it back to the starting point and repeat the motion - it was so frustratingly sluggish it was disorientating. I immediately headed for the section of the preferences panel which allows you to customise the cursor speed and budged the slider along as far as it would go. This speeded it up somewhat, but nowhere near enough, plus there was no acceleration as can be found in Windows XP.

I was still missing the mark each time I tried to prod an icon, minimise, maximise or close a window - anyone watching me would have sworn I was blind drunk. Oddly there appears to be no readily available solution to this annoyance built into the operating system itself. Luckily, however, a third party utility by the name of USB Overdrive can be implemented to remedy the situation. Installing the drivers for your particular rodent can also help to speed up cursor movement, though most don't support acceleration. I'm not making a mountain out of a mole hill, honestly - you'd be amazed by how little you get done when you're not completely in control of your pointer (*ahem* damn, you've got to be so careful with these Freudian slips!).

As I already have a decent LCD monitor and five button optical mouse I decided to use it to convert the iBook into a desktop system (I completed the transformation by purchasing an official Apple Pro keyboard). The monitor's VGA cable connects to the included video adaptor and this subsequently plugs into the iBook itself, while the keyboard and mouse are connected via standard USB ports. The keyboard actually has two USB ports built-in so even with a USB mouse and keyboard attached, you retain two spare sockets to connect a digital camera, printer, portable hard drive or any other USB device you care to mention. When Apple claims, "it just works", they really mean it. OS X supports the Mac equivalent of 'plug and play' so it's not necessary to install device drivers in order to breathe life into your accessories.

Why buy a laptop in the first place if I planned to use it as a desktop? Well laptops are generally designed to operate more quietly, and this was, after all, my top priority. Full sized, quiet hard drives, despite manufacturer's claims to the contrary, require a case fan, or at least good airflow, to keep them cool (they employ suffocating ‘sandwiching' material to curb drive noise and this leads to an increase in temperature).

This isn't an issue for laptop hard drives as they are much slower and hence operate at far lower temperatures. Laptop components such as hard drives and CD/DVD writers do not guzzle power to the same extent as their full sized brethren, and this makes it possible to supply laptops with low wattage, passively cooled PSUs (AKA power bricks).

Somehow Apple have managed to design an extremely cool-running processor that runs fast enough to cope with the everyday demands of the average computer user. Accordingly it is viable for their engineers to reduce the speed the system fan spins at, or even halt it altogether to eliminate noise. This thermal regulation procedure is all taken care of automatically in alignment with Apple's carefully researched safe temperature limits. It may be possible to control the system fan using third party software as you would with Speedfan in a Windows environment; nevertheless, I fail to see how you could make the iBook any quieter by doing so.

As modifying Mac hardware to quell the din would be out of the question I decided to sacrifice speed in pursuit of silence by plumping for the silent-by-design iBook over a faster iMac or PowerMac. The lowest spec iMac is also designed to be quiet, but even so, I'm not disappointed with my purchase - the iBook is obviously portable, allowing me to move it into the lounge where I can connect it to a large, wide-screen TV and play movies via the s-video and audio out ports, or work on it anywhere in the house.

It is a myth that the Mac suffers from inferior software support. Nearly all the must-have Windows applications you can name are also available for the Mac. If you're clinically insane you can even pollute your new, pristine, Microsoft-free environment with spawn-of-Satan offerings such as Internet Explorer or MS Office. Why you'd want to when OS X comes complete with a superb alternative office suite and browser is another matter entirely, but the option is always there if you find yourself experiencing withdrawal symptoms. For a long time I have been a die-hard fan of the Firefox web browser and Thunderbird email client. Fortunately, both are available for the Mac (the Mac version of Firefox is known as Camino) so I won't be forced to trade in my Mozilla spin-offs slippers and toothbrush set.

VLC, my favourite multimedia player, also has a Mac counterpart so once again there's no need to compromise by using second-rate impostors. Any other software you might need can be quickly identified and downloaded through Mac Update or Version Tracker. Both are staggeringly exhaustive software repositories much like Download.com, only specifically for the Mac.

Everything considered, I'm a very happy bunny. The only thing which held me back from switching until now was the relatively high price of Apple hardware. In fact, when you compare the resale value of even prehistoric Apple kit with the rapid depreciation of PC hardware, it doesn't seem like such a colossal stretch after all, especially seeing as people tend to keep hold of their Macs for longer. I must confess that breaking away from Microsoft's stranglehold and becoming a member of a creative niche community is also a significant dynamic of Apple's magnetic charm.

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Online protection for the safe surfer

Hacking used to be a sport that required a lot of technical knowledge. With the influx of freely available, idiot-proof mischief-makers such as 'Back Orifice' and 'Net Bus' this is regrettably no longer the case. You could be under attack from a hacker each time you go on-line and you wouldn't even know about it. If a hacker gains access to your computer, he or she can do anything they want to it, including deleting your important documents, turning on your web cam and stealing your data.

One way you could expose yourself to such an attack would be to become infected with a Trojan; a tiny file with virus-like qualities that can be embedded into seemingly harmless executable files. Using Back Orifice a hacker could scan all the ports of the computers currently online; if your computer contains a Trojan and is detected, a message is sent to the hacker containing your IP address. The hacker can then enter your computer through a security hole referred to as a 'back door' and wreak havoc.

In order to combat such attacks (and a myriad of other malevolent internet exploits) you will need to install what is known as a personal firewall. These reside in your system tray and inform you whenever a hacker attempts to scan your ports while preventing the 'phone-home message', necessary to gain access to your system, from being returned to the hacker.

As usual there are a plethora of software options all vying for your attention - some work better than others, and some firewalls are actually Trojan delivery systems posing as malicious traffic filters! If you want to cut through all the confusion and start protecting yourself immediately, you may like to give the free version of Zone Alarm a whirl. Online security really doesn't get any simpler than this.

Other commendable solutions include Outpost Firewall, eTrust Intrusion Detection, McAfee Personal Firewall and Norton Firewall.

If your computer is behaving irrationally (even more irrationally than usual I should say considering the fiasco that is Windows) it may be wise to check if your system has already been infected with a Trojan virus using Moosoft's 'The Cleaner'.

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