In today’s world, you probably have at least one computer or mobile device that they use on a regular basis. After all, how are you reading this article right now? These devices may be used for purposes as simple as browsing the web and checking e-mail, but often times, you probably have higher expectations from your computing devices. In order to satisfy these needs, you probably have installed software on your device(s). These software programs can come from a variety of sources:
- Friend sends you a copy of a program
- Download from the Internet
- Purchased at the store
- Download from Apple AppStore (iPhone, iPod Touch)
Regardless of where you get your software from, it’s important for you to know exactly what programs are living on your computer or mobile device. Software that is on your computer — that you don’t know about — could be malicious, and may be gathering information about you that you don’t know about, or don’t want it to. The more programs you have installed on your computer, the more likely it is that a malicious program could slip in “under the radar.” By educating yourself about what’s installed, and controlling that list, you can help ensure your security in a heavily connected world! I’d encourage you to take a few minutes to clean out software from your computer or mobile device, today!
If you’re running Microsoft Windows, you can simply go to the Control Panel, and select Add/Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Uninstall a program (Windows Vista & 7). Go through the list of installed programs, and remove things that you don’t recognize, or don’t use on a regular basis. Here are some example of things you can probably safely remove:
- Internet “toolbars” that get installed for Internet Explorer or Firefox — these claim to be helpful, but generally only serve to worsen your computing experience
- Unwanted advertising programs
- Smiley face add-ons for instant messenger programs (editors note: these are almost always really BAD news!)
- Registry cleaners (there are only a select few legitimate tools like this)
- Software for your old printer or camera (eg. Nikon, Canon, Kodak)
- Anything that emphasizes being “FREE!” — If someone really has to push this, there’s probably a catch
Take a few minutes and clean out your computer today! It will help mitigate security issues, and just might help your computer run faster! If you’re not sure whether or not to remove something, hold off, and ask a tech-savvy friend for help.
Until next time …!
10 comments
Tweets that mention Security Through Minimalization | Info Carnivore -- Topsy.com says:
Sep 26, 2010
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by JC, Daniel Snyder. Daniel Snyder said: Security through minimilization, guest post @infocarnivore http://bit.ly/9pKV0z written by @pcgeek86 […]
Beth Thompson, Infaheat says:
Sep 26, 2010
I think I only have in my computer programs that I really need like FireFox, Thunderbird for e-mail, OpenOffice for business and office work and a few other important ones.
Daniel Snyder says:
Sep 26, 2010
Beth you are a rare exception I suspect. It’s amazing how many people have software installed that they never use or didn’t even know was there. Keeping things minimized is a smart thing to do, good on ya.
A.Tatum says:
Sep 28, 2010
Daniel your not kidding. I went home not long ago and my stepfather had so many programs on his machine it was running slower than molasses . He just installs anything in site. I fixed him up though.
Daniel Snyder says:
Sep 29, 2010
LOL. I have many relatives whose computers are exactly as described. The frustrating part is that they all want me to fix them, but they don’t have any interest in learning how to use it properly.
A.Tatum says:
Sep 28, 2010
You can put all of those on a thumb drive and leave the computer behind if you need to!
DO FOLLOW LUV says:
Sep 26, 2010
Security Through Minimalization…
Reasons to check your system for unwanted or potentially dangerous software. It’s likely you have installed software on your computer you don’t need… let’s take a look….
BloggersBase Internet says:
Sep 26, 2010
Security Through Minimalization…
In today’s world, you probably have at least one computer or mobile device that they use on a regular basis. After all, how are you reading this article right now? These devices may be used for……
Trevor Sullivan says:
Sep 27, 2010
Indeed, I concur that Beth is most likely an exception 🙂 Good job, Beth!
I will say though, that as an IT professional, I’ve seen quite a number of computers with TONS of unnecessary software installed on them. One time, I remember a situation where someone’s laptop (albeit old) took over 20 minutes to startup, before it became usable! I took that from 20 down to about 2, just by getting rid of extra stuff!
Forum Buddy says:
Nov 14, 2010
Thanks for the effort you took to expand upon this post so thoroughly.
We should join a discussion forums with a chat room, because we need information. The best benefits about using a forum or chat room is that you can talk about any problem you have and ask any questions you might have in your mind.