August 2013 LCCU Meeting

1. August 2013 LCCU Meeting • How can we browse the internet more privately and avoid being tracked by ads, or avoid seeing ads altogether? Judy Grindle will demonstrate. • We’ll answers members’ other questions: • What software is recommended to encrypt financial and other sensitive files? • Is the 32-bit or 64-bit status of a computer based on hardware or software?

2. August 2013 LCCU MeetingInternet Browsing Privacy • Private Browsing • prevents storing data about a browsing session on your computer. • IE – select Tools, Safety, InPrivate Browsing. • Firefox - select New Private Window. • Tracking Protection • Blocks tracking, but not the ads themselves. • Tracking Protection Lists for IE 9 & 10, highest rated lists are Abine, EasyPrivacy, but TRUSTe is not recommended. • DoNotTrackMe or Ghostery for IE, Firefox, Chrome & Safari. • Ad Blocking • AdBlock Plus for Firefox, Chrome, Opera, (IE is in beta test).

3. August 2013 LCCU MeetingInternet Browsing Privacy • Tracking Protection • Tracking Protection Lists for IE 9 &10 • Select Tools, Manage Add-ons, Tracking Protection and “Get a Tracking Protection List online…” • entries are Allow or Block, and an Allow trumps a Block on another list • Select list & click “More information” to read block & allow rules. • DoNotTrackMe add-on for IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari • by default blocks trackers including social networks, shows count in toolbar button, can select Allow. It usually speeds up page loading. • Ghostery add-on for IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera • by default detects trackers, and you choose whether to block them.

4. August 2013 LCCU MeetingInternet Browsing Privacy • Ad Blocking • AdBlock Plus Add-on for Firefox, Chrome, Opera • Download from browser’s add-on manager. • In Firefox, go to Add-ons, Get Add-ons tab, scroll down & select “Browse all add-ons” at bottom right. Select the Privacy and Security tab and “Adblock Plus”, the first entry under Most Popular. • The Adblock icon lets you disable Adblock for a given page or domain. • AdBlock Plus for IE is in beta test mode, keep checking. • Simple AdBlock works with IE 7 - 10, but costs $19.95.

5. August 2013 LCCU MeetingInternet Browsing Privacy • Tracking Protection – Sites for testing • PC World – “Tools for the Paranoid” – 11 companies & 4 social networks tracking me. • Weather Underground – 10 companies & 2 social networks tracking me. • Facebook, GMail – 0 tracking, but tracks you at other sites, across the web. • Ad Blocking – Sites for testing • Yahoo News – ads are interspersed with news items • Lake County News - right column is ad-filled

6. August 2013 LCCU MeetingInternet Browsing Privacy • IE 10 – other privacy settings • Suggested sites – addresses entered are sent to Microsoft, to disable, select Tools, Internet Options, Advanced tab, under “Browsing” uncheck “Enable Suggested Sites” • SmartScreen filter – addresses sent to Microsoft; to turn off, select Tools, Safety, “Turn off SmartScreen filter:, but you won’t be warned about unsafe sites. • Search Suggestions – addresses sent to search provider; to turn off, type something into your address bar and select “Turn off suggestions”. • Cookies – Tools, Internet Options, Privacy tab, find a setting that doesn’t interfere with what you do.

7. August 2013 LCCU MeetingInternet Browsing Privacy • References • Tracking Protection: The State of 'Do Not Track' in Current Browsers 3/2012, PC Magazine • Privacy protection and IE9: who can you trust? 2/2011 by Ed Bott for zdnet.com • How to Optimize Internet Explorer 9 for Maximum Privacy from howtogeek.com • How to Block Advertisements in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Opera

8. August 2013 LCCU MeetingEncrypt Sensitive Files • Encrypt files/folders directly: • Sophos Free Encryption – derivative of a commercial program. • AxCrypt – most popular open source utility, easy to use, but do deselect 3rd party software offers when downloading. • Virtual-drive encryption utilities: • TrueCrypt – open source, widely used and reliable, but use is more complicated. Best at removing all traces of plainview files. Stores encrypted files in virtual disks which are mounted to access them. • Utilities that “hide” your files: • My Lockbox – Jim Erdahl uses it; Linux can view files (?). • Free Hide Folder – Judy tried it, does not recommend.

9. August 2013 LCCU MeetingEncrypt Sensitive Files • AxCrypt right-click options in Windows Explorer: • Encrypt – can remember passphrase during session • Encrypt a Copy – before sending or uploading • Encrypt a copy to .exe – file is self-extracting • Decrypt • Rename – after encrypting, decrypts to original filename. • Clear passphrase memory • Make Keyfile for thumb drive, etc. • Shred and delete

10. August 2013 LCCU MeetingEncrypt Sensitive Files • References • Best Free File Encryption Utility & Best Free Encrypted Virtual Drive Utilityfrom techsupportalert.com • Need to Encrypt Your Files? Let Axcrypt or Truecrypt do the job for you. from dottech.com

11. August 2013 LCCU Meeting32-bit vs. 64-bit • From Wikipedia: In computer architecture, 64-bit computing is the use of processors that have datapath widths, integer size, and memory addresses of 64 bits (eight octets) wide. • From Microsoft: A 64-bit PC can use 4GB of memory and up.

12. August 2013 LCCU Meeting32-bit vs. 64-bit

13. August 2013 LCCU MeetingRestoring Files from a System Image • Windows System Image must have been run before losing the file. Not available in XP or Vista Home. • See “How to Recover Specific Files from a Windows System Image” • Click Start, right-click Computer, click manage, click Disk Management on left. • Click Action, Attach VHD. Browse to the .vhd file in the backup folder named SystemImageBackup, subfolder with your username. If there are two .vhd files, it’s the larger one. A new drive should show up using the next available letter. • Autoplay will show up. Browse and copy needed files. • When done, go back to Disk Management, right-click drive for vhd and click “detach”.