PC Magazine has reviewed eight of the leading security suites in a must read for anyone considering buying an all-in-one security solution. As a surprise to me, PC Mag rated Norton Internet Security 2007 ranked high on their list; I find that Norton accounts for many of my customers’ slow computers&mash;and misses many viruses that a light-weight anti-virus like AVG catches.

Not surprisingly, however, McAfee Total Protection ranked poorly. It’s all-but-the-kitchen-sink approach provides modules that, at best, are of dubious value and, at worst, don’t play well together or don’t work well at all.

The Editor’s Choice this time around is ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6.5, which seems to jibe with members’ reviews on PCMag.com. (Kaspersky Internet Security 6 was also a member favorite.)

My view? Security suites add complexity to your system and are the major cause of system slowdowns. As each vendor races to complete a checklist and add features to stay ahead of competitors, users are faced with buying new hardware to accommodate the software and spending more time configuring the suite. Users are often better off with light-weight (and free) alternatives that simply work.

Today yet another attack has been found against Microsoft Internet Explorer that turns unprotected computers into unwilling slaves of the attacker, hijacking them to become members of massive bot networks. No action is required on the user’s part is required, other than surfing to a malicious website.

The exploit is amplified because it’s a zero-day exploit—taking advantage of a flaw in Internet Explorer within a day of the flaw being discovered. The flaw is present in fully-patched computers running Windows XP SP2 and IE 6.0 and, as of yet, Microsoft has not issued a security update. (The next scheduled update is on October 10.) So what can you do?

Rather than suggest that you use another browser, this time I’ll point out that behavior is the first defense when it comes to computer and internet security. Reports are that this current flaw is being taken advantage of by various porn sites. Other vectors for similar exploits include illegally-downloaded music and software and attachments in e-mail messages.

In each instance, the user is involved in risky behavior that exposes their computer to the exploit. Putting aside the morality of viewing pornography and stealing music, the fact is that these behaviors heighten the risk that you will be exposed to virus and spyware infestation. Consequences of that behavior include the loss of data, identity theft, and more. Can you afford the cost of your behavior? (And parents should immediately talk to their children about this issue.)

Just say “no!”

Can’t find the photo you need for that marketing piece? Need more images than Microsoft Office provides for Word and Publisher? Look no further than iStockphoto.

I’ve used iStockphoto for graphic elements for websites (those icons at the top of the page are from iStockphoto) and for photos and clip art for flyers, postcards and other marketing materials for OfficeMedic. It’s all royalty-free, which means you don’t have to pay for each use of the content. You can choose from over 1 million images from their library and, if you are a designer yourself, you can add your work to the library and get paid when a member uses it.

Membership is free and comes with some cool benefits, like the Free Image of the Week Screensaver (iStockphoto offers several free images for download each week) and a widget to search for images without a browser. Plus, members have access to a wide range of design articles and forums covering photography, design and more.

iStockphoto is a great resource if you design your own materials for work or school, or even if you just want to dress up your personal website.

Disclaimer up front: I’m a Mac user. Have been for 18 years and I prefer to run the Mac OS. That said, my recommendation, for the home and casual user looking to buy a computer, to buy a Macintosh is based on what I see every day in the field, expunging viruses and spyware from my customers’ machines. This wouldn’t occur if they would use a more secure operating system, and in most cases there is no compelling reason to use a Windows machine.

A recent article at InfoWorld gives some hard facts about Windows’ vulnerabilities that left my blood cold. How is the average user to protect himself against the malware arrayed against him?

We’ve added several new products to our line of Guaranteed Compatible toners. Foremost, because of the number of our customers who have the Copystar CS-1620 copier, is the TK-413 toner, also for use in the CS-1635/1650/2020/2050.

In addition, we now carry:

• Kyocera Mita TK-411 Compatible Toner, for use in the KM-1620/1650/2020/2050
• Kyocera Mita TK-20H Compatible Toner, for use in the DP-1400/1800 and FS-1700/3700/6900
• Konica 7020 Compatible Toner, also for use in the 7025/7030
• Toshiba T-2320 Compatible Toner, for use in the eStudio 200L/230/280

We have been proud to carry this line of Guaranteed Compatible toners for the last fifteen years (since August 1991), because it has performed as well as the OEM’s (Original Equipment Manufacturer, e.g., Copystar) toner at a substantially lower price—usually 30-35% lower. Each toner is manufactured to meet the demands of the specific machine it will be used in and is guaranteed not to damage the machine. Using a compatible toner will not void your warranty.

If you own a copier (or printer or fax machine), we likely have a compatible product for it. Call us for a price quote!

No, it’s not me! Today’s the 25th birthday of the IBM PC. Although certainly not the first computer (or even the best), this day marked the first time a computer had been released using off-the-shelf parts from a variety of vendors.

I actually became a card-carrying computer geek three years earlier, when my Dad got me a TRS-80 Model I. (Not for Christmas or even my birthday, but during summer vacation. $600! What a great Dad!) Soon computers consumed my every waking moment, and eventually my hobby became my career.

What was your first computer? The comments are open to all.

For years I’ve considered AOL to be an over-priced service with limited features hampered by slow, bloated, buggy software. However, AOL has eliminated one of those objections.

As of August 3, AOL began offering its software, e-mail, and other services free of charge to broadband users. Dial-up customers will begin paying $10 a month, down from as much as $26 a month.

AOL will actually increase their revenues with this model, making up the difference in price with volume. No, wait: they will cut costs by no longer sending out three billion CDs every month and they have let go 6,000 customer service employees whose sole job was to not cancel your service when you asked them to. Okay, seriously: they’re making so much money on the advertising they flash at you in their software that they plan to expand their advertising.

For those of you determined to keep your AOL, this is a win in two ways. First, if you’re a broadband user, your monthly cost for Internet services may have been cut by as much as 70%. Second, if you’re a dial-up user, there’s no excuse for not moving to broadband. Rates for DSL are lower than dial-up used to be and, once you switch to broadband you’ll never look back.

Interestingly, AOL will also offer—for free—their new My eAddress service in September. My eAddress will allow any Internet user to claim a domain (e.g., mydomain.com) and have up to 100 “email identities” (e.g., you@mydomain.com) for sending and receiving mail. Presumably the advertising on the web interface will pay for the service.

My take? If you’re not an AOL customer, don’t start. If you’re on dial-up, move up to broadband. And if you’re on broadband, start considering a life outside of AOL—the grass really is greener on the other side.

Ouch! News like this has got to sting: eEye Digital Security has found a security vulnerability in consumer security products put out by McAfee, including McAfee Internet Security Suite 2006, McAfee VirusScan, and McAfee AntiSpyware.

As yet, McAfee has not patched the vulnerability, which would allow an attacker to run malicious code on your computer, effectively bypassing the protection the product provides. If you’re using a McAfee product, be sure that your subscription is active so that you will receive the latest updates to remove this threat.

This move also marks the time when we officially retire the Advanced Toner Service name. When Dad and I started selling remanfactured cartridges as Advanced Toner Service, we had no idea what products and services would follow. It didn’t take long, though, before we started providing more than toner cartridges. Customers began asking for toner for copiers and printers that didn’t use all-in-one cartridges; service and repair for those same machines; and support for their computers.

After a while it became clear that “Advanced Toner Service” didn’t convey our range of services, so, in March of 1997, we began using the name OfficeMedic. (That name came about because we were taking care of—being a doctor to—all of our customers’ office equipment.) However, since then we’ve kept the ATS name in our marketing, partially for sentimental reasons and also because some of our customers still recognize the name.

Well, since we’ve changed our letterhead, invoices, business cards and website, it just made sense to let the ATS name fall off of those. If you miss it, let us know!

If you haven’t already noticed, OfficeMedic has moved for first time since we opened our doors for business in March of 1988. The impetus for this change was that I (Don) moved recently as a result of getting married, and it’s easier to run the business from here than from Moreno Valley. (I don’t miss that Moreno Valley interchange!)

Please take the time to update your address books, etc., with our new address:

OfficeMedic
4665 Brentwood Ln
San Bernardino, CA 92407

Our phone number stays the same, since changing that would be foolhardy, and our fax number—which changed last year—also stays the same.

951.242.3798
951.369.3797 fax

Of, course, you can contact us through the website as well:

OfficeMedic.com

You’ll be receiving our updated business cards and machine stickers shortly. Use the machine stickers on your printers, copiers, fax machines, and computers; they’ll keep you from tearing apart your desk looking for the business cards when you need service, supplies, or support.

By the way, thanks for your support over the last 18 years!