Customer Reviews

PC Fear Factor: The Ultimate PC Disaster Prevention Guide

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The author, Alan Luber, succeeds at a difficult task - writing a technical book for non-technical PC users. The challenge is two fold: keeping it easy to understand, and making it entertaining. Mr. Luber succeeds on both fronts. The net result is that you don't have to be a computer expert to protect yourself from computer disasters.

The book's objective is to help users prevent avoidable computer disasters and to recover "quickly, easily, and completely" from unavoidable disasters, thereby taking total control of their computing environment.

This book shows you how to protect yourself against every computer disaster imaginable, including viruses, hackers, mechanical failure, self-inflicted computer disasters cause by "ill advised" changes to your computing environment. The book also addresses the most frustrating type of disaster of all: disasters of "mysterious unknown origin." Having been in aggravating situations where my computer suddenly stopped working for no apparent reason, I am thankful that this book provides solutions for such disasters.

The book is geared for non-technical home, home office, and small office users of personal computers. It addresses all three currently supported consumer oriented versions of Windows: 98, Millennium, and XP. The author goes to great lengths to provide solutions for each flavor of Windows.

Mr. Luber's main premise is one that I can identify with: that personal computers are unstable equilibriums, naturally prone to "disruption and disaster." He makes a compelling case, explaining that our computing environments are growing increasingly complex with each passing year as use more applications - applications that often conflict with each other or hardware components, or worse, trash your system. (The author even provides examples of applications intended to solve problems that actually cause problems in some cases.)

In addition, the author argues, we place higher service demands on our computers and have more computers than ever before, effectively multiplying the chances of a computer disaster that results in the loss of irreplaceable data. Mr. Luber also notes that we store more valuable data on our computers than in the past, so that the impact of a computer disaster is far worse than it was a few short years ago. This is certainly true in my case, as I have several gigabytes worth of digital music, photographs, and other critical documents on my computer. I never realized how vulnerable I was or contemplated the thought of losing that data until I read this book.

The title of the book is somewhat misleading. This book isn't about creating fear - it's about creating awareness and providing solutions.

The author lays a foundation of knowledge and need in the opening chapters, explaining why it is crucial that users take control over their computing environments to prevent computer disasters. Mr. Luber explains technical concepts in clear understandable English and using non-technical analogies that are very helpful, such as comparing the physical and logical structures of your computer's hard disk to an office building.

The author explains what tools you will need to prevent and recover from computer disasters. He recommends specific products and provides detailed, step-by-step instructions that anybody of reasonable intelligence can follow. I already had two of the software applications recommended in PC Fear Factor, and the book does a better job of explaining how to use them than the vendors' own documentation! The author even explains deficiencies in the tools and advises the reader on how to work around them.

The book is extremely readable and well written, and is laced with unexpected, droll humor that enabled me to learn and laugh at the same time. The author weaves many pop culture references into the discussion, and the device makes for a very entertaining as well as informative book. More than once, I found myself laughing out loud at a hilarious comment inserted almost incongruously in the midst of a serious discussion about cyber-terrorism or disaster recovery. Part of the pleasure in reading this book is that these sudden injections of humor take you completely by surprise.

The book also includes many real-world examples of computer disasters, including one that befell ex-Beatle Paul McCartney.

The book includes two important chapters for those of us who are about to purchase a new computer. One chapter explains how to avoid a computer disaster before you purchase the computer, and another chapter explains how to minimize the chances of disasters during the life of your computer by following a structure and a process for putting your new computer into service.

The author also includes two chapters that help you prepare for unavoidable computer disasters, such as a hard disk crash, and one chapter to help you recover from such disasters.

Mr. Luber integrates the book with his web site, which is really helpful because the book contains dozens of important links to web sites. Rather than require readers to manually enter these links, the author provides a page on his web site where you can access all of the links, chapter by chapter, page by page. The links are also kept up to date as they change. The web site is well designed and as easy to use as the book. You can even contact the author through his web site. (I asked the author a question and received a personal reply!)

Mr. Luber also focuses on the administrative side of things - putting effective procedures into place that all members of your family should follow to minimize the chances of a computer disaster. He notes the importance of educating and training each family member, because it only takes one weak link to cause a computer disaster.

The think I like most about the book is that it covers each topic in depth. Many books gloss over topics at a high level. Not so here - all of the information you need for disaster prevention and recovery is right here in one comprehensive, readable, entertaining book.

One word of advice, though: don't look at the cover without sunglasses.

After reading this book, you most likely will have a healthy sense of paranoia regarding what you have to (or at least should) do with regards to averting any kind of "computer disaster." Even then, as I've found out two or three times over the last few months it still may not be enough as I personally have fallen victim to viruses and hard drive crashes. While I didn't take all the steps listed here at that time, the next time they happen I'll be much better prepared thanks to Mr. Luber.

Among the topics Luber talks about here are the "must" applications you should have including an anti-virus program (Luber recommends Norton Anti-Virus), a firewall (Zone Alarm is the one Luber recommends), and also some kind of data scrubber (a program designed to erase beyond recovery any old date), along with several other optional recommendations. I learned quite a lot reading this book about what I should and/or shouldn't do with regards to protecting my computer from another potential disaster. And Luber points out that a disaster is always not very far away with computer systems that have at best an "unstable equilibrium."

Luber also describes the steps to take when buying a new PC, two chapters are devoted to that. While I'm very happy with the system I have and the support I get from the merchants I bought it from, the tips Luber offers are quite helpful. Luber also describes how to do data backups, pointing out that if you have all your important files backed up, you can recover from a hard drive failure quickly.

Luber also points out not all "disasters" really are disasters if you know how to fix a problem quickly. Not only is the book helpful, Luber has a companion web site to go along with the book.

I found this to be an excellent and informative book about a topic that leaves most computer users like me fearful and ready to call my techie friend when I run into computer problems. Thanks Alan!

I have to agree with the first two reviewers here - this is an incredibly useful book, well written and full of detailed instructions for preventing computer disasters and recovering from unavoidable disasters.

Perhaps if you are a computer guru who delights in reformatting his hard disk and rebuilding it from scratch, you may not get a lot out of this book. For us mere mortals, who I suspect comprise 95% of the people who use computers, this book is a godsend.

I use computers every day, and although I am an expert in the applications that I use, I am not a computer expert. Mr. Luber's formula for defensive computing has enabled me to gain total control over my computing environment. Thanks to this book, I no longer have to worry about losing valuable data, or having my hard disk trashed by a computer virus or poorly written software application. I compute with impunity, secure in the knowledge that I can recover quickly and easily from any type of computer disaster.

If Mr. Luber is a bit paranoid, I say better to be too careful than too careless. If I had been as "paranoid" as I should, I could have prevented several disasters over the years.

Mr. Luber talks nerdy to me in language I can understand. He explains complex technical subjects better than any author I have read, and has a writing style that is as entertaining and interesting as it is informative.

Here are just a few of the dozens of useful things I have learned from this book:

1) If you restore your system from a hard disk backup, your computer is now more vulnerable to virus infections and hackers, because you are restoring your computer to the date in time the backup was taken. This means that your virus signatures and Microsoft security updates are out of date. Mr. Luber tells you how to fix the problem after restoring from a backup.

2) When you take your computer in for repair, you should backup all of your data, delete it from your computer (including your email messages and account information), and then use a disk scrubber to prevent somebody in the shop from recovering the deleted data. I never realized how easy it was for somebody to do this until I read this book. Mr. Luber provides detailed instructions on how to do this.

3) Don't use the power switch on your surge protector to turn off your equipment - the surge protector affords no protection if it is turned off.

4) Norton Antivirus automatically updates your virus definitions, but normally only does so once a week. If you really want to achieve maximum protection with Norton Antivirus, you need to run Norton's Intelligent Updater daily. Else, you may be exposed to some viruses for up to a week. Again, the author shows you how to do this.

My only criticism of the book is its title and cover. I think Defensive Computing would have been a far better title than PC Fear Factor. I suspect the author was trying to appeal to the television crowd. And the cover, while eyecatching, belies the serious and useful content, in my opinion. I probably would not have picked it up based on the title and cover. Fortunately, I heard about the book purely by chance when I heard the author on a local radio show.

This book is targeted at beginning to intermediate computer users. It teaches PC users who are not PC technicians how to perform a variety of critical PC disaster prevention and recovery tasks. I am not a PC expert, but I was able to follow the author's detailed, step-by-step instructions (accompanied by pictures) for performing some rather complex tasks. I don't have a PC professional at my beck and call to help me solve a computer problem or recover from a computer disaster, and I don't need one thanks to this book. The emphasis on disaster prevention is especially welcome. In retrospect, I can see that I could have avoided many of the PC disasters I have endured over the years had I followed the advice in PC Fear Factor. Well done and well written. It has me doing tasks that I would have thought well beyond my level of expertise.

Truly an outstanding book, PC Fear Factor teaches us mere mortals (non-technical computer users) all about how to prevent most computer disasters through the proper use of tools and procedures, as well as how to prepare for and recover from unavoidable computer disasters.

This book is informative, funny, and most of all, understandable. This is no small feat given the complexity of the subject matter.

Although the book is rated for the "beginner to intermediate" skill levels on the back cover, I believe that even computer experts will learn a great deal from this book, because it covers the topic of disaster prevention and recovery in more depth than anything I have ever read.

The author takes on Microsoft in several places for encroaching on the turf of other software vendors and failing to provide as adequate a solution. For example, the author explains why the Internet Connection Firewall, the free firewall included in Windows XP, is inferior to other free firewalls that are available to the user. In fact, the author even points to the user to a Microsoft web page where Microsoft admits that its product is inferior. The author describes how other vendors of software utilities (anti-virus software, firewalls, etc.) routinely encroach on each other's turf without providing a comprehensive solution. He persuasively argues that you need a suite of specialized tools to adequately protect yourself against computer disasters, rather than one all-purpose tool. He recommends specific tools, and shows you how to configure and use them (as well as how to purchase them at the cheapest price!).

But PC Fear Factor isn't just about tools. The author discusses procedures that you should implement to prevent computer disasters, including self-inflicted computer disasters. For example, he discusses how many computer disasters result from allowing somebody outside the family - a friend, relative, or house guest - to use your computer. He points out that these individuals typically don't follow safe computing practices and are likely to put your computer at risk by downloading something, installing something, or making some change to your computing environment.

The author's central theme - that personal computers are unstable equilibriums, really resonated with me. I have on several occasions experienced computer disasters caused by the most seemingly insignificant change to my computer. I only wish I had had a book like this a few years ago - it would have saved me untold grief by telling me how to prepare for and recover from such inevitable disasters.

Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, this 384 page book is the most important, useful computer book I have ever purchased. I have also found the author's companion web site to be a valuable source of disaster prevention and recovery information.

As a previous reviewer mentioned, I really love the emphasis this book provides on disaster prevention. It taught me what disaster prevention products (hardware and software) to purchase, and how to install and configure them for maximum protection against hackers, spyware, and viruses. I've learned so much from this book that I would have to write a much longer review to truly do it justice. Best of all, the author has a companion web site that provides additional valuable information, and the author is accessible through his web site. The author also writes a monthly column, Defensive Computing, in Smart Computing magazine that ads new insights to the subject of defensive computing, which, by the way would have been a better title for this book.

I read the book and found it interesting, although it is meant for a beginner who is just starting out in using computers, it was not the book for me.

Alan Luber's approach in teaching his readers about Security, Privacy and Backing up files is good information for everyone to use, however... He is completly paranoid in this book, convincing people to keep their security even tigher by wasting money and time on backing up information daily.
As for the harddisk crash, anyone who knows how to install and operating system from scratch can recover a clean installation in just an hour, and not weeks or never, or even paying an expert hundereds of dollars just to install an operating system.
He recommends people not to do things which you would tell a child not to do. I formated my harddrive several times in the last 7 years. I recover in an hour by installing a new operating system on an empty drive, and a few more hours restoring my backups, not a year, however, to take things to the extreme like luber. I've never had a disc crash in my life, and I've been using computers for 10 years.

An excellent book for someone who has never used a computer.
If your looking to get into IT, you won't have a chance with this book, even for a start. You'll only find road blocks to the possibilities.
As for the Lines of defenses, there are 3, not 2.
1st-Hardware Firewall
2nd-Software Firewall
3rd-Updated Anti-Virus Software.

As a novice in using Windows XP Professional the book entitled PC Fear Factor has explained in terms that a novice could understand. It is a prevention guide that you are unable to put down. Also, I have reread the book a number of times and found more information every time I read it. I have recommend the book to friends and employees since I will not lend out my copy. Alan Luber has done a great job and plaudits to him.

This book is very easily read and understood even for the first time computer owner as well as all old-timers. The suggestions of the writer make perfect sense and the products recommended are all excellent. If you are concerned about any type of computer disaster, this book will put your fears to rest. This book should be a MUST READ for all computer owners from the home PC to the corperate Computer Administrators.
This is the BEST information I have ever read on computers!

Apparently, a "reader" from Fort Lauderdale, Florida is yet another bitter and out-of-work IT person. This book was excellent and is a crucial reference for the average home pc user like myself. Thirteen 5-star reviews are RIGHT-ON!!!