Foolproof backups
Get extra security
MACRIUM REFLECT FREE: Take a failsafe backup
of yourentire hard drive for added peaceof mind
MALWAREBYTESANTI-MALWARE:add
anotherlayerof protectionto yourPC
ut the right backup plan
in place, and you need
never worry about
accidental data loss,
system crashes or
botched Windows
Updatesagain. Windows’ own File
Historyprovides limited protection
for key folders and files, but the only
foolproof backup is a drive image
- an exact copy of an entire hard
drive or partition.
The best tool for the job is Macrium
Reflect Free (www.macrium.com/
reflectfree.aspx). Select the drive(s) or
partition(s) to back up – choose Create
an image of the partition(s) required to
backup and restore Windows to protect
yoursystem– andthenonceyou’ve
chosen your backup destination,create
a schedule that mixes full and
differential backups (the Differential
Backup Set is a good templateif you’re
pushed for time). Make sureyouclick
Advanced Options to tick Verifyimage
under Auto Verify Image andyou’re
good to go.Good backup practice
We recommend (as with allbackups)
alternating your backup betweentwo
different destinations – saya USBdrive
attached to your PC and a networkdrive
set up in another room. Also be sure to
create the rescue media when prompted- in the event of a crash, booting from
this makes it easy to roll back to your
latestbackupandrestoreyourPC.
ALSOCONSIDER:Atleastonebackup
should be stored remotely, and the
cloud is the obvious destination. But
do you trust your cloud provider
with your data? Install Duplicati
(www.duplicati.com) and you can
create backups to store with any
cloud provider that come with an
extra layer of encryption to make
them practically impregnable, even if
your online account is compromised.hesedays,eventhe
built-inprotection
offeredbyWindows
isprettyrobust,but
youcanneverbetoo
safe.Whetheryourely
onWindowsSecurityorgoformore
fullyfeaturedprotectionfromthe
likesofBitdefender,Avast!orNorton,
youneedMalwarebytesAnti-Malware
(www.malwarebytes.com).Thefree
versionoftheprogramallowsyouto
periodicallyscanyourPCfornasty
intrudersmissedbyyourmain
package– MBAMexcelsindetecting
potentiallyunwantedprogramsthat
fallintothegreyareabetweensafe,
butannoyingandoutrightdangerous.
It’ssimpletoinstallandrun– just
getinthehabitoflaunchingit weekly
toscanforpotentialthreats.The
Premiumversion(£29.99a year)offers
realtimeprotectiontoblockthreats
beforethe etonto ourPC– oucan run this alongside your existing
security tool.Examine results closely
MBAM places suspicious items in
quarantine – you can review them after
a scan, or place them in quarantine and
review later via Detection History. You’ll
see many are listed as ‘PUP.Optional’
– click the name to view a description of
the threat online. You may even decide
Malwarebytes is being overzealous, and
you can restore them from here.ALSO CONSIDER: If you’re relying on
the built-in Windows Firewall for
protection, note it’s only configured to
monitor incoming traffic. Add protection
for outbound traffic too by installing
Windows Firewall Control (www.binisoft.
org/wfc.php). This allows you to monitor- and block if necessary – all attempts to
access the internet from programs and
processes installed on your PC.
P
T
Set up a schedule that mixes full and differential
backups for maximum protection.Windows 10
Free apps you can’t live without
April 2018 | |^15
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
is particularly adept at
keeping potentially unwanted
programs off your computer.“We recommend alternating your
backup between two destinations”