Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to some of the questions we have received...
Q. Do I need extra software to use in
conjunction with The Hacker's Nightmare?
The simple truth is this: If Windows came with all the software tools
and functionality needed to protect your system, there would be no need
for a book like "The Hacker's Nightmare".
But it doesn't. Far from it. So yes, you do need other software tools
to adequately secure a PC.
Since few computer users possess the expertise to separate the useful
offerings from the useless (of which there are many), I have gone to
a lot of trouble to recommend the best software tools for each job.
In doing so I have managed to include a lot of excellent but quite free
applications, and none of the others are bank-busters.
If I could substitute more free tools for those that currently must
be purchased, I would certainly do so, but definitely not until a free
alternative is truly worthy of recommendation. Were I to be less discerning,
the consequent loss of security and functionality is a compromise I'm
not prepared to make.
Q. I understand the need for a certain amount
of security, but The Hacker's Nightmare is too expensive for me.
The Hacker's Nightmare had its beginnings as a private resource
for my clients, and I never intended for it to become the security standard
for homes and small businesses. To anyone who thinks that I make a lot
of money out of the book I have only one thing to say: I WISH! The time
that goes into maintaining it is significant and is not something I
can farm out to someone else, and it is time I can't put into my other
income-producing endeavors.
Still, occasionally someone in a less than ideal financial situation
will claim that The Hacker's Nightmare is beyond their budget.
Unfortunately the scum of cyberspace don't care much about a potential
victim's personal circumstances. The Internet is an equal-opportunity
threat. As a great many people have found to their cost and regret,
the most expensive proposition is in NOT protecting yourself.
Just one "visit" from, or "action" by, any one
of thousands of online criminals, and your costs and loss will almost
certainly be many, many times the cost of The Hacker's Nightmare.
To hire any sort of a competent professional to rectify anything but
the most trivial problem will most certainly involve an expense much
greater than the cost of The Hacker's Nightmare.
Q. I've forgotten
how to get to the Private Member's web page.
Browse to http://HackersNightmare.com
and click on the Login button at the top-right of that web page.
Q. I've forgotten my Username and Password
for the Private Member's web page.
Your password is the Receipt Number you were issued with after your
purchase of The Hacker's Nightmare. You can retrieve your password
by going to the Login page (see previous question) and clicking on the
link that reads: Forgotten your password?
Q. When will my CD arrive?
CDs are posted air-mail from Brisbane, Australia. We try to post within
48 hours of receiving your registration. Please allow sufficient time
for International delivery. These days Customs and Security checks often
slow things down. Most times the CD is delivered within a week even
to International destinations, but there have been instances of even
longer delivery times. Happily, since the first edition of The Hacker’s
Nightmare in 2003, we have never had a report of a CD not being
delivered. While most will be delivered within a few days, please give
it a fortnight before contacting us.
Q. I haven't received my CD.
The first question to answer is: Did you register for the CD?
The CD is an optional extra and of course we need a physical address
to send it to, hence the registration. The registration web page was given
in the first eMail you received after making your purchase. Here it is
again: http://HackersNightmare.com/forms/viplist/
If you're sure you did register, please consider the answer to the previous
question.
Q. My PC is running slow and I think
it is in a real mess! Will The Hacker’s Nightmare show me
how to clean out my PC?
The bonus eBook Seven Steps to a Clean PC is dedicated to getting
you to the point of a clean start if you suspect existing problems.
Seven Steps to a Clean PC is on the CD, or you can download it
directly from the members web page.
Q. How many anti-spyware programs
are really needed?
We recommend two, but they must be the right software used in a specific
way for maximum effect and to prevent cross-interference
Q. Are the exact anti-spyware programs
you recommend in The Hacker’s Nightmare really necessary,
or can I use one of my own choosing?
You can of course make your own choices, but you do so at your own
risk. At the moment there are few, if any, suitable substitutes for
my recommendations. The book explains why.
Q. Is McAfee or Norton antivirus adequate
protection?
In our experience McAfee and Norton are experts at marketing.
We do not rely on or recommend either.
Q. Will The Hacker’s Nightmare
recommendations regarding anti-virus and anti-spyware block 100% of viruses
and spyware?
Unfortunately there is no way that anyone can guarantee to block 100%
of viruses and spyware. No application or service to date has been able
to achieve that. What you'll learn in The Hacker’s Nightmare
is how to use a combination of overlapping technologies and defense-in-depth
strategies to achieve the maximum protection possible.
Q. I'm not very technical. Will I be able
to understand the instructions in The Hacker’s Nightmare?
If there is any one thing that readers appreciate most about The
Hacker’s Nightmare it's that it is written in terms that pretty
much anyone can understand, yet at the same time it is extraordinarily
thorough in its coverage of threats and solutions. Further, it doesn't
just recommend solutions, but also attempts to imbue the reader with
a "defense mentality". Really effective computer security
relies as much on the human brain as on technology!
Q. If I order The Hacker’s Nightmare
will I receive a printed book?
The Hacker’s Nightmare is an eBook (electronic book) supplied
as an Adobe PDF file, which you can download and open with the free
Adobe
Reader. You can also have a CD containing the eBook and some of
the bonuses mailed to you at no cost.
Author Bill Hely regularly updates The Hacker’s Nightmare,
even adding new chapters when circumstances warrant. Keeping the work
current in this way would be impossible with a printed version, and
with security matters it is important to always have the latest information.
Owners of The Hacker’s Nightmare have lifetime access to a Private
Members web page, where they can download the latest version at any
time.
Many of our readers then print the eBook chapter by chapter, and that
is our recommendation.
Q. Why are there a number of blank pages
in some of your books?
Many people these days have printers with a duplex* capability. As
an alternative to a duplex printer, many others use an application like
ClickBook
to produce double sided printouts.
The blank pages are designed to ensure that a new Section (e.g. a new
chapter or change of topic) starts on the right-hand facing page, as
per general printing conventions. If the normal flow of text doesn't
have a new section starting on the right-hand page then a blank page
is automatically inserted to enable that.
High-end word processors usually offer this feature as an option you
can turn on or off. In Microsoft Word, for example, you would make each
chapter (or each change of topic) a new Section, and format so that
new Sections always start on a new page.
Then, when the final Word document is "printed" to the PDF
format for distribution, the word processor automatically inserts blank
pages where necessary to conform to the specified layout.
* A duplex printer is one which can print automatically to both sides
of a sheet without the user having to flip and reinsert the pages manually.
Q. I own a business and I want all
my employees to read The Hacker’s Nightmare. Can I get a discount
for a quantity purchases and get separate CDs for each?
Certainly. Quantity purchases are usually made by education, corporate,
government and public service organisations (e.g. police). Please contact
us to take advantage of this offer or for any special needs such
as custom labeling.
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Quantity
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Discount
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1 only
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0%
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2 - 5
|
15%
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6 - 10
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25%
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11 - 50
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40%
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51+
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50%
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Q. I'm having difficulty downloading
or opening the eBook.
The only absolute guarantee we can give you is that the files available
for download are 100% OK. They are downloaded by someone, somewhere
every day of the week - often many times. In addition, we download and
open them ourselves whenever a problem is reported, just to be extra
certain.
The Hacker's Nightmare eBook makes for quite a big file - close
to 8MB. While such file sizes are not uncommon these days (many are
much bigger) successful download does depend on a reliable Internet
connection of good quality.
Here are the most likely reasons for failure to receive or open the
eBook file:
- Poor connection to the Internet. Dial-up connections are particularly
susceptible to even the most minor quality issues - errors you would
never notice during a voice call - but even broadband can be substandard
at times and in some locations. Problems from this cause can manifest
in many ways, from failure of the download altogether to damaged ZIP
files that won't open without error. The noisiest phone lines are usually
found in rural areas. Generally speaking, the larger the file size the
greater the chance of transmission error.
Poor quality connections is one of the reasons we
decided to offer a CD option at no charge (see below)
- Some Internet service providers are not as friendly to downloads
(especially of large files) or attachments as they could be. AOL is
one example that we receive a lot of complaints about, but there are
others as well. In our experience complaints to such providers usually
result in little more than excuses or blame shifting.
Another reason we offer a free CD option. If the
"service" providers
won't accept the responsibility we shoulder it for them.
- Insufficient free space on your hard drive. This condition can cause
a lot of problems in all sorts of ways, often without the real reason
being obvious. You not only need space to "fit" a file, but
also sufficient space to process it. Be aware that you may not always
get an "insufficient space" message. In some instances your
only warning might be download or unzip failure, or some form of "weird"
behavior.
- Not using the latest version of WinZIP. Some earlier versions are
not 100% compatible with later incarnations. The latest version of WinZIP
can be obtained from http://www.WinZIP.com
- Not using the latest version of the Adobe Reader. The Hacker’s
Nightmare PDF file is always tested using the most recent release
of the Reader. The latest version can be obtained here: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
- Finally, your PC may already be infected with some form of damaging
malware, which could affect your ability to download, open or process
the eBook file. The bonus eBook Seven Steps to a Clean PC will
walk you through a cleansing process.
If you have suffered a download or ZIP failure you should do the following
before retrying:
- Remove all previous downloads (if any). Delete them completely.
- Empty your Recycle Bin.
- Empty your TEMP folder
- Close all programs and reboot the computer.
DON'T SKIP THE REBOOT! The presence of "stray rubbish"
hanging around in memory or temporary storage locations can cause odd
problems. A reboot clears that possibility.
IF ALL ELSE FAILS...
Register
for free membership of our VIP Notifications List, which also gets
a CD posted to you air-mail and free of charge. This sidesteps any download
issues.
If you still have concerns after carefully considering
all of the above,
please contact us
with full details.
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