Degunking Your Email, SPAM, and Viruses 
Book Review

By Dale Farris, Vice President Golden Triangle PC Club November 2004 General Overview Author Jeff Duntemann's super new "Degunking Your Email, SPAM, and Viruses" is a very unique guide that will save you tons of time and a pile of cash by showing you how to keep your Windows PC running quickly and efficiently. Organized according to a special “cleaning ” process that will improve the performance of your computer, this book can be used by all computer users. Got Spam? Got viruses? Swimming in a big sea of email gunk? Then you need Jeff Duntemann's new book, "Degunking Your Email, Spam, and Viruses." This book will help you get quickly organized and help you save tons of time each week dealing with your email. Jeff's proven method for helping you get rid of spam will give you surprising results in no time at all. Authored by well-known security expert and technology pundit Jeff Duntemann, the book shows readers—at all levels of computer proficiency, from novice to expert—how to clean up and organize their email, safeguard their systems against security threats of all types, and reduce or eliminate spam. The book covers the latest email-based scams and schemes (such as phishing and “drive-by” installs), security technologies (such as virus and worm protection, firewalls, and removal of adware, and spyware), and common-sense organization techniques for everyone. Topics Covered Some of the topics covered in this important, highly-readable book include: Using the right email program for you Developing good email habits Cleaning and organizing your mailbase How to avoid becoming a spam magnet How to use spam filters Protecting yourself against viruses, Trojan horses, and worms Avoiding adware, spyware, pop-ups, and browser bugaboos Using firewalls and antivirus software How to recognize Internet hoaxes, Nigerian “419” scams, and phishing schemes Cleaning up after a malware attack Author Jeff Duntemann says: “If everyone just followed our simple 12-step program to organize and clean up their email, we’d all be more productive and we’d have much more free time. "Degunking Your Email, Spam, and Viruses "will help readers reduce their aggravation levels with email—which I think is at an all-time high. There’s simply no sense in wasting more time than you have to with spam, security threats, and a poorly-organized email system.” Keith Weiskamp, President and Publisher of Paraglyph, says: “Everyone we know has serious spam and security problems with their email and problems due to viruses and worms. Jeff’s approach in this book is right on target for everyone who needs help. We’re also already seeing strong interest in "Degunking Your Email, Spam, and Viruses" with book reviewers and all the major bookstores and online retailers, so we’re expecting this book to be widely reviewed and promoted. Just as "Degunking Windows" and "Degunking Your Mac" hit a chord with users, we expect Jeff’s book to become this year’s favorite Christmas gift!” Reviewers in national publications and readers worldwide have quickly embraced the concept of “degunking” their computers, which was introduced in the bestseller "Degunking Windows" in January 2004. The hallmarks of all Degunking books are: a 1-page “quick degunking” sheet a unique 12-step degunking program “spare moment” degunking ideas, and special degunking projects called “Gunkbusters’ Notebooks.” Just follow the book, chapter by chapter and you'll be amazed at how you can improve your PC. The book covers all the critical topics you need to know about cleaning up your email, SPAM, and viruses, all important topics of concern to all Windows computer owners. If the book were not already a super addition, the author provides up front his "quick degunking sheet," where he shares the entire degunking 12 steps, but also, for those with limited time, he describes the particular degunking steps to take based on only having a certain amount of time to devote this important process. These include steps for a 10-minute degunking, a 30-minute degunking, a 1-hour degunking, a 3-hour degunking, a half-day degunking, and even what he defines as "spare-moment" degunking. Then, he also add 20 useful degunking tasks, along with the page number to find the task. Importance To PC User Groups In many of our past Golden Triangle PC Club (GTPCC) programs, our members and guests have been treated to a variety of programs on various parts of this nifty book. As in most PC user groups across the country, the concern about cleaning up email, and ridding machines of SPAM and viruses always, always is a constant issue raised by those involved in the user groups. In our GTPCC, we have also addressed many of these key cleanup suggestions in our various Special Interest Group (SIG) sessions that give us an opportunity to spend a bit more time with more technical material. This means that author Jeff Duntemann's new 'Degunking Your Email, SPAM, and Viruses" not only will be a sure bet for any Windows machine owner, but it can also be considered an essential tool for all PC user groups to integrate into their user group services. "Degunking Your Email, SPAM, and Viruses" is also a sure bet for user groups to seriously consider purchasing to provide as door prizes in their programs. I also encourage user groups to consider buying multiple copies, as once members become aware of this book, I suspect the user group will start receiving additional requests for more copies. What is Degunking? "Degunking" is a powerful process of cleaning up Windows to speed it up, secure it from dangerous hackers, clean up e-mail, reduce spam, and make PCs work as they did the first day they were brought home or placed in the office. Degunking isn’t magic. It is a proven, 12-step program that all Windows users can follow to enhance PC performance and save lots of money and time. With the major problem of junk email (SPAM) and viruses now overwhelming computer owners, these "degunking" series of titles have become one of the most important contributions to the computer world in many years. Author Jeff Duntemann has provided an important new tool to help computer owners everywhere get control over their email system and protect their machine from viruses. Degunking the Smart Way "Degunking Your Email, SPAM, and Viruses" can help all PC users degunk their machines the smart way. Written by best-selling author and Windows expert Jeff Duntemann, "Degunking Your Email, SPAM, and Viruses" is an easy-to-read and concise guide showing Windows users step-by-step how to greatly improve their PCs’ performance. The best part about the book is that it is not just another book on how to clean up email and viruses. It shows readers how to actively take back their machine from Spammers and virus writers, how to reduce or eliminate spam, and how to handle a host of other problems that can really gunk up PCs. The book starts by introducing the important practice of Windows degunking, and then presents the highly effective degunking 12-step program. Readers who follow the program and perform the tasks will be amazed by the results. Focus of the Book The targeted audience in this extremely valuable book includes all serious Windows users who are tired of the common gunked up result that can happen in a Windows machine, and who are willing to take charge of their machine and take control over these gunking aspects. While most all extant PC technicians are likely already to be savvy to many of these super suggestions, I bet most all will also find some ideas in this book they have not yet heard of. Of course, anyone new to cleaning up a Windows machine will find most all these suggestions new to them. The author is also always careful to remind readers of the potential harm some of his suggestions and ideas might possibly cause, and always tells the reader to be sure they thoroughly understand the entire ramifications of all his suggestions, before they proceed to implement these ideas. Novices to cleaning a Windows machine are strongly encouraged to be sure and call for help from their handy PC technician, BEFORE they proceed to carry out any of these suggestions they may not feel comfortable with. All PC technicians are also strongly encouraged to get their own copy of this important book. While many of these ideas have of course showed up in other related titles, author Jeff Duntemann have succeeded in writing a title that is totally devoted to the concept of cleaning up email, ridding a machine from SPAM, and protecting against viruses, with a strong focus on just the tools and techniques that will help speed up the operation of a PC and clean up unnecessary "gunk." Table of Contents The book achieves it purpose by organizing the material into 16 chapters. These include: Introduction Chapter 1. Why Is Your Computer Suffering from Email and Virus Gunk? Chapter 2. Creating Your Email Degunking Strategy Chapter 3. Using the Right Email Client Chapter 4. Developing Good Email Habits Chapter 5. Read and Degunk Your Email from Anywhere Chapter 6. Cleaning and Organizing Your Mailbase Chapter 7. Avoid Becoming a Spam Magnet! Chapter 8. Understand the Spam Filtering Conundrum Chapter 9. Deep-Clean Your Spam Using Bayesian Spam Filtering Chapter 10. Avoid Spam Control Methods That Don’t Work Chapter 11. Protect Yourself Against Viruses, Trojans, and Worms Chapter 12. Defeat Those Viruses Chapter 13. Avoid Adware, Spyware, and Browser Bugaboos Chapter 14. Use Firewalls to Stop Those Worms Chapter 15. Degunk Nigerian Rhapsodies, Hoaxes, and Other Smelly Phish Chapter 16. Degunking After a Malware Attack Index Book Contents 360 pages; paperback; figures; screen shots; gunkbusters notebooks; tips and cautions; notes; index Author Jeff Duntemann About the Author Jeff Duntemann is an author, editor, programmer, lecturer, and technology columnist, with over a dozen books under his belt. His most recent book, "Jeff Duntemann ’s Drive-By Wi-Fi Guide," also published by Paraglyph Press, is a best-selling Wi-Fi guide for setting up wireless networks. Jeff is a well-known technical magazine editor, award-winning writer, and best-selling author of numerous computer books, including the now famous "Degunking Windows" title, and "Assembly Language Step-By-Step." Jeff is an expert on email and viruses and has written extensively about security issues. He is a well-known speaker on general technology issues, software development, and wireless computing, and he is a popular guest on both national and local radio stations. Jeff has been nominated for a Hugo award on several occasions for his popular science fiction short stories. ISBN October 2004 - First Edition 1-932111-93-X List Price $24.99 About Paraglyph Press Paraglyph Press was formed in 2002 by industry veterans Keith Weiskamp and Jeff Duntemann, the original founders of the Coriolis Group. Keith and Jeff are highly successful entrepreneurs and best-selling authors who built Coriolis into a $25+ million operation, and established leading product lines and brands, including Exam Cram and Exam Prep, Black Books and Little Black Books, and f/x and Design guides. Paraglyph's mission is to publish high-level technology books for general audiences and experienced technology users. The fall 2002 list included new titles focused on advanced programming, Mac OS X, and networking topics. In 2003, Paraglyph published a set of key titles for developers, network administrators, game developers, and Web designers. Two of their best selling titles included "Game Coding Complete" by Mike McShaffry and Jeff Duntemann's "Drive By Wi-Fi Guide." The Paraglyph publishing team includes Steven Sayre, another industry veteran with over 20 years in publishing, and Cynthia Caldwell, who brings over 10 years of experience in public relations, sales, and marketing. Sayre has worked for companies such as Coriolis, Hungry Minds, John Wiley & Sons, and International Thomson in their publishing and sales divisions. Caldwell has a background in worldwide sales and marketing with several companies, as well as retailing experience with Barnes & Noble. In early 2004, Paraglyph started a new partnership with O'Reilly and Associates. O'Reilly now sells and distributes Paraglyph titles to the trade in the U.S. and Canada. This new partnership will greatly allow Paraglyph to increase its distribution and sales by working with the top technical book publisher around the world. About O'Reilly Media O'Reilly Media is the premier information source for leading-edge computer technologies. The company's books, conferences, and web sites bring to light the knowledge of technology innovators. O'Reilly books, known for the animals on their covers, occupy a treasured place on the shelves of the developers building the next generation of software. O'Reilly conferences and summits bring alpha geeks and forward-thinking business leaders together to shape the revolutionary ideas that spark new industries. From the Internet to XML, open source, .NET, Java, and web services, O'Reilly puts technologies on the map. O'Reilly Media creates products that they want to use. Whatever form it takes--book, conference, online product--they want anything produced with the O'Reilly name to be useful, interesting, and truthful. And O'Reilly Media believes that there are plenty of intelligent, discriminating people in the world who value those qualities as deeply as they do. Publisher Contact Paraglyph publishes books for computer users and professionals on such topics as web design, game programming and development, and wireless and emerging technologies. Some of its best-selling titles are "Degunking Windows," "Game Coding Complete," "Jeff Duntemann’s Wi-Fi Guide, 2nd Edition," and "Looking Good in Print, 5th Edition." For more information about the company, visit its web site at www.paraglyphpress.com. Paraglyph Press 1238 East Cambridge Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85006 602-749-8787 FAX 602-971-0327 Distribution Information Paraglyph Press books are now sold and distributed by O'Reilly & Associates. Paraglyph Press is distributed by O’Reilly & Associates in the U.S. and Canada. For order information, please use the following contact information: O’Reilly & Associates 1005 Gravenstein Highway North Sebastopol, California 95472 800-294-4747 FAX 800-997-9901 order@oreilly.com www.oreilly.com