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Let's
Get Back to Full Access
Your
membership in the Limited Access group is designed as a very temporary, stop-gap
measure to ensure that your computer will not infect other computers on the
netptc.net network or the Internet, while still allowing you all the Internet
access necessary to take care of the issue(s). The entire thrust of the Limited
Access program is to get you back on Full Access as fast as possible. While your
account is on Limited Access, you will not be able to send e-mail using a
regular desktop e-mail program. You may, however, use our Web Mail page
http://mail.netptc.net for sending e-mail. You can
follow our step-by-step plan to get you back to Full Access if you are
comfortable with the following computer related activities:
1.
Browsing to a site by clicking on a link.
2.
Downloading a program and installing it.
3.
Paying for a software product online (if necessary).
4.
Following post-installation directions.
If
you are uncomfortable with any task on the list above you might consider one of
two options, have a friend or relative that has computer savvy clean your
computer or take your computer to a reputable computer store and pay to have it
cleaned. Either way, Ponderosa Internet is not responsible for any loss of data
or revenue due to any process you go through to clean your computer. It is
important that you back up critical data prior to attempting to clean your
computer (keeping in mind that the virus/trojan/worm may be in the data you are
backing up so you would need to scan it thoroughly prior to restoring it to a
cleaned machine).
Steps
back to Full Access
Step
1. Install
an AntiVirus program. Update the virus signature file immediately
after installation (following the vendor’s instructions) and then immediately
scan your entire computer including memory. Minimal configuration suggested
would have the program automatically scan files ‘on access’, scan your
entire computer on a daily basis automatically and update its signature file(s)
at least on a daily basis automatically.
Step
2.
Install a FireWall program and update the program immediately after
installation. Minimal configuration suggested would have the program
automatically check for updates on at least a daily basis.
Step
3.
Download
and install all applicable Critical Updates from Microsoft, Apple or
your favorite Unix or Linux Support Site. If available on the vendor site (as it
is on Microsoft’s) you should probably set the Critical Updates to download
and install automatically as new critical updates become available. There is
some possibility that a particular critical update might affect the
functionality of some program you have installed on your computer so you’ll
have to weigh that possibility against the comfort level of having all critical
updates installed immediately when available.
Step
4. Contact Ponderosa Internet
AFTER you
have cleaned all computers that use your Internet connection. Please
e-mail aidstation@netptc.net and
explain what action you took to repair and secure your computer. Your computer
will be on monitored access for 2 weeks to ensure the repairs were successful.
During this 2 week period you will be able to do everything that you did before you were
placed on Limited Access except talk to mail servers (other than netptc.net) on the Internet directly.
If the malicious traffic ceases we’ll return you to Full Access automatically in
2 weeks. Please
note that you will have to wait until normal business hours for restoral. You might consider a free
password change to ensure that no one else (possibly with an infected machine)
can log on as you. This should only be necessary if you believe someone has
access to your username and password and is using your account without your
permission.
NOTE: Security software is widely available online, at software and computer
stores and from Ponderosa Internet. Third-party vendor software support is the
responsibility of the vendor and not Ponderosa Internet.
Please read the software license(s) carefully before downloading any software
online.
If you are interested in learning about Ponderosa Internet SecureIT Plus
security services which includes all of the requirements above at a very
reasonable price, please click this link:
SecureIT Plus
Thank
you for your patronage. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience
during this necessary process.
Ponderosa
Internet
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