I think there is a lot you can do as a user in terms of avoiding many issues regarding unwanted emails and attachments etc.  But there is still a level of danger to a certain degree as well.  One very knowledgeable IT and Windows guy told me the moment you go on line with your Windows operating system it is being compromised.
 
I tend to agree.  Also if you are running a serious business and you are getting paid regularly  (to which people like Ben are not so always be wary of advice from non charging work people)  then there is no way if you are serious you have your main audio machine on line ever.   Every top studio and composer here in Melbourne works the same way too, funny about that.  Main machine is NOT on line, period!
 
The best approach is a second computer handling all the internet stuff.  My main audio machine can go on line via a slick USB modem that just plugs in but I only have to do that rarely for a just a handful of VST's or programs which really need to be online to update etc.  But for nearly everything else it is possible to download on another machine and check for viruses first before transferring over and updating/upgrading.
 
The advantages are great for the non internet machine.  Once a reasonable amount of Windows updating has taken place you can switch all that off and never be hassled with that again.  You can turn off tons of useless background processes that run on Windows.  (And things that are probably causing half or more of the problems that a lot of DAW people see)  It all adds up to a better audio working experience as far as I am concerned.
 
I know because I can work for hours, days weeks and never have an issue with the computer doing something other than what I am doing with it. ie it just does not suddenly stop me and say my version of QuickTime is about to be updated!  I decide on all that and when.
 
The trouble with the internet these days is for some reason everyone who makes software or anything for that matter feel they have the right to go into your computer and change stuff without your knowledge.  I say BS to that.  No they don't. And sometimes what seems like harmless intervention from the outside can cause major changes in your audio system and put you out of action for days while you sort it out.  The sort of thing that cannot happen when you are being paid well to do something quickly.  The two don't work well together.
 

Jeff Evans
I think there is a lot you can do as a user in terms of avoiding many issues regarding unwanted emails and attachments etc.  But there is still a level of danger to a certain degree as well.  One very knowledgeable IT and Windows guy told me the moment you go on line with your Windows operating system it is being compromised.
 
I tend to agree.  Also if you are running a serious business and you are getting paid regularly  (to which people like Ben are not so always be wary of advice from non charging work people)  then there is no way if you are serious you have your main audio machine on line ever.   Every top studio and composer here in Melbourne works the same way too, funny about that.  Main machine is NOT on line, period!
 
The best approach is a second computer handling all the internet stuff.  My main audio machine can go on line via a slick USB modem that just plugs in but I only have to do that rarely for a just a handful of VST's or programs which really need to be online to update etc.  But for nearly everything else it is possible to download on another machine and check for viruses first before transferring over and updating/upgrading.
 
The advantages are great for the non internet machine.  Once a reasonable amount of Windows updating has taken place you can switch all that off and never be hassled with that again.  You can turn off tons of useless background processes that run on Windows.  (And things that are probably causing half or more of the problems that a lot of DAW people see)  It all adds up to a better audio working experience as far as I am concerned.
 
I know because I can work for hours, days weeks and never have an issue with the computer doing something other than what I am doing with it. ie it just does not suddenly stop me and say my version of QuickTime is about to be updated!  I decide on all that and when.
 
The trouble with the internet these days is for some reason everyone who makes software or anything for that matter feel they have the right to go into your computer and change stuff without your knowledge.  I say BS to that.  No they don't. And sometimes what seems like harmless intervention from the outside can cause major changes in your audio system and put you out of action for days while you sort it out.  The sort of thing that cannot happen when you are being paid well to do something quickly.  The two don't work well together.
 

Ah but Jeff, I may not get paid but I have deadlines to meet, in regards to my work...work not submitted on time, no degree.  Actually just finished submission for Honours, 2 weeks in front.  So again, why so paranoid??
 
Ben 

John
LOL. I hope the answers posted here don't find there way back to CW. If they do a subscription model may follow. 

The Day Cakewalk does this is the day I stop upgrading.

BenMMusTech



Ah but Jeff, I may not get paid but I have deadlines to meet, in regards to my work...work not submitted on time, no degree.  Actually just finished submission for Honours, 2 weeks in front.  So again, why so paranoid??
 
Ben 

+1 Ben and I hope I was not devaluing the concept of getting project deadlines done for study too, of course.  Just as important I would say.  I am not paranoid about it just careful.  All I know is the way I have been treating this has resulted in years and years of totally trouble free operation from my computer system and that speaks for itself.

Jeff Evans

BenMMusTech



Ah but Jeff, I may not get paid but I have deadlines to meet, in regards to my work...work not submitted on time, no degree.  Actually just finished submission for Honours, 2 weeks in front.  So again, why so paranoid??
 
Ben 

+1 Ben and I hope I was not devaluing the concept of getting project deadlines done for study too, of course.  Just as important I would say.  I am not paranoid about it just careful.  All I know is the way I have been treating this has resulted in years and years of totally trouble free operation from my computer system and that speaks for itself.

Hi Jeff, probably me being paranoid...sitting around with too much time on their hands mea culpa.  My work is my work, and if it was any good I'm sure I would have been rich and famous by now.  So no you weren't devaluing my work with your comment.
 
Ben

My thinking and motives are a bit different than what people have discussed here. I have a laptop that I use to access the internet. I go everywhere with it. The computer I use to record my music is a desktop. I only access certain types of sites with the desktop machine. I use it to access sites like the cakewalk store or my bank account. Things of that nature. I update the machine with all the latest updates.
 
When I record music everything is streamed to an external hard drive so in the slim chance that I do get a virus or something happens to my computer, I don't lose my work. I also backup my projects to another external hard drive in the event that my other external hard drive crashes. I have backups for my backups and I don't use a cloud service for backing up my recording projects.
 
Now before record music I disconnect from the internet via device manager. I also take the time to turn off all the programs that run in the background that are not needed while I am recording music. This includes programs that start up when I turn on the computer. Programs like Microsoft security, virus software, Google chrome, Roxio CD burning software ect. are all turned off
 
Then I turn off services I don't need that run in the background. This is anything that is internet related and things like disk defragmenter. It is really disappointing to record music and have things like this go off in the background. Then I reboot my computer.
 
The main reason for going to all this trouble is because it frees up the processor and ram. This action provides me with more system resources to do the things I want to do. By taking the time to do this I can use more effects and I don't need to freeze tracks because my processor can now handle everything I throw at it. Projects that have 50 tracks or more respond better when all the system eating resources are turned off.
 
As far as viruses go I don't go to sites where I would get a virus. My other computer is used for my main internet surfing and things like skype.
 
Every year I will re-image the hard drive and restore everything. I usually do this before I upgrade to the next cakewalk product. The end result is my machine works great and my projects are protected. I get a better performance from my processor when I record, mix, and master my music. when I am done recording I turn everything back on again.
 
This system has worked very well for me and while some people may find it unorthodox it does work well for me. I do the same thing when I edit videos.
 
On another point if your recording computer is connected to the internet have some fun with it. I named my router YourDogPoopsInMyYard. All my neighbors know who I am. It comes up every time they search for a wireless connection. Recently I changed the name to NSAsurvellanceUnit. I figured that would keep the neighbors away. Of course, these routers are password protected.

And it's not about being paranoid, it's about optimizing for audio. 

I now use a separate PC (a small laptop) for non-music stuff.
 
I guess my main point is that I like MS Security Essentials for its low demand on the system.

bapu

wizard71
Had my DAW connected to the Internet since dial up. Never ever had a problem. Never understood why people think it's such an issue.

Fear. Plain and simple.
 
Oh yeah and the occasional horror story. 

You always say so much with so little, Ed. I wish I had your brevity expertise brother. :) I think at the end of the day, those who may not run a business or need their pc's for anything super important will be more lenient towards this stuff. Those of us who own a business where time is money and you can't afford an hour of down time due to some MS update throwing your system into a loop or some malware thing messing up your system, will always have a different opinion on stuff like this. A client doesn't want to hear "session is cancelled tonight because I have this that and this to take care of".
 
At the end of the day, three things have given me computer problems.
 
1. MS updates not updating correctly
2. Me messing with stuff I shouldn't mess with
3. Updating drivers or system files that had nothing wrong with them for the sake of "being current". Sometimes you need that, other times you don't and it can be more trouble than it's worth.
 
My pc is my tape machine. The tape machine works as is with defrag and scan disc as the only maintenance it ever sees. It doesn't even need virus protection or spyware. Two less things to worry about that slow a system down. I turn it on, it boots, it runs without error or issue with only 39 running processes that I've chosen to run.
 
No one is telling anyone how to treat their own personal situation. Everyone should do what works for them and do what they feel is best. Rest assured, a dedicated recording pc that never sees the net with limited driver/system updates (unless needed) has a better chance of survival over one that is on the net and updated all the time. It's a catch 22 as anything can happen. While off the net, that anything percentage slims down drastically. I need to record and never be down. When all is said and done, I'm in the recording business not the computer repair business. Every second I spend fixing something that went wrong is one that disrupts my business. So you can see why someone like me might feel very different than others.
 
-Danny

johnnyV
And it's not about being paranoid, it's about optimizing for audio. 

I totally agree Johnny, That is exactly the reason why I don't connect to the internet when I am working with Sonar. The less system resources that are used for those things like internet and other applications the more effects and tracks I can use. I don't have an i7 so for me it is about performance more than it is about fear of viruses.