Top Antivirus Software Reviews

Posted by in Spyware and Viruses on August 8, 2011

By Sam Tinky

Whenever you get a virus on your computer it seems to come at the worst possible time. Of course I’m not sure there is ever a great time to have a computer problem but no one is happy when it happens to him or her. Here is some information about finding the best antivirus software available on the Internet.

The first thing you need to try to figure out is what type of software you need. There are many different types of computer viruses. You may need a spam blocker, firewall program, registry cleaner, software uninstaller, rogue remover or a full suite of antivirus software. The problem is if you do a search in one of the major search engines there are thousands of web sites offering different types of protection. So how do you choose the best solution for you?

Because it is always harder to fix a problem after you already have it than it is to avoid it in the first place, I suggest finding a comprehensive antivirus software solution. Most of the main ones come with an entire host of options and include things you need to avoid registry problems, hackers and Trojan viruses. You need to also find out if updates will be available as new problems are created. There are new bugs invented every day that your computer is exposed to on the Internet. You need to make sure that your provider keeps up with the latest problems and offers a patch or quick fix when you need it.

The next thing I always look for is if they offer a guarantee and / or a money back option if I have problems with the program. Believe it or not I have had a couple of these programs that slowed my computer down worse than the virus I wanted to get rid of. So don’t get stuck with a program that you are not happy with.

Of course many people never even think about running this type of software until they already have a problem. Depending on how bad the problem is, you may not even be able to access the Internet to find a solution. If you ever find yourself in this situation try going into your system reset or system backup area on reset your computer to on of your past check points. If you are using a Windows based system then you need to go to the system recovery option under start and all programs. Sometimes this will fix your computer completely. Even if it doesn’t, it may make it so you can access the Internet and find a solution.

The last thing I recommend is reading some reviews of the software before you buy it. There are many web sites that offer reviews of these types of products. You can also ask your friends and family if they can recommend anything. It seems that almost everyone has had some sort of computer problem in the past so you may very well find someone who can tell you what has and hasn’t worked for them.

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A Few Tips On Removing Malware

Posted by in Spyware and Viruses, Tips on August 8, 2011

By Alton Johnson

First of all, it appears that a lot of people have questions regarding malware on their computer. Most of them are unaware of the risks they’re exposed to, nor do they realize how there are free tools out there that will take care of these problems for you in most cases. I’m currently a PC technician and have been servicing PCs for a few years. Majority of my calls are based upon virus removals. I can’t stress how many times I’ve gotten a PC and simply ran a malware scan with one of the free tools out there and got rid of this computer. I believe if I was able to broadcast my information across the world, I’d become rich off this simple task.

The first thing you should do when you realize you have malware is to download a malware scanner immediately. The one I prefer and use the most is Microsoft Security Essentials. I use this malware scanner because it detects many things that other malware scanners do not detect. Some PC technicians have their own preference and would prefer something different I’m sure, however, that’s just me. I’ve always had success using this software. MSE is pretty simple and very user friendly for anyone who’s struggling on trying to remove a virus. If you’re dedicated enough to find out how to remove infections on your own, you’ll be pretty successful. I say that because a lot of people figure that computers are too complicating and they’d much rather pay $200 for a virus removal at an expensive company who use nothing but free tools.

All it takes is downloading one file and going on for weeks without realizing you’re infected, and your life could turn upside down. There are cases where people accidentally download a keylogger without the user’s knowledge, and the keylogger records all of the strokes that the user types on their keyboard. All of this data is then sent back to the hacker and the hacker can do whatever he wants with it. For example, I actually have a friend who posted a keylogger on a forum and many people downloaded it. Majority of them either did not have a malware scanner or had their scanners turned off. This resulted in many infections being spread around the forum. Within a few days, he was checking logs on a remote server and determining that many infected people were using paypal, facebook, twitter, gmail, and personal banking accounts. They were all typing in their credentials as if there’s nothing to worry about, not even realizing that they’re infected. This could lead to a total disaster and nightmare.

Usually, I would recommend someone run a malware scan at least weekly at the max. I really don’t feel as though a regular user is safe if they go over a week without running scans. I say that because majority of the people who aren’t tech savvy usually go to all these different websites assuming they’re safe. They end up downloading a fake trojan and it leads them into buying software that really don’t exist. I’ve had some customers who constantly did the same thing over and over and over to get the infection, not realizing that they were being mislead by a fake virus scanner.

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