battyone
map-marker Randallstown, Maryland

Various Inc - Stop buying into scams!

It is easy to keep your computer free of spyware and viri, and it is equally easy to clean it out and best of all it is totally 100% free! All it requires are a few brain cells, some time, and a few good tools to both defend your computer and respond to attacks as they happen. The following article assumes you are running Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, 2003, or Vista. Most of this applies to 95, 98, and ME as well. Linux users should not need my help, Mac users are beyond help. (You are paying $1000 extra for the right to use OSX, a stipped down and rebuilt BSD...) The very first thing I am going to reccomend is that you STOP using Internet Explorer. IE is notoriously prone to security flaws, and is also tied so closely to the Windows operating system that any security breach can compromise your entire system. I personally use Mozilla Firefox, others use Opera, some use other browsers. Personally try em all and see what you like, but for me Firefox just has a good blend of reliability and stability along with expandability. There are very few things that exist online that can not be done in Firefox. Secondly, get anti-virus software. I personally hate Norton, having seen their software bring computers to a screeching halt. Norton AV uses massive amounts of system resources (CPU time, RAM, etc) and is near-impossible to fully remove. If you do not have anti-virus software, try AVG Free Edition or Avast!. Both work well, and offer basic protection. If you need things like custom scheduled scans, or if you are in a commercial enviroment then consider purchasing a license. Home users should be fine with free edition and its daily scans. It auto-updates and stays resident and actively protects from infection. Next, get anti-spyware software. i use Lavasoft's AdAware Free Edition (see the pattern yet?). It has always worked fairly well for me, but it does not actively protect from infection. You need the Pro edition for that, but I run weekly scans either way, and have had good luck removing spyware with it. If you are already infected you may want HijackThis! as well, but it is a double-edged sword. It is extremely powerful and you can very easily damage your computer misusing it, so only use it with the assistance of a computer pro. Check their forums, there are almost always people there to help. To avoid infection, stop going to cheesy *** sites, stop downloading mp3s/etc from web sites. Do not download "Too good to be true" videos, software etc. Avoid piracy, and if you must pirate use BitTorrent and a reliable tracker. Verify your downloads as best you can (Google a release name, look for comments, etc). I do not advocate piracy, but if you are gonna do it do it safely! Oh and avoid limewire like the plague. I can't see why people love that software, but I can see why malware authors do. As always your mileage may vary, but these tips (and many other I have picked up in my 6 years of computer repair and IT consulting) will help keep you safe and sound. Good luck, and happy computing! -battyone
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