You are currently browsing the ACE Computer Services Blog weblog archives for September, 2008.
September 2, 2008 by AC.
I recently ran into a string of PC’s infected badly with ad/spy/virus activity. There were pop-ups and programs trying to run with many trying to get me to buy some antivirus software or computer cleaner software. Those programs are the end result of the initial infection - the creators of the virus get you to spend $50 or more to “clean” the system.It is all very confusing and annoying. It slows your PC down significantly. These ads and programs can be very misleading and the common home user falls for these gimmicks often.
There are some legitimate cleaning programs out there than can help. It is always important to keep a current, up-to-date antivirus program running. If adding a new antivirus program please make sure to uninstall any existing antivirus software first - never use more than one antivirus software at a time on a PC.
Sometimes your antivirus gets compromised or these problems get on to your PC by other means. When that occurs its best to use a specialty cleaner to remove anything that slipped through. Over the last few years many of these, most free, have emerged. Ad-Aware, SpyBot Search & Destroy and Windows Defender were chief among them. All are great but over time the bad guys adapt and get past these as well. My favorite program of the moment is Malwarebytes Antimalware. It works, plain and simple. In time the bad guys will adapt to this as well but if you have a home PC that needs cleanup try this first. Malwarebytes Antimalware is available at: http://www.malwarebytes.org/
Posted in Virus/Malware Alert, All Platforms | 2 Comments »
September 2, 2008 by AC.
It is important to keep both your PC’s updated and running with the latest versions of both your operating system and installed programs. The process can be automated for the most part but there are times when your intervention is required.
Whenever you see a message for Windows Updates those should be installed. This will sometimes require a restart after the updates install. Likewise the updates for Java and Adobe products (like Acrobat) should be treated as necessary updates because of how often we use them and how often they are exploited online. These are generally updates where you are prompted to install the update also.
Generally these prompts come from an icon in the lower, right-corner of your PC.
Also - when installing Java and Adobe updates watch out for additional software that is offered. This additional software is not bad, but it may not be necessary either. Both Java and Adobe Acrobat are free and the companies that support them create marketing opportunities with other companies to make some money. For example, Java updates offer an install of OpenOffice - a free version of office productivity software like Microsoft Office. It is a great suite of software but you may not need it.
Posted in Software, All Platforms | 1 Comment »