I get inundated with emails, messages from facebook, and tweets from twitter followers on what to do when they get hit with a virus.  It really is a daily occurance.

Even though the statistics prove it, I still get amazed (and somewhat peeved) when I find out that most people have little to no protection on their pc AT ALL!

First thing you should do is CLICK THIS LINK AND BOOKMARK IT! (it opens in a new window).  It’s step-by-step instructions on how to clean your pc of an infection using FREE SOFTWARE and it is a great first step to protecting your pc even if you don’t have a virus!  RUN THROUGH THESE STEPS TODAY!  IT WILL CLEAN OUT YOUR PC OF ANY DANGEROUS FILES AND GARBAGE FILES!

Second, even though some of these virus scams have been around for years – some of us still need to be warned again and again.

• Don’t open attachments in an email – ESPECIALLY FROM SOMEONE YOU KNOW!
  • If you really want to view it, save the attachment to your pc’s desktop (or wherever you prefer), run a virus scan on the file or files, and then if all is safe-then you may open it.
• Stop clicking on Pop-Ups!  ESPECIALLY ANTI-VIRUS/ANTI-SPYWARE POP-UPS.
  • If you click ANYWHERE on one of these pop-ups, you will get the infection.  Click the big red X in the top right hand corner – OR – use the ALT-F4 keystroke to close the window without using your mouse.
• If you are on sites dedicated to password cracks, hacking warez, and adult based sites – you have a much greater chance of getting infected with viruses and trojans! You probably shouldn’t be on those sites anyway, so don’t be surprised if you get hit.

There on hundreds of other ways your pc can get infected, but if you fall for the EASY TRICKS – why would hackers need to get elaborate?

I get a lot of email from people asking me what I run on my pc’s.  It’s a very good question, and it’s one that i would probably ask – but you need to be careful because people in my line of work that use and work with computers for a living tend to lose sight of the fact that this ALL NEW to someone, and in some cases that someone is you.

Here are some thoughts before I get started:

• Just because it’s FREE doesn’t mean it’s EASY To USE – Typically it is often the other way around
• Sometimes it’s better to BUY software than to struggle with Free versions – Especially if you value your time.
• DON’T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT A GOOD BACKUP!!!
• You need to make sure you update your software regularly – Very Important
• You need to AUDIT your software regularly. – I will give you more info on this in a later post!
• If you start reading the text below and it doesn’t make any sense – You should WATCH THIS VIDEO on Taking Control of your PC!  It’s FREE when you sign up for the Newsletter!

OK, OK, OK – What do I run on my PC?

I will break down the crucial software that I run and WHY?

You can download all of these apps using this link.

1. AntiVirus Software – Avira AntiVirus Software (Free Version) – Avira Link
I have gone back and forth between Avira, AVG FREE, and CA eTrust. Avira does a nice job (as do most of the others), but it doesn’t seem to slow my computer down like the others apps do. This is imporant because what good is an antivirus program when it consumes all of the computers resources and slows down your computer?
I typically will review this every 6-8 months, and if there some BUZZ on a new app or upgrade – then I’ll at least take a look at it.
Note: Rarely will I ever use a FIRST VERSION of a virus software under normal circumstances.

2. AntiSpyware Software – SuperAntiSpyware, Spybot Search and Destroy, & AntiMalwareBytes
Why Three? Well, I don’t run them all at the same time, and each one has it’s own set of benefits. Spyware is such a HUGE BEAST to deal with, that I personally don’t trust cleaning it up to only one app. Now I go through Spyware apps like my kids go through Hershey bars! I change these very often, and I typically have 5 or 6 installed and only run 2-3 on a periodic basis. Some others that I use are Ad-Aware, and A-squared trojan remover has a built in spyware remover as well.

3. Trojan Software – A-Squared
I think that A-squared is the only software that I have some sort of allegience to. I really do love this app! It is easy to update, simple to run, and it does everything I want it to. I have run into more problems in the past with Trojans that with viruses and spyware combined, and A-squared has been superb in finding those problems and removing them.
This is the #1 app in my arsenal and I use it very often.

4. Firewall – Comodo
What is a Firewall? A firewall in simple terms is a protective “wall” between your computer and the internet. Now Firewalls do a lot of different things, and much of it is way too technical. Here is an example of why you need a firewall.

My daughter went looking on the web for a song that she wanted. She finally found it on some obscure website. When she got to the site, her Comodo firewall started BLOCKING some unidentified app that was already installed on her computer from trying to get internet access. What? Yeah, the seemingly innocent song site actually had a viral program that was instantaneously installed on her computer without her knowledge and then tried to contact another computer/spammer/hacker to let them know it was there. The firewall stopped it from transmitting that information! A quick run of the virus software found the culprit and it was removed. Had she not been running the firewall software, she would have been infected with a couple of viruses, a few trojans, and a serious case of “Daddy fix this!”.
Firewalls are great if you have kids that like to “wander” around on the web, or if you like to do that.

Now I used to use Zone Alarm firewall software, and I still like it, but I ran into some snags with the software conflicting with some other apps and I had to switch.

That is sometimes the case when dealing with these software packages.  I have talked about this in earlier posts as well as on the videos that some of these applications MAY NOT WORK CORRECTLY on your pc for one reason or another.  It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are crappy, it just means that you have something on your computer that conflicts with the software.  This is why you always get the FREE VERSION of the software and TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT!

What’s the FIRST STEP – Make sure you have a good backup because it anything can happen that will force you to loose that data FOREVER.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Mike