Eugene Computer Geeks Blog

While the internet offers us entertainment, education and fun, it is also rife with dangers in the form of malware and virus. Prevention is better than cure so to start off with make sure your computer’s firewalls stay erected and virus software is regularly updated. Stay away from sites with compromised content and do not download applications or screensavers that do not come from trusted sites.

Security threats become especially serious when we consider the amount of money transactions taking place on the internet, via online shopping, bank affairs and money transfers. Apart from basic care, here is some additional and effective help. Here, in no particular order, is our pick for the top 5 Antivirus software available right now.

1. Avast!7 Free Antivirus

Consistently rated the best antivirus software, you couldn’t possibly not have heard of Avast! It gives you firewalls, shields and online protection from virus, all in a super simple user interface. You can run this program alongside other programs of similar nature ( use the ‘compatible’ option) but make sure you install this before the rest.

2. Microsoft Security Essentials

An essential for computers that run on Windows, this security software is free and runs on the idea of real-time assistance. That means the program runs as you work, eliminating any viruses and threats to your system. Besides this, Microsoft Security Essentials will also warn you of issues in the form of a pop-up on your screen. You can choose your course of action thereafter. This way you are aware of what site or online program is safe and what is not.

3. Avira Free Antivirus 2012

It seems like every word in the name of this software brings good news! This software is easy to install and run and is a upgrade on the basic system scan. You can rid your system of worms, viruses and trojans and use the AntiBot tool to fight off hackers. The only hitch perhaps is the lack of some essentials that every antivirus needs, but it is free so there is no harm in a trial, right?

4. Panda Antivirus Pro 2012

A program named after a peaceable and cuddly animal can’t be bad, can it? But despite its soft and fuzzy name, this is a program that means serious business. Not just the average user, but also businesses dealing in the nasty business of malware have rated this program very highly. Use the Panda firewall for the best protection for your computer and rest assured. This expert knows its job very well.

5. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012

Another colossal presence in the world of antivirus software, Bitdefender is a winner across the board. It is especially useful in phishing and social media issues, trojans, spyware and viruses. No matter the origin of the threat- offline or via email or chat, this defender, defends. It is especially effective in scanning on traffic reaching you from online.

It’s heartening to know that tough viruses have tough opponents. Do exercise caution in all your system work and ensure that your device and therefore all your content is protected by the best antivirus software on offer.

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Cloud computing is revolutionizing the computer industry. The less powerful computing machines are now capable of solving problems that are much beyond their limitations. We have seen that as the consumer market is accepting cloud computing, there has been a tremendous increase in the Web applications available. Document editing, image manipulation, gaming and almost all types of activities can now be performed over the Internet. Even anti-viruses have gone cloud. The importance of anti-virus software is self-evident for any laptop user.

The demand for such software is increasing as laptops are affordable for almost everyone, and you can buy laptops with Dell coupons or discounts no matter where you are. The growing number of laptops brings the increased need for anti-virus applications. More and more laptop users are turning to cloud-based anti-virus software for virus removal. In this article we will be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of cloud anti-virus software.

How Cloud-Based Anti-Virus Software Works

For cloud-based applications like document editors and image manipulators, all you need are a Web browser and Internet access to these services. However, in the case of cloud-based anti-virus software, the scenario is a little different. You need to download a native app for a cloud anti-virus. The app then connects with the cloud anti-virus database and exchanges data among the cloud and the client PC accordingly. Web browsers can also be used to scan the computer through ActiveX or Java. Some anti-viruses also use a Web browser extension to gain access to the computer to scan it. The client application installed on the PC checks files and matches with the virus signature database present at the cloud. If there is anything wrong in it, then appropriate actions are taken.

As we all know that there are many advantages of Web applications over local applications, similarly there are many advantages of cloud anti-virus over local anti-virus.

ADVANTAGES

1. No Need to Install

The major advantage of cloud-based anti-viruses is that you don’t have to install them on your PC. Having anti-virus software installed on your PC consumes disk space, RAM and processing power, and users who don’t have a high-end computer system might see a decline in the performance of their PC. The anti-viruses keep running on the background while you are working, and this reduces available RAM and processing power for other applications, thereby reducing application speed.

2. No Need to Update

Cloud-based anti-viruses solve a major headache that most PC users have reported. Users who have anti-virus software installed on their computer systems keep receiving notifications to update their anti-virus database. Though some anti-viruses keep updating themselves on their own, most anti-viruses need to be updated. This not only causes a headache for the users but also keeps downloading data. With cloud-based anti-viruses, the virus signatures database is updated only at the cloud and all the PCs connected to the cloud are benefited from it.

3. Double Security Layer

A single local anti-virus consumes so many computer resources that one can’t think of installing another anti-virus. It is quite possible that a specific type of anti-virus software misses a virus. So, if we can take advantage of scanning your computer with more than one anti-virus, then we can reduce the chances of missing a virus. With cloud-based anti-viruses, we can easily have any number of anti-viruses running simultaneously, which uses a fraction of the computing resources.

Besides so many advantages, cloud anti-viruses do have some drawbacks.

DISADVANTAGES

1. Can’t Run in Background

Cloud anti-viruses are based on client-to-cloud relationship; therefore, these cannot run in the background. It is very crucial for an anti-virus to run in the background and scan each program before it starts. Cloud anti-viruses are sometimes unsuccessful at detecting viruses, but this technique provides an extra layer of security.

2. Limited Scan

Some cloud anti-viruses scan only the core Windows files for viruses and they don’t scan the whole computer. Therefore, this doesn’t cover up the risk completely and a virus sleeping somewhere on the hard drive can become active later. However, a locally installed anti-virus thoroughly scans the files and reports if a virus is found anywhere on the hard drive.

3. Need Internet Connection

Cloud services are highly dependent on the Internet connection and so are the cloud anti-viruses. If we don’t have access to the Internet, the virus living in our computer system will be free to do whatever it wants. It is a fact that we cannot stay connected all the time, thus depending on the Internet connection for computer security is a bit riskier.

Conclusion

Cloud anti-viruses come with lots of advantages and drawbacks. Despite their ability to protect PCs from viruses without using as many resources as locally installed anti-viruses, cloud anti-virus applications are highly dependent on the Internet connection and speed to perform the tasks. The advantage is also undeniable that they don’t need to be updated as the virus signature database is located on the cloud.

A new scam is rapidly growing where a con artist claims to work for Microsoft and warns that your computer is infected with a virus that requires remote access to fix.  They then convince the user into downloading remote software and connect in.  After they play around for a while, they’ll then tell the user that they need to pay a large fee to remove the viruses.

If you don’t pay them, they will totally lock you out of your computer, and in some cases set up a customized boot loader password so you can’t even boot into Windows.  Most of the time the scam artist is from outside the country and has a strong foreign accent, and are usually very rude if you deny them in anyway.  Even when you pay them, the “scammer” will call back after a very short time and ask for more money.  This will keep continuing until they can get as much money as possible, sometimes in the thousands.

Microsoft will not call you if you have a virus. Frankly they could care less and never call and offer to remote in and fix problems.  If Microsoft cared about your computer being virus-free, they would take more steps to secure Windows which would be much easier than people assume.  They could make the user permissions more restrictive, and provide better built-in protection.

WHAT TO DO IF SCAMMED

Smart people do stupid things when scared. Don’t beat yourself up if you fall prey to these vicious criminals.

Call bank or credit card company and tell them what happened. It’s possible they will refund you the money but at the very least they need to know so they can stop the transactions. (Note: a lot of these scam artists use Western Union which is harder to track.)

If you’ve been locked out you’ll probably need to hire someone to fix up your computer. If you are in the Eugene, Oregon area, we have helped over a dozen people that have been directly hit by this scam. Give us a call for a free estimate at (541) 357-7222

All users from anywhere are welcome to try our Free Tech Support Chat

If you are reading this article then you are probably looking for information regarding home computer repair check points.

For many people computers have become an indispensable part of our daily lives and we rely on them for communication, for school and office work or for simply getting information from the internet.

It is true that your home computer can be vulnerable to damage just like any other machine in your house, particularly when you are connected to the internet. Therefore it is important that you learn and take measures in order to protect your home computer from any potential damage. In this article I will discuss some of the most important tools that play a key role with regard to home computer protection as well as home computer repair methods.

You must ensure that you invest in a recommended anti-virus software which can provide you with continuous online protection. It is important to point out that anti-virus software provides fixes for the latest viruses and it also helps to secure your computer against phishing and spamming. It is essential that you update your anti-virus package on a regular basis. The most popular anti-virus packages include McAfee, BitDefender, F-Secure, Kaspersky Lab, Symantec Norton and Panda. (Our Favorite being Kaspersky.) A typical package will usually cost between $30 and $60, however it is important to note that some of the best anti-virus packages are actually available free of charge, such as Avast, Microsoft Security Essentials, Avira, and AVG. (We feel Avast is the best free option.)

Spyware and adware can have an impact on the performance of your computer. A good computer repair and protection method is to scan your computer using an anti-spyware or anti-adware package such as Malwarebytes, SuperAntiSpyware, Ad-Aware and Spyboy Search and Destroy. The great thing is that these packages are actually available online free of charge, and they do not conflict with your regular anti-virus program.

It is also very important that you update your home computer on a regular basis with recommended and critical updates as these help to protect your home computer against potential damages as well as rectifying non-functional devices.

You should always ensure that you install a personal firewall if your computer is not behind a router, because a router has a built-in physical firewall. (If you use wireless, or have more than one computer connected to your network at once, you are behind a router and safe.). A firewall is important as it acts as a filter which protects your computer from malicious content from the internet. Some of the popular firewalls include Norton, McAfee and Zone Alarm.

Disk Defragmentation and Disk Cleanup are critical tools that come built-in with your computer and these are important home computer repair methods as they help free up space on your computer, therefore make sure you run these tools on a regular basis.

The Error-checking utility is another built-in home computer repair utility which checks the hard disk for bad sectors and will also attempt to recover them.

Another important method for home computer repair is system restore. It is important that you are aware that you can create restore points on your computer so if there is any damage you can then restore your computer to a previously secure checkpoint. In order to prevent loss of data it is also recommended that you back up your data on a regular basis.

Finally, If you don’t want to worry about viruses, and have a much more stable and secure PC, switch to the free OS, or “Operating System”, called “Linux”. By far the best way to have a secure checkpoint is to switch to Linux, which is easy to use nowadays.

Overall, Apple still makes a much more stable and secure product, but the price is signifigantly higher than a PC.
Please check out our article on “15 Things Every PC User Should Know“.

Article by Eugene Computer Geeks.  Offering In-Home Computer Repair in Eugene, Oregon.

A lot of people ask me “What is the best way to protect my computer from viruses, malware, and spyware?”.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that you should only have ONE program that provides protection. If you have two antivirus programs that provide real-time protection, they can conflict with each other and cause problems, not to mention slow down your computer.

I also suggest that you have at least one cleaning-only tool, which is used for scanning and removing viruses, spyware, and malware that get past your antivirus protection program.

If you are willing spend around $40, I recommend Kaspersky, which is the best commercial anti virus program you can buy. They also have a full 30 day trial that we recommend you try before purchasing.

The best free antivirus program is Avast Free Home Edition. Avast has excellent detection ratings and protection methods that really make it the best choice. Avast sometimes has difficulty installing on some computers, and can run slow on really old PC’s. If this is the case I recommend you use Microsoft Security Essentials.

For cleaning-only tools, I highly recommend you install Malwarebytes and/or Super Anti Spyware. These programs will not interfere with your regular antivirus protection software but must be run manually at least once a week.

Make sure to update your antivirus software regularly.

Owner/Operator
Cameron Voss
–Eugene Computer Geeks

www.eugenecomputergeeks.com