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This is part three of a three part series about computer viruses and malware. Part one was about the virus problem and, most importantly, how you can’t rely totally on your antivirus software to keep viruses and malware off your computer. Part two was about virus and malware removal. Now that your computer is virus free today I’ll show you how to keep it that way.

There are no silver bullets when it comes to antivirus software. There are far too many threats created every day for any one company to keep up with them all. And even if your antivirus software is good at detecting viruses that doesn’t mean it’s good at removing them. That’s why I don’t believe in paying for antivirus programs like Norton and McAfee. I clean up a lot of virus infected computers and the majority of them have either Norton or McAfee installed. Since it’s possible to get a virus no matter what antivirus software you have installed why pay for it?

Although I don’t recommend paying for any computer security products it is important to have antivirus software installed on your computer. But you must also use common sense and keep your operating system and other software installed updated. Here’s my list of do’s and don’ts:

1. Turn on Automatic Updates in Windows and set them to install automatically. Also insure the Windows firewall is enabled.

2. Install an antivirus program that updates its definitions at least once daily. The free antivirus programs I recommend are AVG Anti-Virus and AntiVir. In addition to installing either one of those I would recommend adding another layer of defense. For this I’ve been using Panda Cloud. It’s light on resources and is good at keeping viruses off your computer.

3. Don’t install any free software from the internet unless it’s from
   www.download.com. Download.com guarantees no viruses or other malware will come along for the ride and they have a huge selection of free software. So before you download that torrent or free MP3 stop and reconsider. Is it really worth a computer infection?

4. If you’re still using Internet Explorer, stop! I recommend using
   Google Chrome instead. It’s faster and more secure.

5. Be careful where you surf on the internet. A vast number of virus infections today are spread by unscrupulous web sites. All you have to do is visit the website and a script can run to infect your PC. The best advice I can give is to be careful where you surf. And don’t click on links in Facebook or anywhere else on the internet unless you know it’s taking you to a safe website.

6. Don’t click on links from MSN Messenger or other instant message programs unless you’re absolutely certain they’re legit.

7. Also use caution when clicking links or opening files in your email messages. Don’t even watch that video someone sent you unless you’ve scanned the file for viruses first.

8. Don’t click on links in emails from your bank or the government that ask you to give any personal information. Call them instead. It’s far too easy for the bad guys to spoof an email address and create a website that looks legitimate so you could end up sending your personal info right to them.

9. If you’re asked to install updates for programs like Java, Flash or Acrobat Reader go ahead and install them. Often they’re fixing security gaps.

I hope you noticed a pattern. The easiest way to get a virus is when you click on a link or open a file! If in doubt error on the side of caution.

The virus/malware business is a very lucrative business so don’t expect them to fold up shop and go away any time soon. It’s their job to infect your computer. It’s primarily your responsibility to keep them off so you have to use caution and common sense.

If your computer is acting strange or your antivirus program tells you that you have a virus then refer to my last post for virus removal instructions.

-Bert

This is part two of a three part series about computer viruses and malware. In part one we talked about the virus problem and, most importantly, how you can’t rely totally on your antivirus software to keep viruses and malware off your computer. There are far too many viruses created every day for any one antivirus company to keep up with so there is no silver bullet. Of course you should still use antivirus software but you also have to use some caution and common sense on the internet.

Today we’re going to talk about virus removal and next week we’ll talk about virus prevention. If you’re wondering why we’re not talking about virus prevention first it’s because most people reading this probably have a virus already or will get one before they’re ready to take any action. Of course I’m not talking about you though! :)

Basically if your computer is doing anything out of the ordinary I would suggest scanning your computer with any of the following FREE anti-virus/malware programs below. It’s best to do this soon after you suspect you have a virus infection because your virus problem will get worse and harder to fix over time. If you wait too long you could lose your internet connection or worse, you may not be able to boot into Windows. At that point you’ll most likely have to pay someone to fix it.

These are my favorite free virus removal tools:

1. Malwarebytes (try this first)

2. SUPERAntiSpyware (try this second)

3. IObit Security 360

After you install the program run the Update so the virus definition files are current. Then run the scan, usually the Quick Scan is sufficient and only takes 10-15 minutes.

After you run any of the above, if it found any threats have the program remove them, reboot your computer and run the program again and insure it doesn’t find anything the second time. If it does, then try the next program in the list. You need to be sure your computer is clean and viruses are like mice, you never have just one. After these scans come back clean it’s a good idea to run a full scan using whatever antivirus program you have installed (Norton, McAfee, AVG, etc.).

Hopefully, after running the above program(s) you’ve taken care of your virus problem. Having cleaned up a lot of heavily virus infected computers I’ve found these programs can totally take care of the problem about 90% of the time.

Stay tuned for next week’s article about virus and malware prevention. Now that your computer is virus free I’ll tell you how to keep it clean. We have four computers in our house that get used almost daily and we haven’t had a virus on any of them.

-Bert

Last weekend I finally had a chance to update my Toolbox of free software I use to remove and prevent viruses and other malware:

Free Virus & Spyware Removal Tools

I’m still using a lot of the same great free programs I’ve been using for a long time. Malwarebytes and SUPERAntiSpyware are still my top picks to remove viruses. AVG and AntiVir are my picks for real time virus protection and CCleaner is still my favorite for cleaning up Windows to keep your computer running fast.

There are also a couple new programs as well. I’m currently testing Panda Cloud Antivirus as another layer of protection to be used in combination with AVG or AntiVir. Panda Cloud is super light on resources and is best at keeping viruses off your computer.

If you’re already using AVG or AntiVir install Panda Cloud in addition and let me know what you think.

Thanks!

-Bert

I’ve been working on Windows computers for nearly two decades and have never been compelled to use anything else. But a recent experience with something called Linux Ubuntu has turned my computer world view on its head!

You’ve probably heard of Linux, and you may have even heard that Dell sells computers loaded with Ubuntu. But what could be so earth shattering that it’s got some geek going bananas over it!?

Let me start at the beginning.. About a week ago I started working on someone’s computer with Windows XP Professional. From what I understood, Windows prompted the user to do an update and as soon as it was installed, their computer no longer worked.

I’ve seen that happen before and normally don’t have any problems fixing it but this computer was really bad. After a few hours of trying different things I called my customer and explained that they’d be better off buying a new PC than paying me for several hours of labor. So I gave them a backup of their hard drive files and didn’t charge them anything. To my surprise, they graciously gave me the computer.

If you’re getting bored, hold on, this is where it starts getting good! You see, I couldn’t look at that computer sitting on my bench every day and not do anything about it. A couple people at work had been talking to me about Linux but part of my job is working with a UNIX server and running command lines just isn’t that exciting to me, so I put it off. But now, low and behold, I had an older computer with a mishmash of hardware and no operating system.

It was the longest wait of my life (not really, I went to sleep) downloading the 700MB Ubuntu to burn to a CD. The rest of the setup was so simple it made loading Windows look like brain surgery. 

I have to give one word of caution here. A while back I got a call from a lady I know from church. Her son tried to make their Windows PC into a dual boot computer so they could boot into either Windows or Ubuntu. Unfortunately all of their files were wiped out during the installation. So the lesson is, don’t try this unless you’ve backed up all your important files! And I’m not even going to talk about making your computer dual boot since the computer I was working on didn’t have a working copy of Windows anyway. OK, enough of the disclaimer!

After about 15 minutes, I had Ubuntu loaded and was prepared for the worst. But to my astonishment all the hardware was detected and worked and I was looking at a very nice desktop! And that’s just the beginning.  At work I design applications and occasionally they even let me build them. What caught me off guard was how intuitive they made the Ubuntu operating system. I couldn’t help thinking, if I were to design an operating system, it would be just like this one…

Click the pics to enlarge them

I’ve only been playing around with Ubuntu for about a week but here’s what I like best:

1. It’s FREE! Yes that means I didn’t have to pay Microsoft or anyone else hundreds of dollars for the ability to make this hunk of metal into a functional PC.

2. It’s FAST! The install was very fast compared to Windows, the boot-up is fairly quick and the shutdown is fast. What’s most impressive though is working with multiple documents and browsers open. In fact, right now I have a several browsers open and a few different versions of this document and I’m only using half of my 512MB of RAM.

3. It’s EASY! Here’s where I was really amazed. This OS comes pre-loaded with everything most people use a computer for. It comes with Firefox for Internet browsing, which worked perfectly from the moment I booted the computer. It also comes with OpenOffice which is just like Microsoft Office, without the Bill Gates price tag attached. You can even create or edit Microsoft Office documents. It comes with Evolution Mail, which is a full blown email program like Outlook that includes contacts, calendars and everything else you need.

Need another application? Simply go into Add/Remove programs and pick from a long list of other free programs to install.

Aside from the pre-installed programs I really like how the desktop is set up.  There’s a top and a bottom toolbar that are very simple and well organized so things are easy to find. One of the things I like best though is something called “Big Desktop” that allows you to move back and forth between two separate desktop views. It’s like a dual monitor setup but with only one monitor.

I could go on and on about this amazing Operating System but instead I’ll just leave you with the fact that a few days ago, the computer I’m now using to write this was virtually worthless. Microsoft had crashed it with one of their own updates.. Given no money and not much time I now have a fully functional computer and couldn’t be happier :)

If you’ve got an old computer just lying around it’s time to dig it out of the closet and put Ubuntu on it!

-Bert

In celebration of their 15th anniversary, Check Point Software will be giving away their ZoneAlarm Pro software for free!

This offer is only good for 24 hours starting at 6 AM PDT on Tuesday November 18th, 2008.

ZoneAlarm is excellent security software that includes a firewall plus identity theft and spyware protection. Normally they charge $39.95 for this software which includes one year of updates. 

Be sure to click here on Tuesday to get your free copy of ZoneAlarm Pro.

Thank you Check Point Software!

-Bert

Due to the price of gas falling below $2.79 a gallon, CodeWeavers Inc. will be giving away its CrossOver software tomorrow only!

Unfortunately not everyone can use their software since it’s for Mac and Linux users and allows them to run Windows software on their computers. If you use a Mac or Linux or know someone who does, spread the word.

This giveaway is for one day only, Tuesday, October 28th. Visit the CodeWeavers site for the details and to get your free CrossOver software that even includes support!

-Bert

If your computer runs a Microsoft Operating System, there’s one free program you should not be without. 

CCleaner (Crap Cleaner) is a free system optimization tool that removes unused and temporary files from your system – allowing Windows to run faster, more efficiently and giving you more hard disk space. 

One of my favorite past-times is fixing other peoples computers and I’m always amazed when I run CCleaner on a PC and see just how much junk Windows collects. I’ve seen over 3GBs of junk removed by CCleaner. The result was simply a faster, cleaner computer.

You’ve probably noticed that your computer was much faster when it was brand new, but over time it has slowed down. Just to give you an idea how much junk gets collected, I ran CCleaner to insure my PC was clean. See the screenshot below:

Then I opened Internet Explorer and browsed to three popular websites. First, I checked my email, then a news site, and finally my local weather. I didn’t click any links on those sites I simply went to their home-pages. As you can see from the screenshot below, visiting those three websites in about 15 seconds Windows managed to collect 2.25MBs of junk..

Just to give you an idea how much 2.25MB is, an MP3 music file is usually about twice that size. And if I can pick that up in 15 seconds of surfing, just think how much junk is on your PC if you’ve never run CCleaner..

So how often should you run CCleaner? I’d recommend at least every week or two.

CCleaner deletes files, including your cookies. So if you save websites usernames and/or passwords be sure to go into Options > Cookies and move any cookies you’d like to keep over to the “Cookies to Keep” side before running CCleaner the first time.

I won’t mention any names but, there are companies out there that will charge you for software that does exactly the same thing CCleaner does. 

CCleaner is the fastest and easiest way to clean up your PC. And, since it’s free, it’s a no-brainer. Download CCleaner today.

Happy Computing!

-Bert

This weekend we had a house full of children for our 10 year old daughter’s birthday. When they asked to use her computer I was thankful we use an internet filter and didn’t have to hesitate to let them use it.

Anyone who’s ever surfed the web knows how easy it is to stumble upon inappropriate content. Parents have an obligation to protect their children inside and outside of the home.

Thankfully, there are some great applications parents can turn to for help. My favorite, if you have younger children, is K-9. It’s best for younger children because it’s free and doesn’t have all the options that pay programs do. That being said, K-9 is still an excellent internet filter that we’ve been using and promoting for the past couple years.

With K-9 you have 6 different levels of protection and 60 different categories that you can choose to block or not. You can also limit what times the computer can access the internet. You’ll also be able to view the internet surfing history broken down by categories to see what sites your children are visiting.

Blue Coat recently released a new Beta version that runs on Mac’s as well as Windows, it works in more browsers, and more search engines. I highly recommend K-9 and created a video to help parents install and set-up the program.

For older children I’d recommend Net Nanny, CyberPatrol, or Safe Eyes. They’ll run you $40-50 per year but all of them provide great protection and have more options than K-9. CyberPatrol gives you the most options, Safe Eyes is best if you want to install it on more than one computer, and Net Nanny is the easiest of the three for parents to use. Net Nanny also beat its competitors in reviews by a slight margin.

All three of these programs have different features so I’d recommend that you view each of their websites and purchase the one that best meets your needs.

It should be said that no internet filter is perfect and there are ways around internet filters. It’s a well known fact that kids in schools and libraries use proxy avoidance to get around the filters. If you, as a parent, have any inclination that your child is using their computer inappropriately you have two choices. Either you can put the computer in a public place in the house and/or take it away altogether for a period of time. Don’t worry, it is possible for them to live without it..

If you have children that use the internet in your house, an internet filter is essential. Get one today!

-Bert

The world of free malware (malicious software) removers is constantly changing as does the number and complexity of malware. Even though the Malwarebytes company has been around since 2004 their anti-malware program has just recently become popular because it’s extremely fast and effective at removing malware.

This weekend I cleaned up a computer that was infested with adware/spyware (Zango, 180 Solutions, CoolWebSearch, to name a few) and a couple trojans.

For the past month or so, the first thing I download and run is Malwarebytes. The program is small so it doesn’t take long to download and the installation is fast and easy. The two things that separate it from most anti-malware programs though is its fast scan and effective removal of malware. 

Most programs take an hour or more to thoroughly scan your computer but using the Malwarebytes Quick Scan, that just checks the most important areas of your PC, the scan only takes a few minutes to run.

The second thing I like is its ability to disable any malware it finds. In fact, I haven’t run into any malware yet that it found and couldn’t remove.

You can often gauge the effectiveness of anti-malware software by looking at what the experts are using. When the excellent folks at sites like bleepingcomputer.com, daniweb.com, and majorgeeks.com are recommending it and using it in their forums you can feel confident that it works well.

That computer I worked on this weekend was cleaned up and running smooth in less than an hour, thanks to Malwarebytes..

Have a great day!

-Bert

There are so many different kinds of viruses, trojans, spyware, and adware they’re often all lumped together and just referred to as as malware (malicious software). By the end of 2009 experts predict that there will over a million malware programs trying to disrupt your computing experience and steal your personal information. 

The sad reality is that most people don’t use effective virus protection or follow my 11 steps to protect their computers from viruses and other malware.  Not only are most computers at risk but, until someone’s computer actually gets infected by malware, they don’t even think about it.

If you’re one of those people one day you’ll probably experience one or more of the following signs and symptoms of computer malware:

1. Lots of annoying pop-up advertisements.

2. Dialog boxes popping up telling you that you have a virus or other problems. 

3. New toolbars on your internet browser.

4. Your internet Home Page has changed.

5. New Favorites in your browser that you didn’t put there.

6. Your computer has slowed down or even crashes and restarts on its own.

7. Programs not working or files not opening.

If you ever get a pop-up window telling you that your computer has a virus or registry problem and telling you to buy some program to fix the problem, DON’T! 99% of these are viruses, trojans and adware just trying to sell you software that will just make things worse. All they want is your money.

This is exactly what you need to do if you’re experiencing any of the signs/symptoms above:

1. Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. (Save it to your desktop)

2. Close all programs and windows on your PC, including your web browser.

3. Rename the downloaded mbam-setup.exe file to mb.exe to help work around certain malware that will block it from being run.

4. On your Desktop double-click mb.exe to install the removal program. Leave the default settings.

5. Update the program if asked and begin the Quick Scan.

6. After it’s finished running click the Remove Selected button.

7. When finished you can close the program.

If you’re still experiencing problems, run an online scan at Eset.com. 

To keep from getting infected in the future, follow my 11 steps to computer security.

Happy Computing!

-Bert