By Mike Warenda
There are many programs out there that tell you they are the best at removing Viruses and Malware. I have seen this too many times now where I show up at a home and they tell me well I have Norton or some other name brand product, so I should be safe from viruses and stuff. I look at the program and see it is not only outdated, but the last scan was sometimes years ago. I then break the news to them how they are probably infected with all kinds of goodies.
Too many people make the assumption that if the program is starting up it is working. Virus scanners are usually only a one year subscription and if you do not pay again in a year you no longer get updates. Therefore, any virus made after the last day you received updates can get right by your anti-virus software. You should check your anti-virus periodically to make sure everything is running smooth and you're receiving your updates.
If you are not receiving updates for the product check to see if the subscription date is past due. If so you will need to purchase another subscription or another product. If you can't get updates and your subscription has not run out yet, this means you are infected. Now you are probably wondering, well how did this happen if I had a virus scanning program? Well this is easy to explain.
There truly is no one great product when it comes to removing malicious programs. Every time they update your anti-virus software someone will be updating their malware programs. It is a never ending battle. The makers of these malware find weaknesses in the anti-virus software and pretty much disable it and your updating abilities of most programs. This leaves you helpless to their attacks.
There are many things you can do to prevent this from happening to you. Always scan every file you download before opening it. Don't open email or click on any links in emails from people or sites you do not know. You would be surprised to see what can be hidden in a link. Every now and again test your anti-virus software by going to sites that will scan your PC for free. There are many sites on the computer there to help people free; all you have to do is look for them.
Before you even get started with installing any programs you should first make sure your hardware is clean and free of dust. Dust buildup can make a computer run very slow and cause freeze issues alike. It is always good to start here because sometimes people think they are infected with viruses and it comes out to be just dust caked in the heat sink of the processor.
There are many programs out there that tell you they are the best at removing Viruses and Malware. I have seen this too many times now where I show up at a home and they tell me well I have Norton or some other name brand product, so I should be safe from viruses and stuff. I look at the program and see it is not only outdated, but the last scan was sometimes years ago. I then break the news to them how they are probably infected with all kinds of goodies.
Too many people make the assumption that if the program is starting up it is working. Virus scanners are usually only a one year subscription and if you do not pay again in a year you no longer get updates. Therefore, any virus made after the last day you received updates can get right by your anti-virus software. You should check your anti-virus periodically to make sure everything is running smooth and you're receiving your updates.
If you are not receiving updates for the product check to see if the subscription date is past due. If so you will need to purchase another subscription or another product. If you can't get updates and your subscription has not run out yet, this means you are infected. Now you are probably wondering, well how did this happen if I had a virus scanning program? Well this is easy to explain.
There truly is no one great product when it comes to removing malicious programs. Every time they update your anti-virus software someone will be updating their malware programs. It is a never ending battle. The makers of these malware find weaknesses in the anti-virus software and pretty much disable it and your updating abilities of most programs. This leaves you helpless to their attacks.
There are many things you can do to prevent this from happening to you. Always scan every file you download before opening it. Don't open email or click on any links in emails from people or sites you do not know. You would be surprised to see what can be hidden in a link. Every now and again test your anti-virus software by going to sites that will scan your PC for free. There are many sites on the computer there to help people free; all you have to do is look for them.
Before you even get started with installing any programs you should first make sure your hardware is clean and free of dust. Dust buildup can make a computer run very slow and cause freeze issues alike. It is always good to start here because sometimes people think they are infected with viruses and it comes out to be just dust caked in the heat sink of the processor.
