antivirus Archives - Page 4 of 6

Q&A: Does Windows 10 really need an antivirus app?

Posted on January 16, 2021

Question from Marge: I just bought a new laptop with Windows 10 on it and I want to make sure it’ll be safe from viruses.

It seems like I remember reading somewhere that you don’t need to buy an antivirus program for Windows 10 because it comes with one built-in.

The problem is other things I’ve read said you do need to install and antivirus program.

Which one is true?

I definitely want to protect my computer from viruses but I don’t want to pay for a program I don’t need either.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

How to remove an antivirus program the Windows uninstaller won’t remove

Posted on January 8, 2021

I receive hundreds of tech questions every week, and as you might expect some questions get asked over and over.

One of the questions that gets asked most often is some variation of “How do I remove [McAfee, Norton or whatever] from my computer?”

For various reasons, antivirus apps can sometimes be difficult to remove with Windows’ native uninstaller, and I’ve had my own issues with many of them in the past.

Luckily, there’s a simple way to remove most any antivirus program from your computer: Just download and run that company’s automated removal tool! [Read more…]

Q&A: My antivirus subscription has expired. Is it safe to keep using it?

Posted on January 3, 2021

Question from Jimmy S.: A few months ago I bought a new laptop that came with McAfee Antivirus pre-installed on it.

I thought it was the real McAfee program but apparently it was just a trial version because this morning I got a notice saying the trial subscription had expired.

I tried to uninstall it so I could install the free Avast but I can’t get it to uninstall. It gives me an error every time I try to remove it.

My question is would it be safe for me to keep using the McAfee program that’s installed on my laptop even though it’s expired. I checked and it’s still running.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Does my PC still need an antivirus app if I have Xfinity xFi Advanced Security?

Posted on December 18, 2020

Question from Mike: I have been a customer of Comcast internet for many years and have been happy to utilize Norton Security that was provided free to Comcast customers.

Recently Comcast has indicated that the Norton Security online will no longer be available after January 1, 2021.

Instead Xfinity xFi Advanced Security is already included at no charge.

They say we will have a full security solution with the Xfinity xFi advanced security.

Is this true that we don’t need any additional security to replace Norton Security?

[Read more…]

Are antivirus software makers planting malware in order to keep their business afloat?

Posted on June 21, 2020

I don’t usually subscribe to conspiracy theories, and the last thing I would ever want to do is create one.

That being said, I have often wondered to myself whether the antivirus software companies could be creating malware and spreading it over the Internet in order to perpetuate the demand for their products.

If you think about it, an ever-replenishing supply of new malware is essential to the overall health and future growth of the antivirus software industry.

If malware were to ever become a thing of the past (and I don’t believe it will), there would be no further need for us to have antivirus software running on our machines – and that would put the antivirus software companies out of business. [Read more…]