malware Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Are Chromebooks safer than Windows laptops?

Posted on March 13, 2026

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Question from Patsy: My friend just bought a Chromebook after the salesman at the computer store told her they are safer to use than Windows computers.

Among other things, he said it’s impossible for a Chromebook to catch a virus.

I’d just like to know if you agree with him because I’m needing to get a new laptop myself.

So, are Chromebooks really safer than Windows laptops? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can a virus jump from one drive to another?

Posted on March 8, 2026

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Question from Kendra: Hi, Rick. I need to ask you a computer question.

I know this sounds silly, but it’s a serious question and I really need to know the answer.

Can a virus that’s on one drive jump onto another drive? [Read more…]

Q&A: Does Malwarebytes still offer a free version?

Posted on February 2, 2026

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Question from Martha: Hi, Rick. I need your help with the Malwarebytes download.

I tried downloading ‘Malwarebytes Free’ by clicking the Free Antivirus Download button on this page but it installs a 14 day trial version instead.

Am I clicking the wrong thing to download the free Malwarebytes? Or maybe I’m doing something wrong?

[Read more…]

Real-Time vs. On-Demand: Antivirus protection explained

Posted on December 16, 2025

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I’ve been receiving questions from folks who are confused about the terms Real-Time and On-Demand in regards to antivirus protection, so I thought it might be helpful to explain the difference between them here.

Both real-time and on-demand antivirus protection are important for keeping your computer free of viruses and other forms of malware, but while they are closely-related, they operate in very different ways. [Read more…]

Q&A: Why can’t I remove the Antivirus app from my computer?

Posted on November 30, 2025

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Question from Dale: Hi, Rick. I have a problem that I hope you can help me with.

Following your recommendation, I recently bought the Premium version of Malwarebytes for our computers. I also read your post about only running one antivirus app at a time.

I’m trying to uninstall AVG Antivirus before installing Malwarebytes, but I’m running into a problem.

I was able to remove AVG from my wife’s computer with no problems at all, but when I try to uninstall it from my laptop it gives me an error and the uninstall fails. Can you tell me what I need to do to remove AVG from my computer? [Read more…]