malware Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Why you should never run two antivirus apps at the same time

Posted on September 24, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

I’m often asked to remove viruses and other forms of malware from ailing computers, and many of those machines are running two or more antivirus programs at once.

The problem is, when it comes to antivirus apps, more is not better. I know that probably sounds like it can’t be true, but it actually is.

Before I discuss why that is, here’s a quick overview of the two primary types of anti-malware programs: [Read more…]

This is your best protection against malware (and it just might surprise you)

Posted on September 7, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Regular readers of this blog know many of my posts stress the importance of running regular scans with a really good antivirus/anti-malware app to keep your system free of digital nasties.

But as important as anti-malware software apps are at keeping your PC malware-free, the best protection against viruses, spyware, ransomware and other malicious forms of software has nothing to do with your computer itself.

The best tool you can ever have in your security arsenal is you! [Read more…]

How to remove an antivirus app that Windows can’t uninstall

Posted on September 3, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

I receive dozens 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: Are today’s encryption methods so strong they’ll never be broken?

Posted on August 1, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

Question from Carl: I was listening to talk radio the other day and I heard a guy say that the strongest encryption methods in use today are so strong that they will never, ever be broken.

The host didn’t challenge him on that. In fact, he seemed to agree with him. I have my doubts though.

What do you think? Is current encryption technology so good that no one will ever be able to break it? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I create a Restore Point for a time that’s already passed?

Posted on July 21, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

Question from Barry: Rick, I desperately need to create a System Restore Point for last Monday.

What happened was I downloaded a couple of torrent files last Tuesday and now my Windows 11 PC is all messed up.

I tried doing a System Restore back to the previous Monday, but the oldest Restore Point I see is from over 2 weeks ago and I have some really important files that were created since then. Is there a way to create one for last Monday? [Read more…]