malware Archives - Page 2 of 26

Q&A: Is it safe to completely disable Windows updates?

Posted on April 6, 2025

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Question from Michael: I recently bought a new desktop computer to replace the one I’ve been using for the past six years.

It seems like the updates I’ve been installing on this new machine have all been filled with bugs because almost every time I install them something goes wrong.

The last time it happened my nephew had to completely reinstall Windows for me.

I’d like to completely disable the installation of updates on the new PC. Is it safe to do that? [Read more…]

Are all of your browser extensions and mobile apps still safe to use?

Posted on March 31, 2025

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I have always recommended downloading browser extensions and mobile apps only from the official web and app stores provided by Google, Apple and Mozilla.

While some nasties do occasionally slip through, they all do their best to ensure that the extensions and apps they allow into their repositories are safe and malware-free.

I still recommend that you limit your downloads to those official repositories, but I need to tell you about a disturbing trend that’s taking place right now. [Read more…]

Why you shouldn’t send suspicious files to the Recycle Bin

Posted on February 18, 2025

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If you’ve been using Microsoft Windows for a while you probably know that deleting a file doesn’t really remove it from the system.

Instead, it’s actually moved to a special folder called the Recycle Bin.

That’s generally a good thing because we all occasionally delete a file by mistake or wish we hadn’t deleted a file at some later point in time.

Having our deleted files go into the Recycle Bin makes it easy to restore one of them to it’s original folder in either of the above-mentioned cases.

But unfortunately some files can become problematic if we allow them to sit idly in the Recycle Bin.

[Read more…]

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

Posted on February 15, 2025

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

I just bought a new antivirus app for our computers. I read your post about only running one antivirus app at a time and I’m trying to uninstall AVG Antivirus before installing the new program.

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…]

Reminder: Why you should never ‘Unsubscribe’ from SPAM emails

Posted on January 13, 2025

Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter

Like most everyone else, you probably receive SPAM and phishing emails all the time.

And despite the existence of the Can-Spam act, this scourge of the Internet seems to actually be getting worse instead of better.

If you ever happen to accidentally open one of these obnoxious messages you might be tempted to click the “Unsubscribe” link located near the bottom of the message to have your email address removed from their mailing list.

Whatever you do, don’t click that link! Read on to find out why… [Read more…]