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Regular readers of this blog know that many of my posts stress the importance of running regular malware scans 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…]
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…]
Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter
As you probably already know, scams and hoaxes are everywhere these days, and some of them are quite believable and compelling.
It’s very easy to fall for some of these scams because they mimic actions that are taken by legitimate programs and online services.
One of the most dangerous scams that’s making the rounds right now is the insidious “Your computer has a virus!” scam. There are several variations of this scam, but they typically work something like this… [Read more…]
Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.
There are billions of websites on the Internet, and unfortunately a great number of them are malicious in some way or another.
If you happen to load a malicious web page into your web browser, bad things can happen in a hurry due to malware and other nasties being downloading onto your computer.
Luckily, it’s usually possible to avoid landing on a dangerous site by simply being careful about the links you click, but there’s always a chance that it will still happen some day regardless of how careful you are. [Read more…]
As you probably know, malware infections can cause all kinds of strange problems on Windows PCs.
That’s why if your computer starts acting strange all of a sudden it could very well be infected with a virus or some other form of malware.
Most malware infections can be removed by running a thorough series of scans with the free tools mentioned in this post, but there are some strains of malware that might need to be removed by an experienced computer tech.
I recommend that you always run your own malware scans (if it’s possible to do so) before you take your PC to a repair shop for ANY type of service or repair, even if you don’t believe the issue is malware-related.