Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Question from Marge: I just bought a refurbished 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? [Read more…]
Do you depend on Windows’ native Microsoft Defender security app to protect your PC from malware?
If so, you’ll be happy to know that Microsoft also provides native ransomware protection with both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Well, another dangerous recurring scam is making the rounds again.
It’s being spread via both email and SMS test messages, and unfortunately lots of innocent people are falling for it.
As usual, there are several variations of this scam, but luckily they’re all very easy to detect and avoid once you know what to look for.
Question from Cilla: I had a conversation with a computer salesman a couple of years ago.
He told me that if I was using Windows, there is virus protection built into the software and there is no need to purchase another antivirus program.
And as I recall, he said if you did install another one, it will turn off the Windows antivirus.
I decided to believe him and haven’t had any problems but I’ve always had a little doubt about it. Does Windows really have a built-in antivirus? [Read more…]
Question from Paula L.: I used to only see notifications from Windows Defender once or twice a day, but after I installed the Windows 10 Anniversary Update I started seeing a lot more of them.
Why am I getting so many Windows Defender notifications all of a sudden? They’re beginning to get on my nerves! Is there any way to mute them?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]