WHAT
ANTIVIRUS SHOULD I USE ?
I recommend alot of free software, however a good antivirus is
a necessity for any computer to run smoothly and in this case
you often get what you pay for with Free Antivirus Software. I
will recommend Free Antivirus Programs in
certain situations; however I tend to recommend purchasing a"Paid
Antivirus" such as Norton Internet Security
2010 and AVG Internet Security. I sell both simply due
to customers preference.
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MINIMUM
SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS:
(Windows XP, Vista, 7 ONLY)
Microsoft® Windows® XP SP2 (32-bit)
Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit /64 bit)
Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit /64-bit)
600 MHz or faster processor
256 MB of RAM (*512 MB RAM required for Recovery Tool)
200 MB of available hard disk space
CD-ROM or DVD drive (if not installing via electronic download)
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MINIMUM
SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS:
(Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7 ONLY)
Windows 32bit or 64bit!
Pentium 1.5 GHz or faster
512mb RAM Memory
390mb Hard Drive Space
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MORE
INFO |
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MORE
INFO |
COMPARE
PRICING
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NORTON
ANTIVIRUS |
|
AVG
ANTIVIRUS BASIC 9.0 |
| (RECOMMEND
FOR HOME USERS)
1YR / 1PC
Buy Now For
$30!
1YR / 3PC
Buy Now For
$75!
|
(RECOMMED
HOME)
Upgrade to Basic AVG 9.0 PAID VERSION. Includes ROOTKIT
Protection from the Fake Antivirus Programs!
Buy
Now for $25.99!
|
NORTON
INTERNET SECURITY
WITH FIREWALL |
AVG
INTERNET SECURITY 9.0 with Spam Protection |
(RECOMMEND
FOR BUSINESS)
1YR / 1PC
Buy Now For
$50!
1YR
/ 3PC
Buy
Now For $120!
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WHAT IS MALWARE?
/ HOW TO PREVENT IT?
Are there FREE
Solutions? - Yes There Is!
FAKE ANTIVIRUS VIRUSES THAT WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED AT THE SHOP:
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PERSONAL ANTIVIRUS |
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| * |
TOTAL SECURITY |
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PC CONFIDENTIAL |
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Cyber Security |
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System Security 2009 |
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Malware Doctor |
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Antivirus System Pro |
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WinPC Defender |
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Spyware Guard 2008 and 2009 |
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Antivirus 2009 and 2010 |
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MS Antispyware 2009 and 2010 |
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| * |
Green AV |
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Windows Protection Suite |
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FREE ANTIVIRUS SOLUTIONS:
We recommend
if using Free Software for HOME / PERSONAL USE
to use AVG
for Antivirus protection. If using a free version of Spyware Protection
use SuperAntispyware.
For Adware protection use AdAware
2008
In the "Fine Print" of many free antivirus software
packages it states that they are to be used for Home / Personal
Use only. NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE! For BUSINESS
USE we recommend either Norton 2010 with Firewall Protection or
AVG Internet Security 9.0
We use Norton 2010 in the shop, and at home on our personal computer.
It works great, very light weight using minimal resources, and
has the great antivirus protection that we have always trusted
from Symantec. With a free product, sometimes you get what you
pay for. . . .
Contact
for MORE INFORMATION / BACK TO TOP
Keep
in mind that it is very important you have one anti-virus program
and one firewall program installed on your computer to protect
you against potential threats from sources such as the Internet.
It is also important that you keep your anti-virus software up-to-date.
Outdated anti-virus software increases your computer’s potential
chance for infection.
WHAT IS MALWARE ?
Malware is Malicious software that runs on your computer either
to infect your computer and destroy the operating system files
(VIRUS), steal your personal information (SPYWARE)
or just aggravate you with annoying and sometimes vulgar popups
(ADWARE). Each form of malware requires
different techniques to remove. Malware is becoming increasingly
harder to deal with as years go by. They have learned to hide
in multiple places deep inside your computer just waiting for
the right time to become active. They may stay hidden in your
system for months until that one day that you open the correct
file or press the correct key combination to unknowingly activate
it. Even if you think that the virus is removed it may still be
on your system. You may have removed part of the virus, but the
other part that was not detected is rebuilding it as soon as its
destroyed. New viruses are found and even more are created everyday!
New virus signatures are updated in your Antivirus programs database
everyday also! I like to give the analogy of a bullet proof vest
when I talk about an Antivirus. If you get shot in the head or
the side even with the best vest you can buy... your hit! Don't
get discouraged now! You DO NEED AN ANTIVIRUS~! There are steps
you can take to avoid getting viruses.
Virus signatures
are updated daily because of new threats that are just being found.
If a virus happens to find its way into your system before the
virus signature is updated into your antivirus program... then
you have just been infected and your antivirus will not see this
even if it gets the latest virus signatures. Why you may ask....
simply put.. the virus is already inside now, and is hiding behind
your antivirus!
BACK TO TOP
THE MOST COMMON WAYS TO GET A VIRUS ARE:
A Floppy disk from a friend.
A download off the internet
An email or email attachement
Downloading software such as Limewire, BearShare, Frostwire, Kazaa,
Napster, and the hundreds of other peer to peer filesharing software.
There is NO SAFE way to download music other than ITunes and paying
for it!
Definitions
Anti-Virus: A software program designed to detect,
remove, or block computer viruses. Anti-virus programs are also
normally designed to block worms and Trojan horses. Most anti-virus
programs include an “auto-update” feature that enables
the program to download profiles of new viruses as soon as they
are discovered so that the anti-virus software can immediately
begin checking for
the new viruses.
Firewall: Software that filters the information
coming through an Internet connection into a computer system or
network. A software firewall is designed to act as a barrier that
protects your computer from unauthorized access by outside computer
users (such as via the Internet).
Virus: Malicious software that attaches itself
to an existing program. Upon execution of the existing program,
the virus code activates and begins attaching copies of itself
to other programs in the system. Infected programs may then copy
the virus to further programs.
E-Mail Virus: A virus that travels in e-mail
attachments. Upon opening an infected attachment, this type of
virus commonly replicates by automatically mailing itself to contacts
in the victim’s e-mail address book.
Worm: Software that uses computer networks and
security holes to replicate itself. A copy of the worm scans the
network for another machine that has a specific security hole.
When it finds the desired security hole, the worm copies itself
to the new machine and begins replicating from there as well.
For users that are not on a network, a worm can still travel via
your Internet connection; and in some cases open a “backdoor”
that allows hackers to take over your computer or collect personal
information for distribution to others.
Trojan horse: A program that claims to be one thing (such as a
game), but instead causes damage when it’s run. For example,
a Trojan horse may erase all data on your hard disk drive. Unlike
e-mail viruses and worms, Trojan horses have no way to replicate
automatically.
BACK
TO TOP
STEPS TO AVOID GETTING A VIRUS:
1. Perform Daily Automatic Updates on your computer. Don't
say it messes them up! Microsoft created your computer and he
knows whats best...whether you believe that or not it is true.
The majority of systems that have major malware infections have
not been keeping up to date and therefore have many holes and
vulneratibilites that could have easily been prevented by performing
updates. Microsoft typically sends out major updates on the second
Tuesday of the month.
2. Perform Daily Virus scans on your computer. I know it
takes time to perform these scans... but you can set them up on
a scheduled time when it doesn't interfer such as your hour lunch
or in the middle of the night. Make sure your programs automatically
upate before scanning though!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR VIRUS PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS!
3. Watch Email Attachments. Viruses love to spread by email.
You get a funny email from a friend of a cute little video and
you send that to another friend who sends it to another and ...uh
oh! ... that video had a virus attached! You cannot see them,
and it doesn't necessarily have to be a video attachement. It
can be a link in an email, a picture, a song, or almost an kind
of file. Only open emails from a trustworthy source. Don't click
links in emails.
4. Downloading
Music and Movies. Viruses love to travel in shared music
and movies. That is the quickeest way for them to get around!
Did you know that most of the file sharing programs such as Limewire,
Kazaa, BearShare and the many many more out on the net... all
open several back doors and holes in your system for them to allow
the sharing connections between you and the other computers. Limewire
itself opens around 20 different ports. .
4. USB Jump Drives. One of the leading ways to transfer
a virus is by an infected USB jump drive or a Floppy Disk. Your
usb jump drive can be infected simply by plugging it up to an
infected system... then you unplug it and plug it in to another
system and spread the virus to it.. and it continues down the
line until you've infected several computers who in turn infect
several more before you realize that your first system is even
infected!
5. Your Internet habits. Thats right... you! Watch the
sites you visit. Don't go to those risky sites (you know what
I'm talking about) ... don't open those untrustworthy emails,
manually update your virus programs and Microsoft Updates. Don't
let unknown network attachments on to your network if possible,
and just be carefull about what you do on your computer.
THE
ONLY 100% GUARANTEED WAY TO REMOVE A VIRUS:
With a fully formatted hard drive and fresh reload of the operating
system; Fully updated with Microsoft Updates, the latest flash
and java, and all other major security updates.... I can guarantee
that it will be virus free when it leaves the shop. A fresh reload
includes all Windows Drivers and Updates, Flash, Java, Adobe Reader.
We back up your important information such as My Documents, My
Pictures, Internet Favorites, Desktop Icons, Outlook Express Email
and Address Book if necessary. I do not recommend backing up any
"My Music" due to possibly transferring a virus to the
newly reloaded Operating System.
In todays society we use computers even more than we use the old
fashioned pen and paper! The days of endless piles of forms and
documents that you can never find when you need it are over- thanks
to spreadsheets and the organizational tools within a computer!
If you need directions or get lost you have the internet and
Mapquest even on your phone! You can communicate with friends
and family from Florida to New York no matter where they are located
even on a bus, plane and ship! Computers are not only a tool to
many of us but they can also be our mid-day sanity, our only alone
time, or even a way to drift off in to another world. However
if the computers are not properly
maintained they can easily be infected and taken over by malware;
often to the point of no "safe" return. Many of you
cannot afford to have down-time
NOT 100% GUARANTEED! When dealing with any type of malware there
is not a 100% guarantee that it can be removed, or even if it
can be removed that it will fix the problem. The damage may have
already been done and a wipe and reload may be needed soon! Even
with up to date antivirus protection your computer may still become
infected with new malware.
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TO TOP
