Take Care of Your Computer

Here's a real cheapout. Computers are expensive, so make sure you are protecting yours the best you can.  I saw notice of a new email virus that is going around, so I thought it was a good time to pull out the post I did about taking proper care of your computer.

• Link to the Here You Have virus article on pcworld.com.
• Link to the official Cheapout post on virus protection, including some awesome free services.
• And some reminders:  Don't open links in emails if you aren't expecting the item from someone. 
• Don't automatically click a link, even if the email looks official.  You can check out where the link really goes by hovering over it with your mouse before clicking.  The real link will show up in the bottom left corner of your browser window.
• If it seems to be from your bank, paypal, or ebay, go directly to the site to find the information they're supposedly sending.  These are the most common "phishing" scams.
• Whatever anti-virus program you are using, update it and scan regularly.  The only way that your program can protect your computer is if it knows the latest exploits to search for.  It can't detect and remove malicious programs if you stop the scan so it doesn't slow down your computer.
• Don't forget to do your Windows updates!  They regularly fix "backdoors" or holes that the hackers have discovered.  Patches are good.  If you aren't good at remembering, set it up to update automatically.  You can ask it to notify you first and put off the update for a little while, but get it done.

Take good care of your computer!

There are many antivirus programs offered for purchase. What many people don't know is that there are great programs that you can get and use for free! There are some scammers that claim they will check your computer out, but you download them and they tell you that you have to pay, or some are actually viruses or spyware themselves!

I know of two very good, legitimate free anti-virus programs. I personally use AVG, but I know many people who also love Avast.

AVG is only for use in personal computers. They have a paid version for businesses, and they also offer a more comprehensive version for a fee. The free version has been serving my computer needs for over 5 years. Get it here. The link can be a little confusing. You'll need to click about three times where it says to download the free version (basic). Set it up to scan your computer daily at a certain time, and you know it will be there for you.

Avast can be found at this link. Though I have not used it, our security-minded friend and many others feel this is one of the best.

You also need to keep your computer safe from spyware, and again there is a great free program out there to use. Spybot: Search and Destroy is an awesome program.

I don't get anything from any of these companies by recommending them. I don't work for them, but they work well for me. There are options on their sites for you to donate to them, and you may want to do that to keep getting their product for free.