|
| |
When we
aren't waiting on customers or stocking more
merchandise for you, our gang uses these TIPS
constantly to protect our computers.
- Below
are two different “FREE” software packages you can download and
install by yourself. They will help you reduce many annoying
problems that cause lockups and slowdowns .We recommend cleaning
your computer of these parasitic programs at least monthly.
- Ad-Aware 2007 is THE
award winning, multi-trackware detection and removal utility
(designed for Windows XP and Vista) that
will comprehensively scan your memory, registry, hard, removable and
optical drives for known Data mining, aggressive advertising,
Parasites, Scumware, Keyloggers, selected traditional Trojans,
Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components.
Ad-aware will provide you with the confidence to surf the Internet
knowing that your privacy will remain intact. Again every computer
seen by us has a lot of ad-ware running on
it. It’s direct link is
http://www.lavasoft.de/.
- Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.4 can detect and
remove spyware of different kinds from your computer. Spyware is a
relatively new kind of threat that common anti-virus applications do
not yet cover. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer
that you didn't intentionally install, if your browser crashes, or
if your browser start page has changed without your knowing, you
most probably have spyware. But even if you don't see anything, you
may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging that is
silently tracking your surfing behavior to create a marketing
profile of you that will be sold to advertisement companies. Spybot
- S&D is free, so there's no harm in trying to see if something
snooped into your computer, too. Every computer checked by
us, including our ones
at home, has been infected with Spyware. It’s direct link is
http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?page=download.
- Stinger virus removal tool.
We use Symantec Antivirus
products and strongly support them. And we utilize Symantec's
website to read about viruses and get removal tools. However we
recently found McAfee's Avert Stinger virus removal tool. It is
GOOD, FAST, and scans for many current viruses at one time. And it
fits on a floppy. The direct link is
http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=stinger.
- Windows Updates.
With the technology changing as fast as it does
Microsoft is trying to keep up with the changes and the security
problems that come with those changes. To
help you we are providing the direct link
to Microsoft’s website to do the updates on your computer.
http://www.windowsupdate.com
At a minimum you need to immediately install all critical updates.
Please be aware that many of the updates that are needed for your
computer may require you to reboot your computer. If you are still
using a slow dialup connection perform the larger updates at night
as they could take several hours. You should go back and
check for more updates at least one more time after the last update
is posted. This is to make sure that all the updates are installed,
and some updates require others to be installed first.
We recommend updating your computer as often as it may automatically
offer to do it for you, or monthly.
- Uninstalling Programs.
If I delete the ICON will it remove the program?
Remember that just simply removing an Icon from your desktop will not
remove the program from your PC. To remove programs properly go to
Control Panel, ADD/Remove programs.
- Monthly Maintenance should be done also. It
should include, but not be limited to, Defrag and
Disk Cleanup. To open Disk Defragmenter, click Start, point
to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then
click Disk Defragmenter and follow the menu. This can take a lot of
time so schedule accordingly. Run this monthly.
- Backups. Is your BACKUP working? Is it current? Do
you have a copy stored off site in case your building burns down?
You need to restore a file from your current backup to insure that
it works properly.
|
|
Lakeland,
Florida 33801-4614