Virus and Malware Protection

Rx Computer Guy provides comprehensive Virus and Malware removal and protection for your PC at an affordable price. Rx Computer Guy performs in-home or in-office evaluation of your PC. Rx Computer Guy recommends a course of action to get your PC running smoothly, efficiently and Virus & Malware free so that you can spend your time on your PC being productive and not exasperated by the misbehavior and slowness that are symptoms of Viruses and Malware. Below is a brief tutorial and explanation of Viruses and Malware.

Virus - A virus attaches itself to a program or file so it can spread from one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. Much like human viruses, computer viruses can range in severity; some viruses cause only mildly annoying effects while others can damage your hardware, software, or files. The webopedia offers a great explanation of computer viruses and their variants (Worms and Trojan Horses) on their web site here.

There are a lot of programs to choose from to protect your PC from Viruses and Malware. Some are legitimate others are not. The two most popular subscription based anti-virus software packages come from Symantec (Norton) and McAfee, however, there is a fee for the subscription, usually renewable on an annual basis. A subscription allows your PC to download (usually automatically) the latest definitions file from the anti-virus software company so that your PC is protected with the most up-to-date anti-virus software available. Think of these definition file downloads as taking cholesterol lowering medication. If you stop taking your cholesterol lowering medication your cholesterol will most likely go up. If your PC stops downloading the anti-virus definition files, the likelihood of being infected with a virus goes up. If a PC user fails to renew their anti-virus subscription their PC will fall behind in the latest anti-virus protection and will potentially become infected with a new strain of virus that may have been prevented if their subscription was still current.

Malware (Malicious Software) -

Malware, frequently referred to as Adware or Spyware, comes in a variety of flavors. Most PC users infected with malware will experience some, if not, all of the following symptoms: web browser pop-ups, home page takeover, unwanted browser toolbars, phone dialers that hijack your modem to make unwanted calls etc. A good definition of malware can be found at this link. The anti-virus software companies are just beginning to introduce product features that address this problem.

Cookbook Solution

There is a simple approach to keeping your PC protected. If you follow these steps your PC should remain reasonably safe from Viruses and Malware:

1) Make sure your PC is running the latest version of Windows. Currently Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) is the most current version. In addition, there are other security updates to Windows XP that can be downloaded at http://update.microsoft.com. If you are running an earlier version of Windows such as Windows Me (Millennium Edition) or Windows 98, it would be best to upgrade to Windows XP, provided your computer hardware can handle it. Rx Computer Guy recommends at least 256 MB of memory and a 700 MHz processor. Microsoft is a little more forgiving in this regard. Click here for Microsoft's official stance, but Rx Computer Guy thinks their recommendations are a little too tight. Depending on your budget and computer needs, you may be able to get away with a simple memory upgrade to your old PC without making an investment in a new one.

2) If you run any of Microsoft's Office products, get the latest Service Packs and security updates at http://officeupdate.microsoft.com

3) Install an anti-virus program such as McAfee or Symantec (Norton) and make sure your subscription is up to date. While these products may have additional firewall protection, Microsoft Windows XP (SP2) has built in firewall capability as well as better controls for ActiveX, the prime medium for introducing Malware. One cost-effective anti-virus alternative is to use Grisoft's Free AVG available at http://free.grisoft.com

4) For additional Malware protection it is a good idea to install Spybot Search & Destroy as well as AdAware, both of which can be downloaded from http://www.download.com. These two products do not automatically update their definitions files so users are advised to periodically start these programs and download the definition file updates.