"You're protected fromviruses, right?" I ask my friend.
I watch the always dependable reaction. Eyeshift, foot shuffle, then a wincing "I think...I mean I have Norton on mydesktop". Usually followed by a sheepish grin.
My friends, like most average users, know thatthey should have virus protection, but it's ... difficult tomake sure you have the right thing installed. In hopes of making it easy hereare some quick tips.
My rule about Anti-virus software: It should beinvisible, until I have a problem. If this ain't true then I've got the wrongsoftware package.
Step 1:
AVG.com - Go to the site, click on home version,click on trial and download it. It expires in 30 days, but we will discuss thislater. DO NOT INSTALL YET.
Step 2:
Remove any anti-virus software that you mightalready have installed. Click the Start button, Goto to Control Panel, AddRemove Programs, Uninstall your old anti-virus.
This is an important step as multipleanti-viruses will slow your machine as well as cause one another to fail.
Step 3:
Now install AVG. Just follow the prompts, itsrelatively painless. You DO NOT have to INSTALL any toolbars. (Unless you wantthem)
Step 4:
When your done installing, click on the AVG iconin your start tray. (The area down by the time and date).
Step 5:
Whenever you login, check for the AVG icon inyour start tray. If you don't see it you have a problem.
That's it! It's not difficult! The only time Isee AVG is when I have a virus. It automatically checks all files I save,anything I download and it even checks web links before Iclick them. It's cool, in a geeky sorta way.
Trial Period
Oddly enough, my 30 day trial expired, but thismeans that when a virus is detected, I get an offer to buy the product but itstill cleans and scans my machine. I encourage you to upgrade and buy the fullpackage. Matter of fact, I'm going to buy the software today.
Updating
At times you might get a popup/message that it'stime to update your virus protection. Do it, it will take 15 min and run in thebackground. You should be aware that AVG will daily download minor updates foritself. However this will happen without you being aware of it. The biggerupdates typically mean something special happened. These are the ones you willreceive an alert on.
Other Antivirus Packages
There are a number of anti-virus packages outthere. All are pretty good, so feel free to try them. Just try them one at atime. I recommend AVG as it's NOT well known. Which means hackers are notspecifically targeting their system. It's a small advantage, but "life's agame of inches."
Malware - Antivirus Impersonators
This sounds counter intuitive, but be verycareful of any popup message saying you have a virus There are a number ofhacks that impersonate your anti-virus software. They look very close to thereal thing! If your suspicious of something, just cancel out and click on yourAVG icon (in the start tray). It will let you know if there is a problem.
If you get one of these malware viruses thatLOOK like a anti-virus software, seek a professional. These viruses tend to getout of hand very quickly!!!
Finally, I would challenge my friend Mr. Clarkover at Clark ThoughtLeadership towrite his own blog entry on this topic. He specializes in IT and PC Security.
So tell me what Anti-Virus do you use, anddoes it work for you?