Saturday, February 6, 2016

Viruses!

      Good day everyone! This week's blog will be all about detecting and removing viruses. So let's get started.


                                                            Do You Have A Virus?

     One day you decide to go browsing on the internet like you would normally do. However, this time you did something different. You click on a bad link, accidentally click on an ad, download a bad program, etc. Now bam! Your computer is acting up, throwing random popups, programs, and anything out on your computer to take it over. 

       Contracting a virus on your computer can be very easy to do. Sometimes, it happens even without your knowledge and the virus snoops around on your computer unnoticed, looking for information to steal, while other times, it is very clear that you have a virus due to all of the annoying popups and programs that have started up. So what should you do? Let's talk about that.

                                           
                                                               Removing a Virus

        Now you have the task of dealing with those annoying viruses on your PC, but  how? The most simple and efficient way is to use an antivirus of course, but not yet. First, let's do some snooping for ourselves to see what we encounter on your computer. Go ahead and open up your list of programs on your PC. Click on the Windows icon and search "Control Panel". Click on Programs. Go ahead and take a look at your programs and see if there is anything you don't recognize. Some of the more common viruses that tend to pop up on people's computer usually revolve around some type of search tool, auto driver tool, or a fake antivirus. One example is Search Protect by Conduit. This is one very nasty piece of malware which spreads a number of infiltrating codes, a.k.a. a virus. It is very common and infiltrates your system in order to steal info while slowing down your PC. Please keep in mind that if you are not sure what to remove in fear of removing something important, you can skip this step and the antivirus will deal with those for you.
       Before you install any type of antivirus program, you must be sure that there are no other antivirus programs installed. If there are more than one on your PC, you may encounter lagging problems and more. So uninstall all antiviruses before you install another.

       After you have weeded out those unwanted/unneeded programs, let's go ahead and choose the best antivirus for you. There are many different antiviruses out there for you to choose from, some require a payment while others that are completely free can do the same job just as well, if not better! So don't let the price tag fool you into thinking that they are better than those free antiviruses, the only benefits that generally come with the price tag are extras that don't have to do with virus removal. How do I find and pick a good antivirus? There is no need to do any internet scrounging because that's what I'm for! Here are a couple that I would recommend. Panda Free AntivirusAvastAVG Free360 Total Security
       If you are looking for a simple yet strong antivirus, go for 360 Total Security. This antivirus is one of my favorites due to its sheer simplicity, but don't let that change your perspective on how effective it is. 360 Total security is also one of the top ranked in virus detection of 2016 and has been for many years previously. 360 Total Security comes with an auto detect tool that will let you know if your PC is not running as it should. It will speedup your computer, remove unused files, disable any useless programs during the startup of your computer so it turns on faster, and of course, it will remove those nasty viruses and keep them off. 
        If you like to stick with your name brand items, AVG Free Antivirus is another fantastic choice. Its detection rates are also one of the top ranked in 2016 and has been at the top for many years. It comes with a cleanup utility to keep your PC running smooth and it also gives you the option of upgrading to the complete version to access any of the extras that it provides. I do not have much experience with this program, but from the experience that I do have, I can definitely say that this is a fantastic free antivirus. The only cons that seemed to have surfaced would be its design. Navigating the program can be a bit confusing to a newcomer, but if your determined, you can always find what you are looking for.  
       Yet another fantastic antivirus is the free program Avast. If you are looking for an antivirus that you may have seen elsewhere due to its popularity and is also a fantastic antivirus, Avast is a great choice. This is an extremely popular program among PC users. Much like 360 Total Security, this program is very simple and easy to use. The install is quick and seamless, navigation is very simple, and detection rates are up there with the best of them. Avast also gives you the option of upgrading to its premium versions, giving you extras such as a VPN service for 100% private browsing and SafeZone for complete safety from hackers with online banking.
      Last, but not least, is Panda Free Antivirus. This antivirus is another fantastic antivirus for virus detection and removal and is at the top of the charts for 2016. There are two cons about this program; limited ability and the annoying programs it attempts to install during its initial install. In order to use most of the extras, you must purchase the pro edition which includes things such as a file shredder, PC tuneup, file encryption and more. During the install, Panda asks you if you would like to install extras such as the yahoo search bar. If you do decide on this program, I highly recommend paying attention when installing otherwise you will accidentally install an unwanted item. Other than that, Panda is a great choice as far as an antivirus goes. The install is simple and seamless along with the whole program design. 
         Time to choose an antivirus! I shall narrow it down for you all on functionality.
Panda Free Antivirus: Great for the user who likes to do things his own way. Simple, minimal free features, great detection rates.
Avast: Fantastic for the basic PC user. Extremely simple, many free features, fantastic detection rates.
AVG Free Antivirus: A great antivirus for the user who likes to follow the name brand. Top of the line detection, many free features, fantastic detection rates.
360 Total Security: In my opinion, this antivirus is the best one out there as far as free goes. This one is extremely simple, flawless design, tremendous amount of free features, and top of the line detection rates. 
         Once you choose your program, use the links provided in the names to download them, or go to their main site. Follow all of the instructions that the antivirus provides and you will have no problem removing those pesky viruses and keeping them off!

11 comments:

  1. You're so tech savvy, I wish I was you. My computer always has some type of virus it's annoying, thank you so much for your helpful tips!

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    1. I'm glad I could help. If you have any questions about your computer, feel free to post them and I will do my best to answer.

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  2. Your tips are so helpful sawyer. My computer runs horribly but I need to just get a new one..

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    1. Viruses do make up a lot of the problems in the Windows computer industry, but if your computer is an older one, it would be wise to give it a good cleaning as well. 360 Total Security provides you with an antivirus as well as a cleaning tool, all for free. The 2 in 1 antivirus + cleaning is best for older computers due to the fact that Windows gets clunky over time from all its excess file build up.

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  3. I will definitely be trying this out on my brothers laptop, he keeps saying that adds pop up

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    1. If you brother is complaining of ads in general on his PC, a virus could be a possibility. However, if his complaints are only within his browser, you should try an ad blocker as well. The number 1 ad blocker out there today is ad block plus. The website is adblockplus.org. Go to the website and it will automatically detect the type of browser you use and provide the correct ad blocker and the link to install it.

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  4. Viruses are a problem and can be removed easily, but Malware is where things get more difficult as they are the invisible attacks that pose greater threats to those unaware of such. You should definitely blog about that, I'm sure some people would appreciate it, you do a good job of explaining.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Good idea, thank you. I'll put it down for one of my blogs. I appreciate the compliment too.

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    3. nice I didn't know this, I currently have Norton to protect against viruses. but I will defiantly keep your tips in mind!

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