Tech Talk: Keeping Your Computer Safe – For Free

-  Don Gersch

Once upon a time, say in the late 1990s or early 2000s, if you had a virus on your computer you would probably know about it,  Your machine would slow down, or crash on a regular basis, or very unusual things would happen, such as graphics suddenly appearing on your screen.  Often in those days, viruses were created by 14 year olds trying to see what mischief they could make.  Now, in 2012, if you have a virus, or to use a more general term, malware, on your computer, it is unlikely that you will know about it immediately.  That's because it will now hide on your computer and attempt to give information about you to the people who created it – things like your credit card number or your bank account figures.  These days malware is usually created by people trying to steal from you.

One thing hasn't changed, although it may be even more important now – you need to have security programs to protect you, and they must be up to date and working.  Luckily, although there are many good protection programs that you can buy, there are also very adequate programs that you can get for free.  One good anti-virus program is AVG Free (http://free.avg.com).  AVG will update itself automatically and can be set up to run scans on any schedule that you choose.  Once it's set up it will pretty much take care of itself.  It's important to note that when you download and install a free program, you be sure that you are using the free or basic version.  If the web site or installation program suggests an upgrade or demonstration version, don't go for it.  There will either be an immediate charge, or the demo will only last for a set period of time, usually 30 or 90 days, and then ask that you buy it.  AVG Free will remain free, but will need updating as new versions come out.  If you decide for any reason that you don't like AVG Free, another good program to try is Avast Free (http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download). 

Anti-virus programs, including AVG Free, are good at blocking malware, but are not as good at removing it, if you allow it onto your system.  This often happens through no fault of your own.  An excellent program for removing malware from your computer is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free (http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytesfree).  However, it is important to install Malwarebytes Free before you have a problem.  Often malware, once on the computer, can block security programs from installing.  Unfortunately, unlike AVG, Malwarebytes, in its free version, does not run automatically, you must run it so it can update and scan on whatever schedule you wish.  Running it at least once per week would be recommended.

Whether you decide to use these free programs or one of the commercial security suites, it is essential that you not only have good security programs, but that you be sure they are updating and scanning your computer on a regular basis.

(This article appeared on page 11, Winter Issue 2013, The Afton Vision)