5 Steps to Using Online Financial Sites Safely

Every year computer users who use the Internet to check account balances, transactions, and even paying bills grows by nearly 30%. According to one Pew study, more than 50 million Americans use online banking services. 50 million sounds like a large number, but that still reflects less than 50% of online American adults. Bank web sites continue to evolve by becoming easier to use, more secure, and more helpful than ever...

Setting up a new computer

Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to avoiding illness in ourselves. Prevention in the computer world is no different. And like a newborn baby, a newly purchased computer is subject to many terrible diseases and problems if not properly cared from the moment it is taken from its cardboard box. I follow these steps when setting up a new computer system for my clients, and recommend this methodology for all new...

Web surfing 101…again

Catching up on my reading, I ran across yet another article outlining how easily unsuspecting web users can be duped into infecting their machines and voluntarily giving up their own hard earned money. You MUST read this article, IF you want to keep yourself, your wallet, and your computer safe. Wired published the article I was reading today in their Ocotober issue. You can read it by clicking here. Executive summary:  Bad...

How to register for your Avast Free Antivirus Lice...

Adding to my new ongoing series of daily how-tos I write for clients is this one about registering the Free Avast Antivirus I now recommend. Occasionally the registration servers are not working when I install the program for a client, so I created these instructions for her to follow when the servers come back online. This should also help those folks who need to re-register Avast after the first year. Keep in mind that for...

Fake Security Alerts & other Internet Bad Guy...

Over the past year or so, the majority of my professional time has been digging computer users (Windows users only) out of jams where they were infiltrated by fake security software or spyware. Two things to know about this type of infection: No matter what type of security software you use and how much you paid for it, IT CANNOT PROTECT YOU IF YOU INVITE THE BAD GUY INTO YOUR COMPUTER. It is preventable. Over the years,...

How to download, install, and configure Avast Anti...

I try to continually test and analyze what is available in the world of computers for my clients and web site visitors. Security tops the list of the testing, reading, and studying I do. Recently, AVG released yet another upgrade, and more bulk. As of today, I no longer recommend that users use AVG Antivirus. My current recommendations are as follows: Ubuntu/Linux - No need for additional security products Apple (Mac OS X)...

Yet another reason why I recommend using anything ...

Internet Explorer has been the single largest factor in computer security problems over the past 10 years. Consumer education and awareness follows closely behind. Combined, these two factors create a security nightmare. This story outlines yet more evidence to problems stemming from Internet Explorer and its monetary effect on companies like Google. Remember that the AOL and MSN browsers use Internet Explorer as their...

How to download, install & configure AVG Free...

AVG released version 9 of their free antivirus/antispyware product a couple of weeks ago. You may have started to see notifications from them that you need to update before December 1. Typically, they provide a deadline, but previous versions work for a number of months after the deadline. After using the new version for awhile, it appears they did make it faster and improve the scanning speeds as well. If you currently use a...

Why use free security software?

A customer asked me a question that I get asked quite often on the radio show and when I’m making my daily house or office visits. “Why do you use free products versus the larger commercial pay products for keeping a computer secure?” My answer can be summed up in word: effectiveness. Time and time again, the products I recommend prove themselves in the field as being thorough, effective, and unobtrusive...

Learn to stay safe with your email

Like any medium, we all need to keep a discerning eye on the information we read on the Internet and in email. You don’t believe everything you read in the newspaper or see on TV do you? The Internet is no different and tends to breed more fiction because its tools are so readily available. First and foremost, keep an anti-virus software running on your computer at all times and make sure it is updated at least weekly....

How to change time of AVG scan schedule

If you install AVG and use all the default settings, you will find that the AVG wants to scan your computer every day at either 8:00am or 12:00pm (noon). Because the complete system scan can take up to an hour or more to complete (depending on the number of files on your computer), it can be extremely inconvenient to have the scan slow your computer down when you are trying to work on it. You can stop the scan if you need...

Cleaning and removing Antivirus 2009, PAV and othe...

Preventing your computer from becoming infected is infinitely easier and less stressful than cleaning up after an infection. Search my site for tons of information on setting up your computer for security and techniques to avoid scams. However, if you are already bit by one of the most recent nasty forms of software, Antivirus 2008, Antivirus 2009, Personal Antivirus, Internet Security 2009 among others (software I call...

Microsoft Plans to Release Free AntiVirus Program

Thankfully and mercifully, Microsoft is discontinuing the horrible OneCare security product they sold the past couple of years. However, Microsoft announced today that a new security product, code named Morro, will appear as a free antivirus product later this year. In the story below, Microsoft states that the new antivirus product will be based on the current OneCare underpinnings. As usual, I will reserve full judgment...

Conficker Worm April 1 Virus – Do NOT Panic

I wish I had about 1/100th the pull of a sensationalized TV news spot. News must be slow this past couple of weeks (or the news folks don’t want to report on real news) therefore many news stories, including 60 Minutes, have reported on the Conficker Worm slated to become active on April 1. The real story here is that this threat was discovered last Fall and if you keep your antivirus and antispyware up-to-date and you...

How to upgrade to AVG 8.5 Free – Video Tip

AVG released the new version of their security software about two weeks ago. Many of you have asked, should you upgrade and if so, how. Follow these steps and watch this video on how to get through process quickly and correctly. It is imperative that you both read these instructions and watch the video. Visit my site and scroll down to my Links & Resources section on any web page here at HelpMeRick.com Click AVG...