An extremely slow and sick computer!

Today, again, I ran across a family who has multiple teenagers (3 in this case) who use a computer that has become polluted with spy and adware. I see this situation again and again, week after week. This computer was less than 2 months old!

Give the typical teenager a Windows based computer (doesn’t matter if it is XP or Vista) and within weeks (sometimes hours) the computer is almost useless. Parents always ask me the next logical question, “Why did it happen?”

The first problem is not enough or the right type of anti-virus and anti-spyware protection. For Windows users, I recommend using AVG Antivirus as the first line of defense. Windows Vista users also have the almost useless Windows Defender automatically installed, but also need to utilize the anti-spyware components in AVG and also either Super AntiSpyware and/or SpyBot Search and Destroy. These programs need to be updated weekly, at a minimum, and thorough scans be performed weekly as well. I have links to all these programs in the Links and Resources section listed at the top of this page.

The second problem is using the wrong browser. No teenager should be allowed to browse the web with Internet Explorer. Most of the junk that enters computers from the web comes in via the huge security holes found in Internet Explorer. Keeping up to date with Microsoft updates and patches helps, but most people simply don’t keep up with these updates leaving the computer like a wounded lamb. Instead, use a safer browser like Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or the new Google Chrome. These browsers prevent a large percentage of the junk programs that can easily penetrate Internet Explorer.

The third problem revolves around the general browsing habits of teenagers. Teens typically like to visit a combination of music download sites, wallpaper download sites, ring tone sites, social networking sites, games sites, and celebrity sites. Unfortunately, the Internet evil-doers know these patterns as well and will setup cheap knock-off sites that pretend to be legit, but throw adware and spyware as bonus add-ons to these unsuspecting computer users. Teens need to realize that their computer is not impenetrable and there are people on the web that are there to wreak havoc on their computers and wallets. Beware of deals that seem to good to be true…they are. Also, they should never give our their email address or IM (ask your kids what that is) info to any netizen asking for it. As with life, it pays to be vigilant and a little jaded when it comes to web sites and the people who run them.

My best advice to parents with teens in the household is to either invest in a Macintosh computer or install Linux on a computer that will be used strictly for the web and browsing. Linux and the Mac operating system are almost (not completely, but very close) immune from all these problems. These operating systems don’t give kids license to run rampant on the Internet, but certainly will cut down on the repair bills and down time that accompany Windows computers.

IF, parents and teens follow the steps outlined in this short article, any computer can be a safe computer. Prevention is the best medicine, but it is up to the computer user to administer and maintain the prevention.