Saturday, November 23, 2013

How Anti-Virus Keeps Your Computer From Crashing

How Anti-Virus Keeps Your Computer From Crashing I'll be the first to admit I did not know much about computers.I always thought when you got a computer it came with everything you needed.What I didn't know was that you always need an anti-virus on your computer to keep it from crashing.My computer of course came with that,but I did not know after a certain length of time you have to pay to renew it. I always thought the terminally on a computer was strange.Things like anti-virus,checking the cookies,The mouse,seemed crazy to me.Well after I found out that I had been running my computer with no anti-virus program I didn't know what to do.My husband and I are on a fixed income so I couldn't really afford to buy anything else for the computer.It took me years to save up to get this computer.I never expected you could get something at no cost to you.I found out that there are many free sites to get a anti-virus program. A lot of these sites let you download the anti- virus protection for free.That was right up my alley,free! Well after I downloaded it I had to figure out next how to use it.I am not really swift on a computer.I learned that I just hit the button that says start scanning and the anti-virus program scans everything and tells me if my computer has any viruses on it.I also learned you should not put a lot of things on your computer you really don't have to have on it.I love music so I would download a lot of my favorite songs on my computer. That way when I get on my computer I can play my favorite songs.I did not know that slowed your computer down.I also loved to play games on the computer such as bingo or slots.I sure found out pretty quickly that not only can you lose your money fast,downloading those sites could have caused problems on my computer.I was told that the anti-virus program protects my computer from sites like those.After I was told I really didn't need those kind of things on my computer I went to my add and delete program and delete them. My computer actually started to run faster after I did that.I also go to run and type in cookies and clear everything out of it.It would be to easy for someone out there who knows how to hack into peoples computers to get my personal information.Identity theft is also a big concern these days.I really trust my anti-virus program to protect me from such things as identity theft but I have to do my part also. I need to be careful about putting my social security number over the computer,or most important my credit card number or my banking information.So remember to be smart about those kind of things and try to use your anti-virus program at least twice a week.

Steps To Take To Get Computer Protection-Anti Virus Software

Steps To Take To Get Computer Protection-Anti Virus Software If you have a Windows-based machine, you may have noticed a decline in your computer’s performance since you bought it. It may freeze up suddenly, or it just could be acting a bit sluggish. Instead of buying a new system, you should first try whatever you can to preserve your current one. Here are 7 lightning quick fixes to improve your computer’s performance. Solution #1: Run anti-virus software: Computer viruses are especially frustrating because in most cases they are made by someone with nothing better to do than to try to hurt your computer. Viruses can slow performance or even wipe out precious data. Avoid this fate at all costs by buying a good anti-virus software solution and running it all of the time. To find one, do a Web search and compare options. Solution #2: Run a defragment routine: Okay, this sounds esoteric and technical but it is actually bone simple to do. All this means is that you are arranging the data on your hard drive more efficiently. Do a search on your operating system for defragment and follow the prompts. This fix is free but can take an hour or more to run, so plan accordingly. Solution #3: Clean up your hard drive: Here is another super-easy and free fix and involves ridding yourself of unneeded files on your hard drive. A less cluttered hard drive usually results in better performance. Do a search for disk cleanup and follow the prompts. Solution #4: Clean your registry: Your computer has something called a registry that stores important information about the users and applications that access your computer. As time goes by, registries become rife with errors. To find one, run a Web search for a registry cleaner. Most of them cost about $30, but they work great and are well worth the investment. Solution #5: Run anti-spyware software: Like a computer virus, spyware is also a pretty nasty little monster. It sits on your computer and watches your every move, sometimes even sending information about your activity to other computers. Not a pretty picture, and it can slow down your performance as well. To disable your spyware (you likely have many), find any of a number of the excellent for-pay or free anti-spyware programs available on the Internet. I suggest running at least two. There is no harm in this and you will definitely find and fix more problems than if you just use one. Solution #6: Buy more memory: Computer memory, or RAM, is like a temporary workspace that your computer uses for almost everything it does. If the workspace gets cluttered or full, the ability for your computer to take on additional work is hampered. With most applications these days requiring more and more memory, getting an additional 1GB or so of RAM is a very good investment and a great alternative to the cost of upgrading your machine. Solution #7: Clean your hard drive more thoroughly:Your hard drive is the core of your machine, shuttling data back and forth between permanent storage and working memory (RAM). To keep it in tip-top shape, run a third-party hard drive cleaning application. CCleaner is great and is available for free on the Internet. There are other good products available as well. Running this should take about 5 minutes and your computer’s performance should show measurable improvement afterward.