I need to install anti virus software. Before I buy anything I need to know what it is I already have that came installed on my Acer 3680 laptop.
At the very bottom of my desk top there is a little icon in the shape of a red shield. When I open this there are 4 items. Firewall, automatic updating, other security settings and malware protection. All are on except the malware protection. This is off and when I want to turn it on it says no virus protection software found and prompts me to find software. There I need to purchase anti virus protection package.
Now my main question is all that I have explained above, is this a partial package that I need to uninstall before I install new software?
I know that you can’t run two together or it will cause conflicts with the PC.
I tried to run Anti Virus 2009 that I paid 79.00 but it for some reason vanished from my PC. The Icon is there but when I try to open it I get a message
"can’t find program, it has been changed or moved".
With frustration I contacted the software manufacture for support and they were of no assistance to me what so ever. So I requested a refund which they willingly obliged.
Now I am at square one and need help. I am not a computer guru so please explain in layman’s terms.
Hope someone can offer help. Thanks……….Andre
you just need an anti virus system.
Try Avast you can not get a better anti virus system for free.
it has many features you will have to pay for in other systems.
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
don’t forget to register or you will only get a 60 day trial
if you have the urge to pay for it then try Avast pro : http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_professional.html
It can be downloaded and used free of charge for a 60-day trial period.
for a fire wall try this one also free and it has no conflicts with avast.
http://www.pctools.com/firewall/
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Just so you know Anti-virus 2009 is in itself a virus that is tricking you into paying for it which you did.
Free anti-virus > http://www.avg.com/
Another free anti-malware program (mostly anti-spyware) is Spybot Search and Destroy, available at :
http://www.safer-networking.org/
The "Anti Virus 2009" sounds like a mean malware program that was circulating a while back, have you really gotten a refund ? If it was on your computer at all, Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool might have taken it out of commission (the tool is updated once a month and is not a replacement for anti-virus).
If none of this makes a lot of sense I suggest you find a computer repair shop and go there and ask questions. The good ones are set up to remove malware and viruses from computers, and they can tell you what programs they use. You might also check with a nearby college or high school, they have to use anti-malware software, and although they use packages designed for large systems and clusters, they will have anti-malware programs also running on some isolated computers here and there.
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See the real problem here is you think if you have "antivirus" installed, your security needs are all taken care of. The greatest security threat to a computer is the user. See how you got tricked into installing malware disguised as antivirus (that’s what Anti Virus 2009 is, and you even paid them money!)? That’s called social engineering.
To secure your computer, forget about "antivirus" and get educated.
Good security requires a multi-layered approach, and the least important layer by far is running some kind of anti-malware program (in fact, if you take care of all the other layers, you don’t even need an anti-malware program using up extra resources).
In order of importance:
1. Create and use almost exclusively a limited user account instead of the default administrator account Windows sets you up with
2. Read up on social engineering and how to avoid it
3. Don’t download illegal copies of software, music, or movies
4. Set Windows updates to install automatically
5. Make regular backups. If possible, back up your entire installation (using Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image)
well that program is malware (fraudware) u got tricked into sending them 80 dollars u will never see again — and u need to run malwarebytes anti-malware program on your computer as soon as possible to get that off ur computer –it is still there lurking in the back ground
and malwarebytes is a free app