Tech Support Help Desk

When you think of a virus, you probably think of the common cold, or perhaps the flu bug that comes around each winter.  However, in this post what I’m talking about is the small program that loads into your computer system, and does it’s best to use it, abuse it, and then kill it.

Luckily, today there are many companies that offer excellent services for anti-virus programs.  In fact, for the average home computer user, you can find several service providers that will allow you to use their software on your personal computer free of charge!  They do this in order to gain market share and users, knowing that if you like it you are more likely to request it at the office, or tell your IT guy about it (if you aren’t the IT guy, that is).

I have tried several programs to date, and the one that I would recommend hands down is the AVG free edition for personal home use.  You can find out more about it here.

The bottom line when considering virus solutions is this:  don’t get caught without one!  The effects on your system can range from simply losing your Internet access, being an unknowing accomplice to e-mail spam, to totally destroying your hard drive and any data on it.

OK, now some of you may need to get your minds out of the gutter.  I’m not talking about when you go out on a date, or some such activity.  I’m actually referring to the fact that you should not go online without adaquate protection.

What kind of protection?  Well, at a minimum, I would say you need to have a firewall installed on your computer (Windows XP and up comes with a firewall you can turn on), and a regularly updated virus program.  There are some great free anti-virus programs out there that you can get for the home user.  Another useful product when you are surfing online would be a spyware eradicating program.  We’ll save that as a subject for future discussion.