Dec. 22, 2004

Hi, All!

This Week: More on spy/ad-ware and viruses

I imagine that by now you are getting tired of reading about viruses. But I am getting more and more calls from people experiencing strange problems with their PC's. To save others from the problems my client of ComputerFAQ #220,for whom I had to erase the hard drive, I hope to find a good do-it-all anti spy/ad/virus program.
My own PC is infected with a spy-ware virus that I'm unable to get rid of-my cursor moves by itself. Fortunately it is just spy-ware and not a worm or other destructive virus. In looking for a program to remove it, I have found in a couple of long sessions on the Internet that there are a lot of companies that offer anti-spy/ad/virus products. Some are good; some are not.
In each case, the spy/ad/virus definitions from each company are different, and each will look for and find different spy/ad/viruses. That means, that to try to keep your machine un-infected, you may need more than one spy/ad/virus program. I have checked several spy/ad/virus programs; looking for one that I feel is worth purchasing. This is how I have found the difference between the different companies and how I verified I have a virus.
At this point, am not going to buy a program; there are a few free programs, and almost all companies will let you download/run a scan on your hard drive. However, if you have a spy/ad/virus, you will have to purchase to enable the removal of the program. Until I am sure I find a program that will do it all--remove all spy/ad/viruses and have a very good update system to keep my spy/ad/virus definitions current--I am not going to purchase.
I have not yet found one that does it all, but I will keep looking. If anyone has a program they like, let me know. We can all benefit from each other's experiences.

Have a happy holiday!

'Til next week, (ComputerFAQ#221)


Robert

Please send your questions to

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