People are always asking me about computers and explain to me how theirs is really slow even though it may be only a year or two old.  The internet is flooded with trash and even someone who is cautious and stays clear of shady websites can become infected.  On the other hand, people who often visit porn sites and download pirated movies and music are just begging to get infected. Hackers love the fact that so many people would rather steal music than pay for it, and for that reason, they use those sites to spread their viruses. A hacker can merge a virus with an mp3 using what is called a binder program and then by simply downloading the mp3, you simultaneously launch the virus on your computer.

Not everyone who gets a virus is guilty of stealing music or watching porn. There are times when, for example, a script/ad  on a website may be altered by a hacker and you could become infected by just visiting the page. To avoid these types of viruses, checkout NoScript a Firefox extension that blocks scripts on web pages. Another more common way to get infected is by opening an attachment in an email, especially on a chain email that has been forwarded to hundreds of people. You should never open an attachment in an email unless you can confirm that the sender actually sent it to you.

Now, in the event that you are infected, let me tell you how to fix it. The first program that you should run is Malwarebytes just be sure to run the update first to ensure you have all of the lastest virus definitions. First, run a “Quick Scan” to get the majority of them, then restart. At this point, it should be running a little better. Next, run a “Full Scan” this will probably take a while, so just walk away and let it run. Once the full scan is completed, remove the threats and restart. Now, to do some cleaning. I like to start with CCleaner and Glary Utilities to clean the registry and get rid of junk files. Both of these are good and it’s best to run them both to ensure you got everything. Once you are confident that you have things really clean, you should download Smart Defrag to organize all of the files on your hard drive and optimize it for best performance.Run these programs often to keep everything in good shape.

I currently use Microsoft Security Essentials for antivirus on my Windows machines. What antivirus software are you currently using?

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