One of the biggest headaches of working in technology, is having to repair an affected computer. Depending on what library department that computer is associated with, it could take a day and a half - just focusing on that one machine - to "wipe it out and restore it" to suitable working conditions. Needless to say, its very frustrating and very time-consuming on my part. But for some of you, when this involves your home computer, it can be a very crippling feeling, especially if that computer is the only computer in your entire household.

So to continue our discussion on free and paid software to help you save time and money, I want to tell you about ways to protect the data on your personal laptops, home computers, smartphones, and tablets by gaining an understanding of why ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAMS are important and how you can download/install one of these programs onto your personal devices for FREE.

ANTI-VIRUS EXPLAINED:

Dummies.com defines anti-virus as "a utility used to spot and erase [computer] viruses from a system." As Princeton.edu points: a "true virus cannot spread [to another computer] without human interaction" in that a virus is "a software program capable of reproducing itself and usually capable of causing great harm to files or other programs on the same computer." Therefore, EVERY DEVICE you own (and use) that connects to the Internet, from your home computer to even your smartphone, should have an anti-virus program installed on it.

Those who create viruses are getting clever and clever. Just like them, we too have to be just as clever in finding ways to safeguard our equipment. Therefore, installing an anti-virus program and forgetting about it, simply isn't enough. You need to make sure it stays up-to-date with the latest virus definitions. Now, virus definitions (or threat signatures) are databases that keep up with the latest viruses along with strategies to help your anti-virus program "get rid of it." So, why is all of this important?

According to an October 2011 report by Kaspersky Labs, makers of Kaspersky Anti-Virus, there are at least 70,000 new viruses introduced EVERYDAY. So whenever your anti-virus program notifies you that it is out-dated, needs to be updated, or has a new update to download/install, you should PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION!

It means that the anti-virus software really needs to connect back to its "home base" to obtain the latest updates. Why? - because today's viruses are brutal. Once your device is infected, the virus is likely designed to block your ability to get on the Internet thereby blocking your ability to update your anti-virus software. By then, its too late!

Here are two popular free antivirus programs.


(1) PANDA CLOUD ANTI-VIRUS FREE

• Unlike AVG, Panda Cloud is currently only available for computers and laptops. 

• Yet unlike any existing anti-virus program - paid or free, Panda Cloud is the first cloud-based anti-virus program on the market. Cloud-based means its a service available through the Internet. So you can only buy/download it via the Internet only, and not in stores.

• In a January/February 2012 performance test conducted by AV-Test.org, Panda Cloud was ranked #1, while AVG ranked third and Microsoft Security Essentials ranked lowest. In April 2012, PCWorld stated that Panda Cloud "...outperformed AVG in a malware [detection] test." Just so your know, malware is another name for a type of [computer] virus and it means "malicious software".

• To download Panda Cloud for FREE:
• Visit http://www.cloudantivirus.com/en/forHome/ and click on the Download Free button.
• Their FREE version offers protection against real-time anti-virus and anti-spyware protection, along with automatic, behind-the-scenes updates. In case you're wondering, spyware is a type of malware that monitors your actions as you're using your device and reports your actions back to someone else, likely a hacker.

(2) AVG ANTI-VIRUS FREE

• In April 2012, PCWorld named AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition as their top pick in "Free Anti-Virus  You Can Trust".

• Unlike Panda Cloud, AVG offers protection for your mobile devices as well as year-round telephone support for the FREE version installed on your personal computers and laptops.

• To download AVG for FREE:
• For Android-based devices, such as smartphones and tablets: 
• Visit the Google Play Store and search for "Antivirus Free" by AVG Mobilization. 
• Be sure to check the box to "Allow automatic updating" either before or after install.
• Like most anti-virus programs for mobile devices, it will scan every new app that you install, perform scheduled scans on your existing apps, emails, text messages, etc., along with performing automatic updates - if you have the "Allow automatic updating" button checked.
• For personal computers and laptops:  
• Visit http://free.avg.com/us-en/free-downloads and find the Install button for the latest FREE version.
• Their FREE 2012 version offers basic protection against viruses and spyware and don't forget about the year-round free telephone support.

Here are a few other FREE anti-virus programs:

• Avast
• Avira
• Bitdefender
• Microsoft Security Essentials

PLEASE NOTE: Not all anti-virus programs "get along", so you only want to have ONE anti-virus (AV) program on your computer at any given time. Multiple AV programs on the same device could cause a "tug-of-war" whenever a virus is detected. So if you already have an anti-virus program installed, consider uninstalling it prior to installing something else. If you are unfamiliar with whether your current program is working for you, then seek out expert advice by visiting your local computer store like Best Buy, Office Depot, or Staples.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

I personally used Panda Cloud on my personal laptop and AVG on my Android-based smartphone, so what do you use? Perhaps you use an anti-virus that is different from those mentioned here. If so, feel free to share your preferred AV program with us in the comments section below.

In Part Two, the discussion continues as I focus on how to protect and backup your smartphone data.

As we all know, security software for our computers is vital. Whether it's for your home or work computer, virus protection is important. But unfortunately, there are some people in the world that would rather see your computer crash rather then help it. Viruses, malware, and other harmful programs are becoming more and more popular every year. Not to mention more and more vicious. Viruses and malware are notorious for destroying important files on your computer. Sometimes it get so bad that the computer can't function and the hard drive crashes. Below are some virus protections I recommend:

1. Kaspersky
2. Webroot
3. AVG
4. Trend Micro

Other virus protections, such as Norton and McAfee, attract viruses because they are so popular. Yahoo! has posted an article about this as well: http://tech.yahoo.com

With nearly 200 computers in the library system, it is not uncommon for the I/T Dept. to be forced to reinstall the Windows operating system for computers here and there. As a matter of fact, it's a day-long process and although it's time-consuming, it's usually a no-brainer until....

Microsoft makes an "improvement" that they to call "Windows updates". When they do that, it makes reinstalling the operating system downight frustrating. Nearly a year and a half ago, they released a major update called "Service Pack 3" for the Microsoft XP Professional OS.

Now, if you don't know by now, you can't buy a computer with Windows XP anymore. I think Microsoft stop selling those back in the summer of 2007. That means if you go to the store (or online) and buy a computer, you are stuck with purchasing Microsoft's latest OS, Windows Vista.

(As an FYI, there were two different versions of XP: Home and Professional. While there are four different versions of Vista: Home, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate).

However, right before they stop selling and providing support for XP machines, they can out with SP3. Now, I am not a Microsoft hater, just a "consumer watchdog". I use Microsoft products everyday both here at work and at home. (This is a good place to sigh.) The problem with Microsoft choosing to release an update like this is that if it has "bugs" then they don't necessarily "have-to" fix those bugs and that leaves us with computer "that aren't acting right" (as my grandmother would say). That also means that if you are not a technie, then you will probably take your computer to somewhere like Best Buy. If that doesn't work, you get frustated and buy a new computer (as my grandmother would do). I think you see the benefit for Microsoft here, don't you? I know far too many people who have made Microsoft rich off of the number of computers that they have bought throughout the years (just ask my grandmother) but that's for another blog posting......

Soon after SP3 came out, I probably reinstalled Windows on 5-8 library computers and each one of them crashed soon after SP3 was installed it. As I backtrack my thinking to try and figure out what was different this time as opposed to all of the other times that I had reinstalled Windows, I realized that it was SP3, which took nearly an hour by itself to install. That made the whole Windows reinstallation process now - a day and a hour. :-) Unfortunately, I had to reinstall the OS on each of these computers at least once more leaving SP3 out of the picture and all has been well since. (Even Best Buy doesn't install SP3.) Just a few weeks ago, I was "checking up" on one of pre-SP3 computers and have since found SP3 did installed itself (if you have automatic updates turned on) and strangely enough it hasn't crashed - yet!!!!

So, if you have a XP Professional on your home (or small business computer) and it begins to act strange after installing Windows updates, you might want to check Add/Remove Programs to see if SP3 is installed. Even though some in the "tech world" have said that Microsoft has made "the appropriate improvement to SP3 to prevent problems", I still don't trust it and a year and a half later, I still do not install it on any of the library's Windows computer. Hopefully, you won't find yourself having to reinstall Windows because of SP3.