Antivirus \ Spyware problems

So probably the majority of questions I get asked are about antivirus or spyware.

Let's make this simple, Viruses and Spyware (generally referred to as Malware) are the leading cause of computer problems. If you use Windows you are vulnerable to them. They will slow your computer down, keep track of every little thing you do, pretty much whatever someone thinks would be funny or profitable.

So to answer this problem hundreds of companies have stepped up to generously sell you yearly licences to products that help remove or prevent your computer from being infected.

However there are plenty of great free programs available for download.

Antivirus:
Personally, I run AVG free 8.0. It is a tidy and easy to use program that is easily customizable yet by default is strong enough to do almost anything. It will scan e-mails and attachments, daily or weekly scanning, and automatic updates.

I used to run Avast! but found it to clunky. The user interface was not as easy and by default the program announced when it did simple tasks like update.

Spyware:
As for spyware I definitely suggest Spybot Search & Destroy. It has a solid interface and is easy for a novice to  setup or it has a long list of advanced features for those who know what they are doing. My only suggestion is during install to unclick the realtime protection "TeaTimer" option. If you leave this on you will be a bit safer but you will be hounded with question boxes every time you try to do pretty much anything.

Other than these two program the best advice I can give is watch what you are browsing\clicking on. You may also want to use a browser other than Internet Explorer. FireFox or Opera offer a lot more features and a lot less bugs.

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All the best,
Aaron

SATA Drivers

ISSUES:

Anonymous said...

- Computer worked very well upon first power up after build, recognizing my devices and allowed me to fully load Windows XP Pro with no problems. Checked Windows XP System Info after installed and confirmed that it recognized my Opteron 170 Dual-Core CPU, my ASUS EN8600GT video card, WD Sata hard drive, etc. No ‘X’s in Device Manager, either. All good J.
Noted BIOS Version was 10.05. Further noted CPU was ‘unknown’ in BIOS screen, which did not surprise me since ASUS support notes that you need minimum BIOS 10.11 to support the dual core CPU. I further note that my system was running Internet Explorer with no issues, email, etc.

- ASUS support documentation is very adamant that you must update the nVidia Chipset Driver Set to version 6.65, prior to updating to any BIOS version beyond 10.05… or risk crashing the file system! Since everything was running well, I did not update BIOS . However, subsequently, I did try and update nVidia Chipset Drivers to latest version 6.86 (I believe). Wrong move as my system crashed and I should have stuck with trying version 6.65 first! System re-booted okay and system displayed latest nVidia Driver Chipset updated to version 6.86, however I am not confident it was a successful update! Reason being, I received an error message when I tried to run Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (MFC42.dll error). This is where I screw up: As per Internet advice, I changed all related MFC42.dll files except the System32 one to MFC42.bak. Restarted PC and it worked fine…loaded Medal of Honour and it ran beautifully. However, upon shutting down PC, it locked up at ‘Saving your Settings’. Upon restarting, the system would crash and advise various different types of error messages (e.g.: missing Media device). Since that time, I have tried everything to re-install XP Pro (e.g.: reformat hard drive, repair, restore, etc) with no success (system hangs at 35 minutes left of installation at part where it states, “loading devices”).

I think since it is hanging on Windows install and re-formatting the hard drive several times has not worked among every thing else I have tried, I am tempted to reset CMOS and see if that solves the problem and allows me to start fresh again. Due to past frustrations, however, at this point I would welcome professional intervention. I think there may be issues with my using incorrect SATA drivers as well… not sure at this point.

SOLUTIONS:
AGComputers said...
I would start with the SATA drivers. Since windows hangs during this part of the setup I would feel pretty confident that you are correct in assuming that windows needs these drivers. During the initial load windows will ask for additional drivers (for RAID and other devices) in the bottom banner of your screen. If you have access to the drivers I would try that.If not, and you feel confident, try reseting the CMOS. Though I try to avoid that as much as possible, sometimes it is just inevitable.

Anonymous said...

Thank you kindly for your reply and free advice. They were both insightful and thoughtful. I will keep you in mind for other repairs (friends/family) due to the nature of your offer! Very professional. Thanks again

Random Freezing / Re-Starts...

ISSUES:

Bill said...

Hey Aaron,

Windows Vista Home Premium pre-loaded in an HP Pavilion (a6040n) - I'm getting random freeze-ups (requiring a hard boot) and (less often) random re-starts. I've googled the symptoms extensively without luck and even upgraded the power supply to 430W - without any noticeable change.

I got rid of Norton and installed Avast! but negative results. I've run out of ideas - any suggestions?

May 23, 2008 8:05 PM

SOLUTIONS:

AGComputers said...

Hey Bill,I need a little more info. If you could do the following for me it would help a lot. In the Start menu, in the Search area, Type the following: "eventvwr" (without quotes). You will be looking in the system area for critical warnings (marked by a red X) Please post a couple of these from around the times you have had problems.thanks
May 24, 2008 8:27 AM

Anonymous said...

Aaron,Thank for trying to help. Unfortunately, I can't post the results because the text report includes configurations not recognized by blogger. In any event - the only "critical" incident report I see is dated back to July 2007 (before I had this problem) and I doubt it will be helpful.Bill.
May 24, 2008 5:44 PM

AGComputers said...

Well If you get no errors and it is Powering off it is likely memory or power supply. You said you just replaced the power supply so my best guess without looking is memory. I would look online for "hiren's boot CD", boot your system from the disc and run a memory test.Let me know if that helps.Aaron
May 24, 2008 9:53 PM

Anonymous said...

Thanks again Aaron.I downloaded the Hiren Boot CD but your mention of memory got me thinking that it was possible that, when I added two 1Gig memory sticks to the already present two 1 Gig sticks, I may have switched them around so that they were no longer in matched pairs. I checked and that was the case indeed so I switched them around and, thus far, no repeat of the problem.I'll keep my fingers crossed and watch for problems. If they re-occur I'll run the memory tests on Hiren's and post back to you, but so far so good.Thanks for all your help - if you hadn't narrowed the problem down to a memory issue I doubt I would have stumbled onto this solution myself.
May 26, 2008 9:12 AM

AGComputers said...

You're welcome! I am glad to have been of service.

Computer Advice

Please feel free to post or email (aarongerhardt.computers@gmail.com) your computer issues for complimentary advice!

All the best,
Aaron