I figured I'd share the wealth with you guys. Anyone with little or no computer experience shouldn't have to pay too much for a machine unless it got so critically damaged that it needs it. Otherwise, keep this in mind: You can get ANYTHING from ANYWHERE. Malicious content hides everywhere, anywhere. Nothing is exempt from it. The very least, having some understanding helps:
-Email. Spam emails are an easy way to get hit. Opening even one has potential to cause your machine a great deal of damage. Don't open emails from anyone or any site you don't know. If an email was sent out of nowhere and is asking you for personal info, providing links...delete it (but check with the business or person who sent it beforehand just in case).
-P2P. Short for Peer to Peer. Torrent programs like Bitorrent, Mutorrent, Frostwire, Limewire, and others allow you to connect to another machine through the internet and download a file directly. But, it also gives whoever is on the other end an opportunity to send other things your way. And what you have to keep in mind is P2P is the number one reason why people get viruses and stuff. P2P works by going around your antivirus software's firewall (it must in order to work), and without a firewall to block them from getting on, it's easy for your computer to get infected.
-File sharing sites. Megaupload, Rapidshare, and Linkbucks are some sites that offer file hosting. By linking to these sites, one can find particular content. Again, these sites are similar to P2P, except the files are much smaller, have a limited daily bandwidth, and are just as likely to transmit viruses and other things over.
-Adult sites. Got that itch you can't scratch? Well, going to sites that host or share pronographic (misspelled intently) content also plays host to viruses. These sites host pop ups and ads, which can all hide malicious content on them. And just by clicking a link or letting the window open up, there is a good chance to get something.
-Social sites. Facebook's fallen under an epidemic of malicious items attacking it and hiding within their ads and pop ups months ago. Myspace, Facebook...anyone who uses these sites on a regular basis still needs to be on guard. Clicking on an ad from a social site is no different from an adult site or a file sharing site.
These five instances are the typical reasons why people get viruses on their computers. But I'm sure you guys are looking for the tools promised up above, right? Well...here we go. The following are tools I use regularly for my own computer and others when virus/spyware/malware removals are necessary...or for regular checks.
1) Malwarebytes. This tool is one of the most reliable and well known virus/malware removal tools on the market. They do regular updates, allow you to do quick scans (which scan your main Windows folders) or full scans (every storage device gets scanned completely), and it is FREE. They also have a paid version which gives you real time protection and Flash scan capability (where it scans your memory for any active threats). The drawback is a lot of viruses are acquainted with Malwarebytes and if you install a default version and want to update it, an infected computer may block it from doing so. At that point, you have to manually get the definitions and paste them into the program's folder.
2) SuperANTISpyware. Just as Malwarebytes does its job well for viruses and malware, this one goes after bad tracking cookies, some viruses, but lots of adware/spyware in the process. It has full scans, quick scans, can handle regular updates, and is well known like Malwarebytes (so if you need a newer version and your computer is blocked from doing updates, you have to manually patch the definitions in).
3) Spybot Search & Destroy. This is another good spyware tool. It gives you active spyware protection, does pretty extensive spyware scans, and has been around for years. It does put a bit of strain on your machine, so with newer computers, it's less noticeable.
4) Iobit Security 360. I found this recently when looking for portable tools. It is a virus scanner you can place on your thumb drive, update every couple of days, do either a Smart (quick) scan or a Full scan, and keep to use just in case you do get infections. In the off chance you have Malwarebytes or SuperANTISpyware on your machine, but persistent infections bar them from updating and working properly, Iobit keeps its definitions. You can update it on another machine, plug it into the infected one, scan and remove whatever may be keeping Malwarebytes or SuperANTISpyware from running. It leaves behind a couple of startup items, though. So if you run it, you'll need to delete the startup values on the machine. Hardly noticeable, though. They do have a version you can install on your computer and use as a makeshift antivirus program, but Windows won't recognize it as such.
5) Emsisoft Emergency Kit. This is another good virus scanner you can get portable. It can update itself manually on another machine, do a multitude of scans (whether through Windows or the command prompt). Another tool that works well in case known AV tools get barred. Depending on the type of scan you do, it could take a couple of hours.
6) Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. Provided by Microsoft, they release a new one every second Tuesday of every month. It is a standalone virus scanner that you can run from within Windows (it's a typical Windows update) or from a thumb drive. It isn't guaranteed to find every malicious item on your computer, but if it finds even one, worry and do scans with other, more up to date tools.
7) Clamwin AV Portable. This is another popular portable tool. You can update it on a regular basis every time you run it, scan a multitude of drives, and run if there's many infections present. It is one of the slower tools out there, like the Windows MSRT.
I have others, but they do involve a bit of tech knowledge to use, since they are a bit more advanced and can run the risk of ruining your Operating System (OS) if you remove the wrong files. I also have some tools for general cleaning and maintenance to recommend.
1) CCleaner. It is a registry and cookie cleaner that is pretty useful. It also has some Uninstalling and cookie preservation capability (save which cookies you want, delete those you don't). They released a portable version some time ago that gets just as many updates as its regular installation.
2) Glary Utilities. Another portable tool, it does Registry, File, Cookie, Temporary Files, and some Spyware cleanup.
3) Iobit Toolbox. Portable as well. It gives you similar tools to Glary. It does have Smart RAM, which can clean out your active RAM and release any unnecessary information to give you more of it to use. There's some other tools, such as Undelete (retrieve deleted files), WinFixer (helps fix common Windows problems), and Internet Optimizer (which works well with Internet Explorer and Firefox on XP (but not Vista and 7), and Google Chrome (any OS) to make them as fast as possible).
4) Jkdefrag. Need to defragment your hard drive and turn your data into solid blocks so they load a little faster? This tool can do it. I like it over Defraggler because it runs in command prompt automatically, and unless you specify a drive, hitting Enter when it loads up will allow you to watch your drives slowly get defragmented (in an assortment of nice colors). This may take a while if you never defrag'd your hard drive before.
Lastly, antivirus software is a must. When it's free, you have to look at which one suits you.
1) Microsoft Security Essentials. It's a pretty basic and free AV from Microsoft. It has real time scanning, even when you plug in a new storage device in, has a pretty successful detection rate (since it knows Windows files and most common software programs out there), and doesn't tax your machine that much. The drawback is it's new, so it has yet to really establish itself.
2) AVG. I've used this for years prior to downloading MSE. It's a pretty intensive AV software. Has its own firewall, link scanning, and website filtering. It also has more False Positive callouts out of every AV software out there that's free. It's good, but it doesn't take chances.
3) Avira. Reliable, has been around as long as AVG, and doesn't push a lot of resources. You have to update it manually and run scans on your own, though.
4) Comodo. Has a heck of a false positive callout, much like AVG. Isn't as abusive on a machine, though.
Those are all a few good tools I can recommend for general clean up and maintenance of your computer. Hope you guys find use for them. Until next time!
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