Antivirus Program
Does my computer have an antivirus program?
Yes, A lot of people know about virus infections, but seem to think it can only happen to others, but sooner or later it will catch up to you. Connections computers have a pre-installed antivirus program and it is called:
“Microsoft Forefront Endposit Security”
If you decide to purchase your own Antivirus program you can but, you will not be reimbursed for it.
Spyware/Adware/Malware/Bots
How Can Hackers/Companies infect your PC?
Your PC may be infected if you have ever downloaded screensavers, music, games, video clips, images, and even those “smiley face” icons. Advertisers/Hackers offer these for free in order to legally “trick” consumers into installing their AdWare and SpyWare programs.
There are warning signs you should be aware of, if any of them pertain to you then your PC is most likely infected.
- When you start your browser, the home page has mysteriously changed. You change it back manually, but before long you find that it has changed back again.
- You get pop-up advertisements when your browser is not running or when your system is not even connected to the Internet, or you get pop-up ads that address you by name.
- Your phone bill includes expensive calls to 900 numbers that you never made-probably at an outrageous per-minute rate.
- You enter a search term in Internet Explorer’s address bar and press Enter to start the search. Instead of your usual search site, an unfamiliar site handles the search.
- A new item appears in your Favorites list without your putting it there. No matter how many times you delete it, the item always reappears later.
- Your system runs noticeably slower than it did before. If you’re a Windows 7, 8 or 10 user, launching the Task Manager and clicking the Processes tab reveals that an unfamiliar process is using nearly 100 percent of available CPU cycles.
- At a time when you’re not doing anything online, the send or receive lights on your dial-up or broadband modem blink just as wildly as when you’re downloading a file or surfing the Web. Or the network/modem icon in your system tray flashes rapidly even when you’re not using the connection.
- A search toolbar or other browser toolbar appears even though you didn’t request or install it. Your attempts to remove it fail, or it comes back after removal.
- Often you cannot even connect to the Internet, and then when you are able to, it acts like it is connected, but won’t go to any web pages, as if it wasn’t connected. You keep getting page cannot be displayed messages.
- And the final sign is: Everything appears to be normal. The most devious spyware doesn’t leave traces you’d notice, so scan your system anyway.
Helpful Programs
There are a couple of programs good at removing problems. Click on the link to below to download, and then install. Make sure you check for and download the updates before running, or you will not have the most current files for the program to look for. Next run the program and follow the instructions. Please read the help files associated with these programs to learn how to use them.
Malwarebtytes Anti-malware – Please go to https://www.malwarebytes.org/ and install the program. You will get a 30 day free full version which blocks malicious software. The program is $25 to purchase, but is well worth the investment.
CCleaner which can also be downloaded from https://www.piriform.com/CCLEANER . Run the installation after downloading it. This program works really well at removed old “temp” files and other files that are taking up space on your hard drive. This program also has a very good registry cleaning section, which will clean out your registry of old and defunct files which are slowing down your system.
