User Tips
There are many reasons why your computer may not be running like it should. I'll offer a few things you can do to get your PC back to normal. I'll even point you to some free tools to help.
Spyware, Viruses, Worms, and Trojan Horses (also called malware)Spyware is software installed on your computer which collects personal information about the user without their permission. Most spyware is used to collect information about users for advertising purposes, but there are some spyware which is more harmful because it can be used for information theft (passwords, financial details, etc).
A computer virus is a program which attaches itself to other programs without the user knowing it. It will usually spread to other computers by sending itself over a network or installing an infected medium such as a floppy disk, CD, or USB drive to a clean computer.
Computer worms are self-replicating programs which spread by a network without any interaction from the user. The difference between a worm and a virus, is a virus will corrupt files on the computer, and a worm targets the network. Worms can be spread just by being on a network, through email messages, instant messaging, and file-sharing networks.
A Trojan Horse is a program which contains or installs a malicious program, which intends to do damage to a computer system. The difference between a Trojan Horse and a virus, is a Trojan Horse must be run by the user, usually by diguising itself as something useful to the user, such as a game, email, picture. A Trojan Horse is almost always designed to be harmful.
You can download the following free programs to protect your computer:
Grisoft AVG Free (anti-virus)
Avast! (anti-virus)
Microsoft Defender (anti-spyware)
A Squared (anti-spyware)
Spybot Search & Destroy anti-spyware
E-mail Spam (or junk e-mail)Are you getting a lot of junk e-mail's filling up your inbox? There are a few important things you can do to keep from getting more.
Never respond to the spam. Replying or sending an unsubscribe just tells the spammer, your email is being checked by a person. You are guaranteed to get a lot more if you do this.
Be careful who you give your email to. If you are using your email on websites, you are probably signing up to receive marketing emails. If a website requires an email, try using a fake email or a secondary email just for spam (setup a hotmail or yahoo). Also, avoid forwarding joke or chain emails from friends or relatives. Tell those friends you do not wish to recieve those types of emails because they are making your email public to strangers.
Use an email program with a spam filter. If you use MS Outlook or Outlook Express, you may be able to find a program to filter spam. Or you can use a different email program like Mozilla Thunderbird which has good spam filtering in it. Some web based emails also have good filtering, such as Google Gmail. Any filtering will need you to train it on what is spam and what is not.
Be careful of attachments. A lot of viruses are spread by attachments. Even if you know the person, it may not be safe. Someone who has you in their address book, may have a virus and that virus can send itself to everyone in that address book. Make sure you ask the person if you are not sure what the attachment is. Keep your anti-virus up to date.
Contact My PC Service Guy now by email or by calling (815) 317-5872.
