Quickie Fixes

Many of todays common PC problems are related to the following issues:

• Viruses
• Spyware
• Too many "extra programs" running in the background

Virus removal - If you are running Windows, you MUST run an anti-virus program.  No matter how careful you are about opening e-mail, sharing data files, or browsing the web, Windows security leaves a lot to be desired.  It is just a matter of time before a virus will attack your PC.  So you'd better have up-to-date anti-virus software installed before that happens.

There are many anti-virus programs available on the market, but my favorite is the free version of AVG Anti-virus.  It is easy to use and install, and appears to work very well on my Windows XP test machine. *

No matter what version of anti-virus you use, you MUST keep the software up-to-date!  Most programs will do this automatically, but check your version to be sure.  Remember, anti-virus software that is not up-to-date is worse than worthless, as it gives the user a false sense of security.

Spyware removal - These days, it is a rare to find a PC that is not infected with spyware.  Spyware is often installed by the end user (I.e. Y-O-U), but more and more versions are silently installed via security holes in Internet Explorer.  The latter problem can easily be solved by installing and using Mozilla or its smaller sibling Firefox.  Both programs are free, and have a far better security history than Internet Explorer.

To remove spyware, I recommend two programs: Ad-aware and Spybot Search & Destroy.  Both programs are free, and they work well together.  Like anti-virus software, you MUST keep the programs up-to-date.

Extra program removal - Many times I will find a PC with a dozen or more programs running in the background.  Most of these show up in the system tray, located by the clock on the lower right corner.  Unfortunately, many common programs today want to install a running copy of their software, with faster starts being a common goal.  While this is all fine and good for one or perhaps two programs, it starts to sap your computer's resources when taken to the extreme.

Removing these programs is sometimes as easy as opening the program in question and setting the startup option to not run when the system starts.  This varies from program to program, so see your help file for assistance.

Other programs to look for are ones that you no longer use.  Common types might be camera software you are no longer using, instant messenger software, out of date anti-virus software, etc.  Uninstalling such software will generally remove this problem.

In really stubborn cases, the program can be prevented from starting by using the "msconfig" application.  Links to using this program can be found here.

* I run Linux exclusively on all eight of my business and home PCs, which does not require anti-virus software protection, nor does it suffer from spyware issues.

The above information is provided "as is" without any guarantee. Use it at your own risk! The author takes no responsibility on what you do with this information.

Timothy Miller Computer Consulting provides on-site service for all of your virus, spyware, and extra program removal problems.  Please call for more details.