Securing your Windows PC

The most common question we get asked is, “What antivirus program should I use?” The answer typically depends on the user; however, in most cases our solution is a free one. Here’s why: When a user pays for their antivirus protection, they often don’t realize that the virus definitions will expire after a certain time period… and users being human… they forget to pay or simply can’t afford it. Unfortunately, when I get an infected computer it’s often a new computer that came with a trial version and people just think that since it’s installed it should protect them after the trial period. When I inform our clients they’re often embarrassed, but I believe it’s most likely because they’re misinformed about how an antivirus (or a virus) works.

The first thing to know is that antiviruses detect viruses by either a definition or a heuristic test. Once the antivirus program expires, the virus definitions no longer update but it still may catch viruses through heuristic detection. In the most basic way, “heuristic testing” basically means that an antivirus looks for what “acts” like a virus. So, with this known, you may have guessed that the best antivirus program would be one that offers both forms of detection. Any program that does more than that, such as firewall protection or spyware detection is great. (more…)

Reviewing CCleaner

Over the years I’ve come to rely on a set of tools to perform some basic, yet very necessary, tasks. What’s even better is that most of those tools are completely free! One of those tools is Piriform’s CCleaner which cleans your browser history & cache, deletes temporary files, empty’s the recycle bin, and can quickly scan for invalid registry entries and clean them up. Other features of the software include an uninstaller and a tool to manage your start-up applications.

While there are other applications that also do this, none do it as quick and as effortless. What’s also nice about CCleaner is that whenever you clean your registry it gives you an option to back it up. Furthermore, if you accidentally deleted software you can go into it’s built-in System Restore function.

CCleaner is extremely easy to use and is highly recommended by everyone at FourLeaf IT. (more…)