Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Computer Trouble {Sigh, rub hair}

I have had over half a dozen attacks on my computer while web surfing in the past week or two. A little rectangle from Norton Security - my antivirus - pops up in the corner saying my computer has been attacked, or that it has successfully repelled an attack by some virus. At least two viruses were involved, one "trojan.???", and one I forget at the moment. However, "successfully repelled" seems to be premature, since two-three attacks often follow in quick succession. {half-smile}

I have been following advice I vaguely remember hearing on the news: get off the computer for a couple of hours. However, I'm not sure that's the right thing to do. {pause}

What is the right thing to do? I really would like to know. Some of you are distinctly more computer-savvy than I am. {Smile}

Thanks, Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

3 comments:

  1. Not a clue. I use Google Chrome for a browser and AVG as a virus dealie, and other than that, I've got nothin'. Hopefully you'll get everything cleaned up soonish!

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  2. First, run the virus scanner program that will clean your computer.

    Next, never ever click any Internet ad, anywhere. ESPECIALLY don't click anything that claims to be giving you free stuff.

    Don't click anything that comes by email, either, unless you're certain you know what it is.

    You might want to consider using a web-based email provider, such as gmail. It protects you because it has built in virus protection, both incoming and outgoing. Plus, you're not downloading random stuff that people send you to your computer every time you check your email.

    Do you have a firewall? If not, you really need one. We use Comodo Pro, which is free. You can download it here:

    http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/downloadfirewall.html

    It is a better firewall than the one that comes built-in to Windows.

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  3. Thanks Blair. I don't know if this counts as soonish, but I'm beginning to feel like I got thru a storm without having to take my computer in to the shop. {Smile}

    Tia, I ran the scanners before I write the post. {Smile}

    My only ad clicks are slips of the finger. Unfortunately, those do happen, but I try to keep them to a minimum. Ditto for opening email from unrecognized sources. Finger slips happen once in a while. The rest of the time, I don't. {Smile}

    I'll consider web email. Thanks. {Smile}

    I thought I had a firewall, but Spybot thought something was turned off, and I wasn't aware of anything being turned off. I let it fix whatever the problem was. I hope that solved part of the problem. {Smile}

    Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

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