November 2009 — If you’re using AVG as your antivirus, you’ve probably seen some popup windows appearing lately telling you that it’s now time to “upgrade” your AVG antivirus.
In this post, I will tell you how to get the new free version of AVG. And we’ll also run through how to update if you’re using the paid version.
First, though, a few words on the current antivirus (and virus) situation in general.
This week I talked with a man who’s concerned about security. That’s not at all unusual — most of us have some computer-related security concerns.
But this particular man’s small business requires him to deal with some confidential customer information that he in no way wants compromised. So for him, it’s a bigger issue than it is for the typical home user.
As with most things security-related (whether it be home security, airline security, personal security or national security), there’s no single all-in-one solution. Any good solution to security (in whatever realm) is likely to involve multiple layers.
On some Windows systems, it
can almost be easier to fight the
Huns than it is to capture a
screenshot from your DVD.
Today I had a customer who wanted to capture screenshots from a DVD he owns. The reason: Slides are presented on this DVD, and he wanted to be able to print a copy.
Should be simple, right?
Not necessarily. On some Windows computers it IS easy, but on some other systems it’s not easy at all.
In fact, I had tried this particular task on my own computer a couple of years ago, reached the limits of my personal patience at the time, and left it for some other day.
Today, as it turns out. (more…)
It’s a good idea to read the fine print.
This blog post was written as a follow-up to my post on the widely-advertised teeth-whitening scam.
The following techniques may not enable you to sniff out every possible kind of scam — you’d need a much more sensitive “scam-meter” to sniff out the typical investment fraud, for example — but in many cases, especially those similar to the one mentioned, these checks can be really useful.
And any legitimate business should pass the first four tests. If it passes all five, that’s even better.
Scamming “white teeth” ads seem to be
everywhere. Once they get your credit
card info, they’ll repeatedly charge you
big amounts. Similar scams are based on
work-at-home schemes, acai berry
supplements, and other products.
If you do much web surfing, you’ve almost certainly seen the ads. They’re EVERYWHERE.
“Learn the trick, discovered by a mom, to turn yellow teeth white for under $5,” they say.
Get really white, beautiful teeth for less than $5? Now if you’re interested in improving your appearance (aren’t we all?), that sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it?
Get ready to get scammed.
“Click here for the scan you computer.”
I just got off the phone with a woman who told me she had a computer that was probably well-infected with viruses and other malware, and she wanted to know how much it would cost to fix it.
When I told her the likely cost, she said, “Okay, thank you,” and hung up.
Now I’m sure that Tina will find somebody to do the job (sort of) for less than I typically charge for a job of this type.
And she’ll probably get about what she paid for.
Or, maybe not.