Tips For A Trouble-Free Computer
Regardless how fast and new your computer is, you will eventually experience a slow down, and that’s just the nature of using it over time. Especially if you surf the Internet and check your email quite often, you will notice the slow-down more than the average. The more you surf the Internet, the more likely you will encounter Spywares, Malwares, Trojans, and Viruses. The more you are not aware, the more vulnerable you are. You probably got something already without even knowing about it until you’re suddenly getting tremendous amount of popups!
Table of Contents:
- Always Close Popups With The Red X
- Only Run Well Known Anti-Spyware Programs
- Clear Your Temp and Cache Folders Often
- Keep Your Internet Browsers Updated
- Update Your Virus Definition Files
- Be Aware With Emails and Attachments
- Surf The Internet With Both Eyes Open
- What Are Your Computer Tips?
Always Close Popups With The Red X
No doesn’t usually mean no in advertisement popups. When popups are displayed, I recommend always closing the window with the RED X on the upper right corner. Hitting the No button might install more spyware programs into your system. When you keep getting the same popups regardless if you are surfing the Internet or not, run your trusty spyware programs. If the problem persist, leave it to the professionals. Contact us now.
Only Run Well Known Anti-Spyware Programs
Be very careful of fake anti-spyware programs out there. Fake programs will usually cost more harm than anything else. I use Spybot Search and Destroy from Safer Networking and Anti-Malware from Malware Bytes. Usually those two programs take care of most of the Spyware, Trojans, or Malware problems. For a list of fake anti-spyware programs, visit Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites from Spyware Warriors.
Clear Your Temp and Cache Folders Often
Clearing your temp and cache folders will ensure optimal disk space and will make your anti-spyware programs search for any issues so much faster.
How To Clear Out Temp Folders:
- Reboot your computer in Safe Mode. This ensures that none of the programs are running in the background that could deny any of the file removal.
- Click Start and select Run (WIN key + R).
- Type %TEMP% on the Run box.
- Select all the files and hit DEL on your keyboard.
- Click YES when prompted to delete all files. As you can see on my illustration below, I have over 7GB of junk that can be deleted without any issues.
Emptying out your Cache Folders in Mozilla Firefox
- Click Tools on the menu bar.
- Click Clear Recent History (Ctrl-Shift-Del).
- Choose Everything on the Time Range To Clear drop-down.
- Click Details and make sure Cache is checked.
- Click Clear Now to delete the cache.
Emptying out your Cache Folders in Internet Explorer
- Click Tools on the menu bar.
- Select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete.
- Make sure Temporary Internet files is checked. Then click Delete.
Keep Your Internet Browsers Updated
Older versions are more vulnerable for attacks so always keep them updated. I prefer using Firefox over Internet Explorer. If you haven’t made the switch, I recommend downloading the latest copy of Firefox now. The latest version of Firefox has features such as: Private Browsing, Anti-Phishing, Anti-Malware, Pop-up Blocker, and more. Download the latest copy of Mozilla Firefox.
Also, I’ve been hearing good reviews about the new Google Chrome.
Updating Internet Explorer
Use Microsoft Windows Update to check for updates.
Keeping Firefox Updated
Firefox should automatically update, but you usually have to manually update when its a major upgrade (i.e. 2.0 to 3.0). Check the Mozilla Website often for news and updates.
Update Your Virus Definition Files
There are hundreds of different virus being discovered every single day. So it is wise to keep your virus definition file always updated.
Be Aware With Emails and Attachments
This is probably the most obvious thing to do but it is also the most overlooked. I can’t express enough how you need to be very aware when opening email attachments. Just because an email came from someone you know doesn’t usually mean the attachments are safe to open. Your friend could have dowloaded a trojan that uses their address book to create fake emails packed with bugs then sent to you without their consent. Any email attachments ending with .zip, .exe, .msi, or .com should be opened carefully.
Spoof Emails
Surf The Internet With Both Eyes Open
When surfing the Internet, pay attention to what sites you are visiting. You maybe clicking links from your Facebook profile, and next thing you know you’re in a very unsafe website! Luckily, Firefox has some security measures that are pretty good and usually will notify when a site is trying to install malicious software.
Don’t just click OK, read the popup notifications before proceeding any further. If the site keeps giving you Warning messages, it’s best to just leave the site as soon as possible.
What Are Your Computer Tips?
Got any tips you would like to share? Let me know! If you are local in the Southern California area and need immediate help with your computer, please contact us now.
Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites
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Do you live in Rancho Bernardo San Diego and caught a nasty virus? Now you are getting all these random popups? No need to panic! We are here for you. We repair common Operating System problems, hardware and software issues, and network issues. Our main goal is to fix your problem and get you back on surfing the Internet. We also troubleshoot WiFi issues and ensure you are well encrypted. No need to worry as we are 100% mobile, no need to go anywhere, we will come to you!
Highly informative article. I am off to share this with my friends.
I would have to agree with that.
I saw something about that topic on TV last night. Nice post.