Sam has been following my articles and doesn’t understand the difference between virus and malware removal utilities. Viruses, malware and spyware are three different computer infections which all disrupt the operating system in different ways. Viruses, by definition, are computer intrusions which can copy themselves without user interaction. Spyware typically monitors user inputs (like credit card numbers) and can forward it to others. Finally, malware usually is malicious; however, it is usually pretty harmless.
Virus software always targets viruses and does not usually seek and remove other intrusions. Some virus software includes protection for all types of infections – but nothing protects from all. This is why the best protected computers have a mix of virus software, malware, and spyware removal utilities. It is best to run only one at a time when the computer is on which is why most people choose virus software as their first line of defense.
Typically at the shop we install a mix of four (sometimes five) titles. AVG virus software, Malwarebytes, Spybot and A-Squared are all installed during our normal cleansing process. As I said earlier, each has separate purposes and looks at infections differently than others. The fifth title which we install in the worst cases is Comodo firewall. A firewall examines all files entering and leaving the computer via the internet and checks all of them.
Theresa asks, “Is there any way to make my computer easier to use for someone with limited sight and hearing?” Windows includes a fantastic free utility for this called Accessibility Options. Within the Accessibility Options group you can address various visual and sound options.
Navigating to the Accessibility Options menu is quite easy in any version of Microsoft Windows. First, you will need to locate the Control Panel. Once in the control panel, make sure you have the “Traditional View” option selected which will display many options and their respective icons. The first icon in the Control Panel is Accessibility Options. Double click on it and a new window will open with multiple tabs.
There are two tabs you will be interested in. The “sounds” tab lists several options which, when checked, visually displays the system sound. In other words, if the computer normally makes a beep noise, a visual symbol would display indicating that sound. One tab over from sound is “display” which has options for making the screen higher contrast and changing the blinking cursor – one of the harder Windows components to see.
In addition to Accessibility Options you can adjust the Display Settings – also found in Control Panel. The “appearance” and “settings” tabs contain many options to change how Windows is displayed. There are settings for icon size, desktop size and overall Windows size. Good luck and if you have any other questions on this matter please e-mail them to me.
Tech-Tip of the week: You should consider updating your software regularly. Updated software and operating systems change the way Windows operates; making it safer and more efficient. It’s really worth the time to keep your system up-to-date.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can e-mail him at Jeromy@LocalComputerWiz.com or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)