Some virus protection programs are better than others. What have you learned from your experience that might be helpful to those who are just getting started?

With almost all of the commercial AV programs, the major problems are false positives (issuing alarms when there really is no cause for alarm) and bloat (program so large and/or resource-hungry) that they slow your system down.

Best advice is to understand the risks involved with one's normal net use and get the smallest program that will adequately handle that risk, AND to understand that program and set its parameters so that it does not become so intrusive that it itself makes surfing or other net use un-fun.

I have in-house technical support (as in living in MY house) that handles all of this for me, but the short answer is that I use Avira Premium. I also have one of those rediculously expensive routers that came with some kind of other spiffy protection that technical support handles. You know, these things always wait to break when technical support is out of town. We have the router set to where I pull my own IP address. Really though, I have no idea what I'm talking about on that topic. Technical support starts talking and all I hear is Charlie Brown's teacher (Whaaa whaaa whaaa whaaaa).

I've used VIPRE (by Sunbelt Software) for a couple of years. It was built from the ground up, rather than just accumulating layers over many years. Thus, it is less of a resource hog.

That said, it's not perfect. No AV program is. It's always a cops-and-robbers thing, with one side ratcheting up, followed by the other side ratcheting up. So I also use Firefox with various security add-ons, such as NoScript, AdBlocker, web site rating software to prevent known bad sites, etc.

In addition, I make sure my IE8 security settings are at High (even though not used, it's on my system and can be used by hackers), and I update my computer (Windows and software programs) regularly. Once a week I run full scans, including SpyBotSD and on-line scans. I also have a router with firewall, set to to strong security.

As for email, I have a little program in my system tray that alerts me to mail waiting on my ISP's mail server, allowing a text-only preview of them, and I delete those I don't want before they ever hit my computer -- emails supposedly from friends are often not, as email addresses can be easily spoofed (faked). Once bad or unwanted emails are deleted, I then download the remaining emails into my email program (Thunderbird). Even then, I'm very careful about opening any attachments or clicking on links.

The upshot is that there is no program out there that will make your computer safe. It requires multiple updated programs and, most of all, your constant self-education and vigilance. Even then, you're probably going to end up with some malware on your computer.

So, yup, that means having good disk images and/or file backups (both, in my case) at the ready for WHEN, not IF, things go bad.

Hi There!

I am currently an Andrews student and have a question about virus protection. I work on a laptop that was set up by a friend of a friend with anti-virus software on it. I don't know anything about the program myself, but it is always running. When I get to applying for jobs, how detailed do I have to be in discussing the hardware/software of my computer with potential employers? This is a definite weak point for me at the moment. Can anyone give me a head's up if I need a crash course before my job search begins?

Thanks in advance.

What employers asked me for was pretty simple. Of course, "simple" is in the eye of the beholder, but the information is easy to get. You really don't have to understand what it means to have 2 gigs of RAM, but you need to know how much you have so you can tell them. That was my experience at least. Your friend who set up the virus protection for you could probably tell you, or you could tell us what OS you're running and I'm sure someone could walk you through it. I'm 99% sure the directions are on the school board too.

I was asked what OS I'm running, how much RAM, info about my hard drive, what version of Word, what sound card, what video card (only 1 employer I recall asking about video cards) and I'm probably forgetting something else. I was asked if I had a "good" virus protection program, but do not recall ever being asked which one I had. I'm sure it would be wise to know which one you're running though. In interviews, I was able to tell them what I had for the above things and that was it. They didn't ask me to walk them through formatting a hard drive...lol.

I think it is important for MTs to know very basic computer maintenance, but that is only my opinion. Things like how to clear out your cookies and temp files, how to defrag, how to run a system scan with your virus protection when things are suddenly acting wonky, and other very routine things that we're probably doing periodically anyway. Again, that is just my opinion though. I'm sure there are plenty of MTs who don't know anything about routine computer maintenance. The computer is how we work so it just makes life easier to be able to do the basics. I just think of it as being the same as driving a car and not knowing how to change a tire.

Also keep in mind that some of the big nationals will provide you with a computer to work on that is configured to their specifications. They may allow you to use your own computer, but if you do, then don't count on Technical being as helpful as they might be if you were using the company's machine.

StarlingBird, we also have technical support if you need it.

Thanks everyone. This information has been most helpful!

Leanne.