Tip #57 - Free Anti-Virus Programs

100 Computer Tips in 100 Days

Tip #57 - Free Anti-Virus Programs - Yes for the Apple too!

Everyone is concerned about getting a virus on their computer, and they should be. Viruses can be debilitating to your computer and should be avoided at all costs. Speaking of costs, many of these programs cost a lot every year and often do more than you need. Here are two free programs you should consider using on your computer when your current anti-virus program subscription runs out.

If you have an Apple and are sitting smugly reading this thinking you are immune, you should consider downloading the programs too. In the Spring of 2012, more than 600,000 Apples were infected with a trojan from Russia and the conventional wisdom since then is that anti-virus programs are for everyone on every device, phones as well as computers.

Avast Free (www.avast.com) is available for PC and Apple users. Just download it and the software will be installed automatically.

Another alternative is AVG Free (www.avg.com). It is similar to Avast Free but is only available for the PC, although they do have a program for the Mac that will alert you if a website contains malicious threats.

Do not use more than one anti-virus program at a time. If you are currently using Norton Anti-Virus or McAfee Anti-Virus, wait until your subscription runs out and then uninstall that software before you install Avast or AVG.

Better safe than sorry.

My book, 100 Amazing Computer Tips - Shortcuts, Tricks, and Advice to Help Everyone from Novice to Professional, is available NOW at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in both print and ebook formats. There's also a handy link on top right side of this window.

Happy computing!

Diane

Don't forget to click the Subscribe to 100 Computer Tips in 100 Days via email link on the right side of the screen so you get email alerts when Diane adds a new post.