Below you will find several mistakes which I find to be typical of PC users. Not all of them are crucial alone, but taken together they can have a drastic impact on overall PC security. It doesn’t cost a dime to know what you shouldn’t be doing at all and what you should be doing in a proper way. Some mistakes lead to frustrated experience, and I want you to avoid it.
Expecting too much from your current antivirus program. In fact, relying on antivirus alone is dangerous by itself because people are inclined to trust vendors who claim to provide 100% detection rate and fastest scans in the world. The truth is: every antivirus can fail sooner or later. Statements of 100% detection are based on laboratory-carried tests which rarely have anything in common with real life surfing, downloading, watching videos etc. Antivirus is important, sure, but only as part of multi-layered protection. Ignoring Microsoft Windows updates. Microsoft releases security hotfixes for Windows and its products (Internet Explorer, Office, etc) which are meant to cover revealed vulnerabilities. It is important to have them installed in the system. Same applies to 3d party software which is common in netbooks and desktop computers. Keep your Java, Adobe, Firefox patched. Software manufacturers do have reasons to provide updates. For instance, a Java vulnerability has been used to spread Virtumonde, a really nasty infection. Using Symantec antivirus. This is debatable, a lot of people are fans of Symantec products, and they have reasons to. But my little experience helping PC owners to get rid of various types of malware shows that Symantec protection is common on infected computers. Its protection is insufficient, to put it mildly. If you can switch to another antivirus software, do it. There are better alternatives priced lower than Symantec. Installing fake or rogue antispyware program. I just can’t stress enough how important it is. It happens with user consent and permission. How? Simple. Getting persuaded to get a decent antispyware protection, an average PC user goes online and looks for some “best antispyware”. This is a common keyphrase targeted by scammers. They go to great lengths to make their websites rank high for this particular term. Unsuspecting user downloads something titled very close to a famous brand and instantly infects the system with malware, while resting assured that “best antispyware” will put a strong shield on the way of intruders. It is not that rare to come across a PC unintentionally infected with malicious, fake antispyware program. Forgetting to renew antivirus subscription. Depending on how your antivirus was initially configured, it may not warn about expired subscription. Expired antivirus is not receiving latest updates and its real-time monitor can be deactivated. So it makes sense to keep an eye on your antivirus shield. Configuring software firewall is not a simple task. Even those programs with self-learning mode need some time to “get familiar” with running applications. But a properly configured firewall is a great helper to your safety, it minimizes the chances of intrusion from the network. Using a potentially vulnerable email client. So, Outlook Express has become notorious for its ability to miss messages with dangerous attachments and links to malicious websites. A good email client should have some sort of “internal intelligence” to make the user’s experience as safe as possible. It’s best not to open messages coming from suspicious addresses. Also, configure your email to be scanned by antivirus. Set in the options to receive only headers of messages instead of bodies; this way you will be able to read titles of the messages without downloading them onto your computer. It allows to quickly detect suspicious messages.
These are indeed very common mistakes which can be accounted for such a large number of computers infected with malware.
Archive for the ‘symantec’ Category
7 Common PC Security Mistakes
Buying Symantec Retail Software
There is a Symantec retail software program for you. If you are aiming to secure and purchase the best products from the lineup of the computer security firm Symantec Corporation, do not fret because you have more than one reason that you could choose and purchase software.
Symantec Corp. is an international business that is specializing in developing and selling computer software. Particularly, the company is focused at bringing to the market the best anti-virus and security programs for consumers’ computer system. Symantec is one of the pioneers when it comes to developing and offering security software. That is why you can be rest assured that the Symantec retail software you are eyeing to buy would be truly functional and effective. There is no doubt that Symantec retail software has what it takes to captivate and satisfy the market.
Symantec products
If you have been using the computer for quite some time, you should know that computer viruses have evolved to strategically alter and affect your personal computer. Every year, it is estimated that there are thousands of new computer viruses and threats that are written and spread across the market, especially through the Internet. But you should not worry. As long as there are numerous Symantec retail software in the market, you can be assured that your needs and requirements are all appropriately covered.
Currently, there are many products lined up under the Symantec retail software portfolio. Some of them have been quite popular for some time already while others are starting to create their niche and marks in the industry. You may be familiar with some, but you also must be exposed to the usefulness of other Symantec retail software.
Among the most popular and sought-after Symantec retail software are the Norton AntiVirus, the Norton Internet Security, the Norton SystemWorks, the Norton Commander, the Norton 360 and the Norton Personal Firewall. Other popular programs are the Norton AntiSpam, the Norton Antibot, the Norton Ghost and the Norton GoBack. Some of these Symantec retail software may already be familiar because you may have used them.
Why retail?
It is not surprising anymore that there are Symantec retail software computer programs these days that are also sold individually as retail products. That is because, as always, selling on the retail is quite lucrative and convenient. Symantec retail software is among the most sought-after computer programs in the market. Symantec notes that selling on the retail is the main bulk of its operations.
As compared to wholesale selling, Symantec retail software makes more money as sales are boosted. Most of Symantec users are individual personal computer users, so expect that purchase transactions are higher when it comes to Symantec retail software.
Where to buy
If you are aiming to purchase a Symantec retail software program, you can be assured the transaction could be done easily. If you are really into buying and installing any Symantec program into your computer, try to look for an online site that is accredited and authorized to do so. Such Websites are abounding in the market so you should not have any setback and problems in buying Symantec retail software.
Symantec itself is at time selling its Symantec retail software portfolio directly. It would not hurt if you would try looking at product lineups at the company’s own official Website. Transactions online usually require electronic payment processing, so prepare your globally functional credit card account.
As for conventional transactions, Symantec retail software is also available in the software distributors that actively operate in your community. There is really no excuse for you not to buy any Symantec retail software.
The Need to Uninstall a Symantec Oem Software
With the numerous types and classifications of virus and spam these days, there is indeed a need to install antivirus software in your computer. If you are quite familiar with the installation process, you should know by now that one of the best protection software you could purchase and install is Symantec. Thus, it is also natural that there are many new units of computer products that are already installed with Symantec OEM software.
Many users of the Symantec OEM software could attest that indeed, the computer program is one of the most useful there are in the market. For sure, you have encountered Symantec OEM software at one point in your life, especially during the times when you were so anxious and worrisome over the spread of some notorious virus. Symantec OEM software has made its way to become among the most popular antivirus and protection computer programs available in the market.
Problems with updating
Symantec, the company behind the development and distribution of the software, admits that there are several loopholes and limitations to the use of the popular Symantec OEM software. One of the most usual problems is the difficulties and shortages in regular updating. If you have been using other antivirus and protection software, you should be exposed to the updating process, which regularly happens and initiates especially upon exposure and connection to the Internet.
Though there are new and more sophisticated versions of the Symantec OEM software, the old versions are definitely having problems with the regular update processes. Those old versions are not updating themselves. Because everyday, there are more additional and new viruses and threats circulating in the cyber space, there is a need for updates on antivirus software. That is the disadvantage of buying and installing older Symantec OEM software versions.
The need to uninstall
Because of the problem in the updating process, there is often a need to uninstall the old version of the Symantec OEM software. If you are aiming to install a newer version of the computer program, there is a need to remove the installed copy in your PC system. However, if you are trying to do so, you would find that the procedure is not an easy one.
Thus, there is a need for computer users of the Symantec OEM software to learn the process of correct and proper uninstallation of the program. The uninstall process is not as easy and convenient as the process of installation. If you would take time, you would find that it is also possible to uninstall a Symantec OEM software remotely.
The simple process
Manual uninstallation is as easy as opening a Website designated to carry out and facilitate the process. Log in to the uninstall registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\ WINDOWS\CURRENT VERSION\UNINSTALL and see for yourself how the process can be made easier, more effective and more accurate. There would be dialog boxes that would appear afterwards. Just go with the flow and resolve to uninstall, no matter what.
The process would also involve some reboot. There are passwords to be asked, so just provide the requirements. If you could not remember any of the passwords asked, just log in to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\INTEL\LANDesk\ VirusProtect6\CurrentVersion\AdministratorOnly\Security and see how the process can be pursued. Set the passwords to ‘zero’. In a matter of several minutes, you would find yourself finally going to the path to uninstall the computer program.
Remote uninstallation is also possible in the Symantec OEM software. In the command prompt, just type:
psexec \\computer_name MsiExec.exe /norestart
/q/x{BA4B71D1-898E-4306-AE87-8BA7A596F0ED} REMOVE=ALL.
Be surprised to observe that the software is finally removed even if the computer is still being used at the moment by another user.