Free Programs Every Computer Should Have

There are many free programs that every computer should have installed.  You should also make sure their up to date.  If you a see warning notice pop up telling you an update is available, you'll want to say "yes" to downloading and installing it. 

You can easily check to see if these programs are installed on your computer by clicking the START button and then ALL PROGRAMS.  You'll have to scan the list of programs looking for the titles below.  If you do see these programs installed, it would be a good idea to open them and click the CHECK FOR UPDATES button which is usually located under HELP on the menu.

Adobe Reader
Adobe Reader is the program that lets you open and PDF documents. If you already have Adobe Reader installed on your computer, you can open it and click HELP and then CHECK FOR UPDATES to get the latest version.  If you don't have Adobe Reader installed, you can click here to get it.  If you want the ability to convert your documents to PDF for easier sharing through email and the internet, then you'll want to buy Adobe Acrobat.

Flash Player

Many websites today use Flash technology to add graphics, video, and other interactive modules.  Flash player allows to view these websites correctly.  Flash is a plugin installed in your internet browser (e.g., internet explorer, firefox, etc.), so it needs to be installed in each browser separately.  To get the latest flash player, click here.

Java

Java is similar to Flash, but is different technology.  You know those cute little greeting cards you get in the email that say "click here" to create your own firework show around the statue of liberty or throw snowballs, etc. ... those are created using Java.  Java is also used on many business sites like FedEx, USPS, and others.   To get the latest version of Java, click here.

QuickTime

Many of the videos you see on websites use QuickTime to play them.  QuickTime is Apple's technology so it can be installed on PC's and MAC computers.  If you have QuickTime installed on your computer, you may see a program (under ALL PROGRAMS) called, APPLE SOFTWARE UPDATES.  You can open that program to update it.  If you don't have it, you can get the latest version of QuickTime by clicking here.

MalwareBytes AntiMalware

This is one of my favorite programs!   It specializes in removing junk from your computer.  There is a free and paid version of this program and the difference is automation.  You have to update and run the scans yourself in the free version, whereas the paid version will automatically do those things for you.  To learn more about MalwareBytes AntiMalware, click here.

PowerPoint Viewer

This program allows you open and view PowerPoint Files (PPT and PPS).  All those cute little slide shows you get in email are usually created with PowerPoint.  You only need this program if you DON'T have PowerPoint installed on your computer.  To download PowerPoint Viewer, click here.

If you don't have Microsoft Office installed your computer, you can also download free viewers so you can open and read Microsoft Word and Excel documents too.  But like the PowerPoint Viewer, you only need the Word Viewer and Excel Viewer if you don't have Word or Excel installed on your computer.

Microsoft Office Compatibility Converter Pack

You only need this program if you have Microsoft Office installed and it's a version earlier than 2007.  You don't need it if you have Microsoft Office 2007 or later or if you don't have Microsoft Office installed.  This converter pack allows earlier version of Microsoft Office to open Word, Excel and PowerPoint files created with Microsoft Office 2007 and later. To get the Microsoft Office Converter Pack, click here.

Microsoft Works 6-9 File Converter

This program is for Microsoft Word users who sometimes have to open documents created with Microsoft Works. Although Microsoft created both programs, they're not compatible with each other.  Many new computers today come with Microsoft Works pre-installed.  And this is the only program you are working in, that's fine.  But if you're a Word user and now need to open a Works document (.wps),  this converter will let you. To download the Works converter, click here.

Firefox

I'm a big believer that EVERY computer should have a second internet browser installed.  The reason is that if Internet Explorer gets corrupted (which it frequently does), then the only way to fix it is to get to the internet ... but if you can't get to the internet, you can't fix it. That's where having another browser your computer is helpful.  Having another browser on your computer will let you get to the internet if Internet Explorer is corrupted.  You don't have to use Firefox if you don't want to.  But having it installed will give you a backdoor to the internet.  While there are other browser alternatives (Chrome, Safari, Netscape, etc.), Firefox is my favorite browser.  To get Firefox, click here.

Watch for Windows Antivirus in Emails

It appears that the rogue program, Windows Antivirus is now spreading via emails. Previously, the only way to get it was to click an internet link which took you to an infected site.

But the other day, one of my single clients received an email that appeared to be from a friend with a picture of a girl attached that he wanted him to see. He clicked the link to open the picture and was immediately hit with messages from Windows Antivirus telling him his computer was infected.

This is the first time I've seen an attack via email by the rogue program (though I suppose it was just a matter of time).  

Make sure your antivirus software is up to date and if you haven't already, be sure to download and install Malwarebytes AntiMalware (one of the few programs that can successfully remove Windows Antivirus).  In addition to these things, be careful not to open emails from people you don't know (especially if they contain links or attachments).

How Run Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

Most of my clients know that one of my favorite software programs is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware!  This program has helped me remove some of the top Malware and virus threats on their computers. As a result, I help all my clients download and install this program on their computers.  I've written much about about Malwarebytes Anti-Malware in previous posts, but I wanted to focus this post on showing folks how to update it and run the scans.

First, after you download and install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, you'll see a red icon with a white "M" on your desktop (like that shown on the right.  You may or may not see the shield on top it.  To run the program, just double left-click the icon (Windows Vista and 7 may ask you to confirm that you want to open/run that program).  After the program opens, you'll see the screen below.

Don't be fooled by all the tabs you see.  The only two that you really need to pay attention to are the "Scanner" tab and the "Update" tab (circled in red). 

If you're using the free version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, you'll have to manually update the software and run the scan.  

So first thing you want to do after opening Malwarebytes,  is click  the UPDATE tab so you can update the software. 

Once on the update page, there are two pieces of information you'll want to pay attention to.  The first is the date of the last update.  Malwarebytes provides updates daily. And every time you update it, this date will change.  Knowing when you last updated the software and ran the scan is helpful.  

The next step is to click the "CHECK FOR UPDATES" button (you must be connected to the internet for this step).  Depending on when you last updated the software, it could take a few minutes to complete, and you may (or may not) need to reboot the computer to finish the update.  Sometimes Malwarebytes will need to close the application and then you'll have to reopen it.

Just be sure to always update the software before running the scan.  

After Malwarebytes has been updated, click the SCANNER tab to run the scan.

There are two types of scans you can run - Quick Scan or Full Scan.  Most of the time, the Quick Scan will suffice (especially if you're running scans regularly).  The only time I run the Full Scan is when I want to perform a deep thorough scan for maintenance purposes or when I suspect a problem.   

The Quick scan takes 15-30 minutes are on average and the full scan can take anywhere from 1-6 hours (depending on the size of your hard drive and how much data you have on it).  The good news is that you can do other things on the computer while the scan is running - although it may slow you down a bit.

After selecting the type of scan you want to run (Quick or Full), click the SCAN button to start the scan. 

While the scan is running, you'll notice that it shows "Objects Infected" followed by a number (which is zero at the start) on the screen.  If Malwarebytes finds any problems, "Objects Infected" will turn red and show a number.  You'll have to wait for the scan to complete before you can see what it found.  If Malwarebytes doesn't find anything, this number will remain "0".

If you look at the bottom of the window while the scan is running, you'll see two buttons:  "Purchase" (if you're running the free version) and "Exit".  If  Malwarebytes finds infections, these buttons will disappear after the scan completes and you'll see a new button labeled, "SHOW RESULTS" (you'll only see this button if infections are found).

If you see the "SHOW RESULTS" button after the scan completes, you'll want to click it. The next screen shows you in detail what infections were found and by default, all are checked.  To remove those infections, you'll want to click the REMOVE ALL button.  In most cases, you'll be told to reboot computer to complete the removal process. 

After you reboot computer, I would recommend running the scan again to make sure it comes out clean.  I have seen cases where a scan needed to be ran 2 or 3 times before all infections were removed.

I recommend updating and running Malwarebytes Anti-Malware at least weekly to help keep your computer clean of malware. 

How to Protect Your Computer From Malware

In addition to virus protection, it's important to protect your computer from Spyware, Adware, and Malware.  Some "internet security" and Antivirus software will protect you against some of the additional threats, but they may not catch them all.

For years I ran Stopzilla and  Lavasoft's Ad-aware on my personal computer from spyware and adware.  But since discovering, Malwarebytes Anti-malware, I now favor this program. I've written several posts about the biggest Malware threat (Windows Antivirus) nfecting many of my client's computers, and Malwarebytes Anti-malware is the ONLY program out there that's been able to completely remove it in most cases.  For that reason alone, I've become a HUGE fan of Malwarebytes.

Malwarebytes makes a free and paid version of their Anti-malware program.  I've been using the free version, which is fine for me, but it's takes some discipline on my part.  The biggest difference between the paid and free version is automation.  With the free version of Antimalware, I have to remember to update the software and run the scans myself.  The paid version will automate updates and scanning for you.  If you're one of those people who doesn't want to be bothered with managing the software yourself, then I'd highly recommend getting the paid version.

Regardless of which version you use of Malwarebytes Antimalware (paid or free), I highly recommend downloading and installing it on your computer.  And of course, don't forget to use it!  This is one program you really want to have on your computer BEFORE some of these problems find their way onto your computer because some malware programs will prevent you from installing it after they infect your computer.

Between Norton Internet Security and Malwarebytes Antimalware, my computer stays really clean of viruses, malware, spyware and adware.

To download and install Malwarebytes Antimalware, click here.

Beware of Alpha Antivirus

Today, I was doing some research on a client's motherboard and found myself clicking a link which promised more information about that model.  But when I clicked the link, I was faced with a white screen and the following message:

Making matters worse, when I tried to "X" out of the screen, I was hit with several more windows which gave me the impression the software was already downloading itself to my computer, followed by several virus warnings.   And of course, it was impossible to "X" out or "Cancel" the screens.


Luckily for me, I've seen this rogue malware program before under different names.  It's basically the Windows Antivirus malware program renamed and redistributed.  Only this time, it was called, "Alpha Antivirus". 


This message was intended to scare me into downloading this malware software.  And of course, programmers fixed it so that when you hit the red "X" or "cancel" to close the window, more messages popped up giving the impression the software download was in progress.  They also wanted you to believe that your computer was horribly infected with viruses as seen on the screen below:

If you should fine yourself in this situation .... here's what you do.  First, don't panic!  This is a very effective scare tactic designed to persuade you into downloading rogue software.  But if you follow the instructions below, Alpha Antivirus (or Windows Antivirus, or whatever name it's going by) will NOT be downloaded to your computer.

It's impossible to "cancel" or "X" out of the warning messages.  So don't waste your time.  Instead, go to your keyboard and hit the CNTRL + ALT + DEL keys to bring up the task manager (some computers will see a blue windows screen with the option to click on Task Manager).

Once the Task Manager is open, click on the PROCESSES tab (if you're not already on it) and then scroll down the list to find your internet browser. In my case, I was using Firefox when the Alpha Virus warning messages started popping up, so I wanted to find the process "Firefox.exe"  If you're using Internet Explorer, you'll want to find the process, "Iexplorer.exe.

Once you find the process, single left click it once to highlight it in blue and then click the END PROCESS button at the bottom of the Task Manager window.  This will close your internet browser.

The next thing you want to do, is a health check of your computer.  There's a program you can (and should) download called, "Malwarebytes AntiMalware".  This is on the best programs you can have on your computer. It's also one of the few programs that will erase Alpha Antivirus (Windows Antivirus, etc.) from your computer. The free version will work.

So if you don't already have Malwarebytes AntiMalware on your computer, download it and run a Full scan just to be sure that you don't have Alpha Antivirus on your computer.

If you do already have Malwarebytes AntiMalware on your computer, update it and run a full scan. 

If you love Malwarebytes AntiMalware as much as I do, you can buy the full version which will also let you automate the software (for auto updates and scans).  The free version works great, but there's no automatic features in it.  To buy the full version of Malwarebytes AntiMalware, click here.

Oh yeah ... one more thing.  When you go to reopen your internet browser, you may the option to "start a new session" or "restore previous session".  If you do, be sure to choose the "new session" option.

How to Remove Windows Antivirus

Is your computer infected with Windows Antivirus? I recently removed this annoying malware program from many of my client's computers and wanted to share the secret with you.

First let's talk about this program. This malicious program has been around a few years, and as such changes name every year. This year, it's called, "Windows Antivirus 2009". Last year it was "Windows Antivirus 2008", and so on.

If the name wasn't bad enough, another problem is that this program disguises itself to look like a legitimate Microsoft program (which it isn't). The icon even looks like a windows icon.

You've heard of "adware" and "spyware" ... well this program can be termed, "malware", "rogue-ware", or "ransomware". In short, it's a malicious program that infects your computer and holds it hostage for money (Perfect Defender is another rogue program)

Folks tend to get it by surfing the web stumbling across a web site that is infected or responding to a scary popup message. Once this program is on your computer, it will bombard you with scary messages about many infections are on your computer and convince you need to buy the program to remove them. But sadly, even after paying your $50 for the program, the messages never go away - and you're still left with the annoying problem and out $50!

By the way, there's no hope of recovering your money from the folks behind Windows Antivirus .... but you can call your credit card company and tell them you're a victim of an internet scam and have them cancel the payment.

Good news is that there is hope! There is a program that remove Windows Antivirus 2009 (and other versions of it) from your computer. This program is called, Anti-Malware by Malwarebytes. I've used this program on some of my clients computers and it worked like a charm .... which is why I highly recommend others use this program!

Updated 28 September 2009:   In addition to Windows Antivirus, this program also goes by the names, Alpha Antivirus,  Perfect Defender, and a dozen or so other names.  But all warning messages look and act pretty much the same way.