Our computers slow down. Internet doesn’t work. We see random pop-ups happen or we sometimes flat out see an image like this populate our screen.   How did this happen?  How do we fix it?       We’d like to offer a few tips about protecting your computer whether it is Windows or Apple OS (Yes, Apple owners, you too can be infected and are NOT impervious to viruses and malware).   🙂

 

 

• NEVER contact a number or an email that some pop up tells you to!!!!  I can NOT stress this enough. Call a professional, like Cyberdyne Systems or someone else who is qualified to fix your problem if you feel you can’t.
• We recommend running one anti-virus program as well as one anti-malware program.  Windows has a built in program called “Windows Defender” and you Mac users have “XProtect” built in.  Both of these are OK programs and you should run something a little better.  Not all anti-virus programs are created equal. We don’t recommend “complete security” solutions as these add a LOT of overhead to your computer and unless you are running a top of the line machine, these can actually slow you down.  Try different options out there and see what you like.  We have been using Sophos Home recently and are having good results and no big slow downs.
• For Antimalware on BOTH platforms, we recommend using Malwarebytes. It’s free, very well respected and doesn’t take up a lot of computer resources.
• If you are surfing the net and ever come across any prompts that you do not know if you should say yes or no on, CLOSE the prompt!   Never authorize any program or download that you are ever unsure about.
• NEVER open emails or attachments in emails from people you don’t know or files you weren’t expecting.
• Most importantly, if you are ever in doubt, call an IT pro!