Reasons for Updating an Antivirus Protection Software

Malicious software or "malware" can take various forms such as viruses, spyware and keystroke loggers. Malware can cause a variety of problems ranging from annoyances such as popup ads to serious issues such as loss of data or hardware damage. Antivirus software is designed to detect and remove malware from your computer and also ensure that your computer does not become infected in the first place. However, your antivirus software must be kept up to date to ensure continuous protection for your computer.

Continuous Protection

The most important reason to update antivirus software is to ensure that your computer is continuously protected against viruses, spyware and other malware. New viruses are unleashed on the Internet every day and antivirus software developers must frequently update their products to recognize these new threats. A library of "virus definitions" containing data used to detect known viruses must be be updated frequently. Sometimes new virus definitions are released several times a month or even several times a week. If your antivirus program does not have these updates, it will not be able to protect your computer against newly discovered threats. Because updates are so important, most antivirus programs make it very easy to download these files. Some programs even download and install updates automatically.

Program Improvements

Another reason to download antivirus program updates is to upgrade the software with the latest bug fixes and enhancements. User feedback and testing may lead software developers to make changes or improvements to the user interface or the underlying program code. In some cases, updates may offer new features which were not available in older versions of the program. Updates may also improve program efficiency and add new functionality such as popup blocking, spam blocking, Web link scanning.

Technical Support

Software companies typically provide technical support for the most current versions of their software. Updating to the current version will make it easier for you to obtain technical support or other assistance with your antivirus software if you need it. Some software publishers do not provide any support for older versions of their products, so if you have a problem, you must resolve it on your own.

Compatibility

Antivirus updates can improve program compatibility and eliminate known bugs in the program code. Software publishers are often unaware of these issues until after a product has been released to the public on a wide scale and users begin reporting problems. Software can be optimized and refined to increase compatibility and reduce programmatic errors.

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Useful Computer Troubleshooting Software

With any computer, you will inevitably encounter software or hardware issues that require troubleshooting to correct. Unless you have extensive computer knowledge, pinpointing the exact cause of computer problems can be difficult without software utilities that can diagnose and fix whatever problems that may arise. There are numerous useful tools and utilities that can help simplify the troubleshooting process and get you on track to solving common computer problems.

Diagnosis

The most important aspect of troubleshooting your computer is understanding where the problem is originating. There are a number of programs that provide full system profiles of your computer, including information about the functionality of software and hardware components. Look in my PC and System Information for Windows (see "Resources") can generate a report detailing the technical specifications of your system, the current status of hardware and software and make troubleshooting recommendations. Moreover, these applications provide you with all the details of your computer in case you need to depend on technical support from the manufacturer.

Anti-Virus

It may be common sense, but an effective anti-virus program is one of the most important computer troubleshooting tools around. There are a wide variety of free and paid anti-virus programs that can be employed to scan for security issues that may be causing your computer to malfunction. Among the free options, Microsoft's own Security Essentials (see "Resources") is one of the best rated and most comprehensive programs available. Microsoft also provides a comprehensive list of third-party anti-virus programs on their website (see "Resources").

Software Maintenance

Many computer issues can be solved with some simple software maintenance. Removing unneeded files, disk defragmentation and managing the start-up program list can go a long way in speeding up your computer. Piriform Software is the maker of two of the most popular software maintenance programs that address these three troubleshooting areas (see "Resources"). CCleaner can easily clean your computer of unneeded files and remove unnecessary start-up items while Defraggler provides a quick and effective disk-defragmentation utility.

Screen Sharing

In the end, it may be necessary to turn to outside help to solve your computer problems. One of the handiest utilities to have in your troubleshooting toolbox is a good screen sharing program. These programs enable you to quickly share your screen with anyone in the world, be it a technically proficient friend or family member or your tech support.


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Computer Tech Support: 7 Ways to Get Help From Tech Support People

Sooner or later, you may need to call up tech support to fix something. Perhaps one morning you get the blue screen of death, or you get one of those scary error messages on your screen. Or maybe you try to turn your computer on and...nothing. Perhaps it's not your computer at all, but your website is completely down and you have to make that call to your web designer or web hosting company.

I've been on both sides of that panicky call and there are 7 things you can do in order to help make that tech support call just a little less stressful:

1. Don't panic- This is easier said that done when you're computer's on the blink and you're staring down the barrel of a deadline. But things will be less stressful if you don't freak out. Chances are the problem is not nearly as bad (or expensive) as you think.

2. Check the obvious before you call- One of the first things that your tech person will have you do is to check for obvious causes of trouble. Like is your computer plugged in? Or is the surge protector your computer's connected is turned on? Are all of the cables coming out of your computer plugged in tight? Or are entering your password in correctly? Or do you have the "CAPS lock" key on while you're entering your password? They have you run through this drill because many times the simple stuff is the problem. So run through some of the obvious causes of trouble before you pick up the phone.

3. Get prepared- If you have any warranties or service contracts gather up all of those materials before you call. It will save you a bit of time just in case your tech person requests this information. You may also need the serial number for your computer. These are usually located on a sticker placed on the back, bottom, or side of your computer or they are located in your computer registration paperwork.

4. Be as specific as possible- Simply saying "My computer's not working" is not that helpful. Tech support already assumes that your computer isn't working because you wouldn't call just to say hi. What they need to know is "in what way is your computer not working?". You need to be as specific as possible. Will your computer not start at all? Is the problem that you can turn the computer on but it won't go past the startup screen? Perhaps you can get past the startup screen but you can't open up a particular program? Describe your problem from start to finish; what you were doing when you encountered your problem, what your computer does, and if there are any special situations that seem to coincide with the problem.

5. Write down error messages- Usually when something goes wrong, you'll get some kind of error message that attempts to tell you what the problem is. If you can't make heads or tails of the message, take the time to write it down. It may mean something to the tech person you're talking to and it might help them diagnose the problem just a bit faster.

6. Make note of any recent changes or incidents- Sometimes the cause of your computer trouble is something that's changed on your computer or some incident that has happened recently such as:

the addition of new hardware (printer, scanner, hard drive, memory, etc)
the addition or deletion of software
a power disruption or power surge
the addition of deletion of a service
software upgrades or security patches

Sometimes changes like this can cause some unforeseen problems with other things that may or may not seem to be related to your problem. When you're talking to your tech person, make them aware of any changes or additions you made before you started having problems. They'll be able to tell you if these changes are related to your trouble.

7. Keep notes- A lot of times a call to the support department means that you'll be spending a lot of time on the phone being sent from one person to another. Keep notes on who you talk to, when you talked to them, and what they've done to help diagnose the problem. If you find that you have to keep calling the support department or if you have to a repair person fix your computer in person, these notes will come in handy.

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