It has been featured with our previous entries that a computer cannot have 2 or more antivirus programs installed. Now, how do you uninstall of the other antivirus programs? Simple, thru “add or remove programs” or “programs and features” in control panel. It is pretty simple and it works in most cases.

A previous case had issues with his programs after uninstalling his free antivirus software.  He also mentioned that a lot of icons in his desktop went missing and that several startup programs stopped launching; when all he did was to click on the uninstall button at the Programs and Features list in control panel.

Here’s the problem: there are other add ons on your antivirus program that may not be listed in the programs and features list. Some are, but you can’t uninstall them; thus causing problems like inability to browse, error messages on startup up to losing internet connectivity.

Even I, as a technician, get problems after uninstalling some antivirus program. Most commonly when removing an antivirus software bundle. I’m not saying that these bundles are not good; they are actually good and gives your computers security from all sides. Just like what I’ve previously mentioned; some add-ons are not that easy to remove because they are all over your system – your browser, your firewall, your registry. More often, these components are related to each other and if a component is removed it would just crash down altogether, causing damage on other components of your computer.

I’m pretty sure that this side problem has been raised to antivirus software developers. Some don’t really know this but each antivirus software has its own removal tool. Some of the popular ones I’ve listed below:

• Norton products
• McAfee products
• Trend Micro prouducts
• Kaspersky products
• AVG products

Instructions on how to use them are also included on the page.  Its quite simple really, all you have to do is to download the tool, install it and run it.

However, in cases where problems are encountered, most especially when network drivers need to be reinstalled or the firewall and/or the browser add-ons need to be reconfigured.  Depending on the situation; in worst cases, you just end up reinstalling everything.

End result: not only did we successfully remove other components of the antivirus program; but we also made sure that everything was in good working condition.  Another happy customer with a working computer.

How can Techie Now help?

Antivirus programs can be very tricky when you’re trying to uninstall them.  There are several components scattered all over your PC to give you all around security.  At most cases all components cannot be simply removed by the built in windows uninstaller and may cause instability to system crash on your computer.  Let Techie now take care of the hassles so you can ensure a working and safe pc.  We’ll also give you our expert opinion because we care for your computer as if its our own.

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Internet security is very important when it comes to the computers and network in your home or office. Most of the time, viruses spread easily over a network connection. As soon as one computer in your office gets infected with a virus, it can spread to the other computers. This may result in data and time loss.

You must take it seriously when choosing and installing antivirus software in the office for your computer and company’s protection. Antivirus software provides numerous benefits. As soon as you install and use it, you will get immediate protection. It will prevent the infection going into your network. It is also capable of quarantining virus of an infected computer preventing it to sneak and spread to other computers.

Antivirus software not only prevents virus infection to computers but also protects the company from compliance violations, data loss, identity theft, lost productivity and network downtime. It should give a wide-ranging security in protecting all types of endpoints in your system. If it fails to do that, your entire network is in danger.

In addition, your antivirus should be updated constantly to protect your office network from new viruses that will arrive in the future. You are now living in a modern world where virus writers grows as fast as they could bring harm to everyone personal and business life. Remember that a weak Internet security is dangerous. It just proves one thing, that the antivirus that you are using provides ineffective and weak protection. You wouldn’t want to risk your company because it could bring down your entire system and left you with nothing.

How Can Techie Now Help?

If you need assistance with virus and spyware removal, performance optimization, software installation and configuration, and other PC general services, contact us. Techie Now is one PC support provider that you can trust with your computer. With Techie Now, you can be sure that your PC is protected.

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Cyber criminals have started victimizing Verizon Wireless customers where they send out spam e-mail messages saying that their accounts are over the limit. Then they the customers a “balance checker” program to review their payments. These fake e-mail messages pretend to come from Verizon Wireless. Actually, the balance checker is infected a malicious Trojan horse program.

An antivirus research made at SonicWall shows that if you run the balance checker, your computer will be in danger. SonicWalls catches the infected Trojan with the name Regrun. The scammers were able to quickly flood the Internet with their spam a few hours after they started sending out the e-mail messages. SonicWalls had interrupted the messages of about 16 percent of its customers translating about 200,000 messages per hour on its sensors.

When you download the software, it opens up a back door to their computer allowing more malware to be downloaded from the Zbot botnet. The Zbot botnet is known for quietly stealing your online banking credentials and clearing your account. Of course, the pay-off for the cyber criminals is very huge. According to U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, this type of financial fraud has eliminated US$100 million from U.S. bank accounts. These criminals are really are finding new ways just to trick people and convince them to download their malicious software. As of now, this is the latest billing-cycle scam that they have.

How Can Techie Now Help?

Sending spam e-mail messages attached with a balance checker which is infected with a malware is one of the tricks that cyber criminals use victimize unaware computer users and costumers. For now, the best thing to do is keep updated anti-virus software for your PC protection. If you need assistance with any PC support services – like virus and spyware removal, performance optimization, installation and configuration, and general repair – Techie Now is willing to give you a hand in a better price. Contact Techie Now and enjoy your computer experience.

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Most banks nowadays provide online banking services. With the increasing number of cybercriminals, you have to be very areful when doing money matters over the web. One of the evidences was the discovery of the URLZone virus.

URL Zone is a new type of banking Trojan horse that steals your login credentials and steals your money from your account at the same time. It is said to be controlled by servers in Ukraine discovered by the help of the researchers of a security firm, Finjan. It targets Firefox, Opera and last three versions of Internet Explorer – IE6, IE7 and IE8. It displays your fake balance while you are logged in. It steals the exact amount money from your account during the time when you are logged in.

At present, the said virus is only affecting computers in Germany. Generally, URLZone infects your PC when you open an e-mail and click a link or visit an infected site. Once the virus infected your PC, URLZone waits for you to transact banking online. While you are doing your bank transactions online, the virus is also present in the background with the bank server and you not knowing that it’s already stealing your money. It sound impossible but it’s really happening.

URLZone virus cleans its tracks on your account by displaying a fake balance in your computer. Of course, it wouldn’t show the amount of your stolen money. You will be able to distinguish the discrepancy in your balance if you use an uninfected PC, use an ATM or your transaction is denied because of insufficient funds.

For your own security, you should always update and run your antivirus, spyware and firewall protection automatically. In this way, virus and other malware will not sneak to your PC, infect it and steal the money that you have been saving all your life. Use the latest version of your web browser. It’s not safe to use out-of-date web browser because it is often riddled with holes that worms can get through. You must update your operating systems critical security patches automatically. It is one of the best protections against any type of security threat. Bank account users like you should not click on unsolicited web links in e-mails that you receive. You should also check your bank statements frequently.

How Can Techie Now Help?

With URLZone virus being discovered, it warns people to be careful when doing bank transactions online. For the first time, a virus hijacks a user’s browser session, steals money while doing online banking, and clean its tracks by displaying fake information to you. Beware! If you are concerned that your computer may already be infected with a virus, seek a PC support to help you. Techie Now can help you with that! Techie Now offers better services including virus and spyware removal, performance optimization, installation and configuration and general repair for your PC needs. With Techie Now, your PC, money and identity are safe.

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I bet that when you bought your computer it was running fast but it’s just a matter of time before you have a slow PC in your hands. It seems that way, right?

There are mainly four reasons why your computer may be slow:

1. Certain programs and services need to start at the same time as Windows
2. Malware (viruses, spyware, etc)
3. General clutter in your system
4. Fragmented hard drive

In this article we’ll provide some typical solutions that you may want to try.

Software Installation which slows my PC

Unused applications still running in my computer

This happens to all of us. We browse the web, we fancy an application, we download it, install it, try it and, in most cases, we forget about it! Some of these applications possibly launch at start up and run in the background without you noticing it, hindering your computer’s performance.

Our recommendation: check your installed applications often and uninstall the ones that you don’t need. To do this go to Control Panel, click on “Programs and Features” (Vista) or “Add/Remove Programs” (XP). Review the list and uninstall the ones that you don’t recognize or simply don’t need.

Programs and features (Windows Vista)

It’s also recommended that you then run msconfig. This tool requires a little more technical understanding but in many cases you’d be able to make the correct decisions on what to leave running or not. This is how you do it:

1. Go to the ‘run’ prompt by pressing Windows Key + R
2. Type ‘msconfig’ and press enter
3. Msconfig will start, click on the StartUp tab.
4. Go over the items in the list and uncheck any that you think you don’t need running all the time
5. Press ok and restart your PC

msconfig

My computer is slow! Is it because of a virus?

We have clients that come to us explaining that their PC is slow and ask for an optimization service. In some cases their computers have viruses, spyware and other types of malware that slow down their computers.

Our recommendation: the typical prescription for malware (aka virus) problems is:

1. Install an Antivirus program, make sure it’s turned on  and up to date
2. Run the scan procedures of your Antivirus
3. Make sure your PC has got the latest security updates from Microsoft
4. Enable your Windows firewall

How much clutter is in my PC? Is it making my PC to slow down?

There are two places where clutter accumulates: the Windows registry and the hard drive.

Windows registry clutter

The registry is used by Windows and your programs to store configuration data. As you work with your computer the registry may accumulate unwanted entries causing slow down and even system crashes. There are several tools out there that clean your registry. At TechieNow we don’t endorse any registry cleaner tool in particular but we do recommend that you exercise extreme care when selecting one because a bad registry cleaner can do more damanage than good.

Clutter in my hard drive: temporary files, cache, internet browsing history, etc.

Most programs save temporary data in your hard drive. This data is supposed to be cleaned by Windows or the application itself. However, this doesn’t happen in most cases.

Our recommendation: Run Windows CleanUp utilityand clear the Internet browsing history frequently.

Fragmented Hard Drive

The best scenario for your hard drive is to have all data continously located within the drive. That way the disk reader spends less time jumping from one location to another to find the next bit of information. However, this is not always the case. Most times data is scatter across your slowing down your PC.

To avoid this situation run Windows defrag often. Depending on your disk usage this maybe monthly or weekly.

How Techie Now can help ?

Then why should you come to Techie Now for help?

This is why:

• The above process is relatively simple but if you’re not too comfortable with technology then you may benefit from our expert support
• Sometimes the tools mentioned above are not enough and you need to clean your system manually. Our Techies can perform ‘free form’ repairs without being restricted to specific tools
• Maybe you know how to boost your PC performance but then you also know it takes time. We can do this for you while you do something more productive or enjoyable!

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