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I cannot access Microsoft website or make Google.com my home page and I feel as though someone has sent a virus to my computer.

It does sound as though you have a virus and/or spyware on your computer. I’ll take you through the symptoms of viruses along with ideas for what you can do to get rid of them.

Virus Symptoms

One of the many virus signs that an infected computer will show is a change in performance. The computer tends to work more slowly, exhibiting unusual behavior. It also refuses to perform tasks that it used to perform. Additionally, when searching on the Internet, your searches might not appear as expected.

In general, you will see one or more of the following symptoms if your computer is infected with a virus: system slowdowns, rebooting, freezing, crashes, locking up, audio problems, missing data, file corruption, and other glitches. Viruses often exhibit other strange symptoms such as: missing files, weird messages, strange text changes, or strange sounds. Hardware and software symptoms and virus infections are often similar, making ruling out virus infections one of the first troubleshooting steps for most any type of computer problem.   

Virus Blocking Websites

In general, the inability to search a specific website would not be a hardware issue, but would indicate the presence of some form of malware or virus. If a virus blocks a web site, it often redirects you to a different one that is often filled with other forms of malware. In particular, you can generally tell that you have an infection because your searches are conducted more slowly and often take you to websites that you didn’t request. Virus makers now actively block computer security websites, including Microsoft, to make it more difficult for users to download detection and removal tools.

The signs of a virus infection should immediately prompt you into taking action to run a thorough virus scan to remove the infection. Once the infection is removed, your computer’s performance should go back to normal. If you already have an application that scans for and removes viruses, you should update and run it now. If you don’t have one, then I can recommend the following one: Anti-VirusPLUS. It will also remove any spyware infections that you have on the computer.

I am using both a desktop PC running Windows ME with applications that still work very well plus a laptop running Vista. On my desktop, I was using AVG Free 7.5 as my antivirus. As of April 30^th of 2009, AVG is no longer doing updates for 7.5 and the upgrade will not work with Windows ME. My fairly new laptop (running Windows Vista), was preloaded with McAfee Security (expires Aug. 09). I would like to get an inexpensive product that would be compatible with both the Windows ME and Vista so I can use either one to retrieve my email. Is this possible?

While it would be nice to use the same program on the two different machines, I’m not sure that’s going to be possible. Windows ME and Windows Vista are vastly different operating systems. Plus, developers are increasingly withdrawing support for Windows ME making it difficult to find a good solution for this older operating system let alone one that will work well for both computers. In fact, most antivirus products that support ME may support Windows XP but not Windows Vista.

Antivirus Recommendations for Windows ME

• ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Windows 95/98/ME - This product is for older operating systems from Windows 95 through the Millennium Edition (Windows ME). 
• Online Antivirus Scanners - You might try an online antivirus scanner such as Symantec’s Online Virus Scan. According to Symantec, it requires Internet Explorer 5.0 or above and ActiveX and scripting enabled. The downside of online scans is that they only run when you remember to go to the site and run them. 

Antivirus Recommendations for Windows Vista

The choices for Vista are vast! If you plan on exchanging data with your unsecured Windows ME machine, you’ll want a heavy duty antivirus solution for your Vista machine, preferably one with real-time protection. A good starting place is our list of Antivirus 2009 Reviews. All reviewed products are reputable products with most supporting Windows Vista.

Working with Windows ME and Windows Vista

As ESET NOD32 for Windows 95/98/ME is one of the few well respected products left that still support Windows ME, I’d invest in that product and use it for as long as ESET supports it. If ESET stops supporting it, I’d consider keeping the ME machine offline and using the Vista machine for e-mail. Hopefully that won’t happen for some time and then when it does, you may be ready for a new computer.

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Antivirus Software for Windows 98

I am having trouble removing antivirus AVG.

AVG Antivirus

AVG Antivirus is a free application that can be used to detect and remove viruses from a computer. It is simple to install and should be simple to remove. However, there are times when removing AVG might prove to be difficult.

How to Uninstall AVG Antivirus: Strategy 1: Add/Remove Utility

The normal method for removing AVG from the computer is to use the Add/Remove Utility. Follow these directions (unless you have already done so. In that case, proceed to the next strategy:

1)      Navigate to Start in the lower left-hand corner and click.

2)      Select the “Control Panel” to open it.

3)      Select Add/Remove Programs. (If you have Windows Vista, choose Programs and Features).

4)      Search for the AVG application in the generated list of programs and select it for removal. Simply click on it and click Remove.

5)      Follow the prompts as they appear.

How to Uninstall AVG Antivirus: Strategy 2: Uninstalling through AVG

If the above strategy doesn’t work (and in many cases, it won’t work), try this next set of instructions. Unfortunately, this almost seems like the runaround because of the method that you have to use. The maker of AVG, Grisoft, does not offer a stand-alone uninstaller for it. Therefore, you need to follow these directions:

1)      Visit the website for AVG.

2)      Download the latest version of AVG from the website.

3)      Double click on the file so that it will run. Don’t worry; you are going to be able to remove AVG from the computer.

4)      Once you double click on the file, you will generate three separate options from which you can choose. These options are: Repair installation, Add/Remove Components, and Uninstall. The Repair installation allows you to make an attempt to repair missing or damaged components of AVG. If the components cannot be repaired, then they are replaced. The option for Add/Remove Components allows you to either add or remove one or more of the components for AVG or to reinstall it completely. The uninstall option allows you to completely remove AVG from the computer. This is the option that you want to select. CLICK ON UNINSTALL TO REMOVE AVG FROM YOUR COMPUTER.

5)      After the uninstall option runs and completes the process, reboot your computer in order for it to take effect. Please note that you should install another antivirus application in order to protect your computer from an infection or attack by viruses, Trojans, or spyware. If you need help choosing one, viewing our Filetonic Antivirus Reviews is a good first step.

I got a virus and had to reboot my computer. I lost my audio drivers, downloaded some, and have no sound. If I go to My Music one of the sample songs will play but if I try to watch a movie or listen to music elsewhere there is no sound. Can you help?

I think this is definitely due to the virus, particularly if you can play the samples, but not other sound on your system. You said that you rebooted the system - did you also run a virus scan and correct the virus issue that was causing the problem? If you need some help with antivirus programs, you can take a look at our review article here.

Uninstall then Reinstall

You said that you downloaded the audio drivers, but did you uninstall anything that was remaining on the system first? It’s possible that you had something partially installed before you did a new download, so try it again. Go to Audio Devices, delete the audio devices that are there and have the system detect and reinstall the drivers when you boot up the system. You can also go to the manufacturer’s website and do a manual download. If you find that it is a problem when you try to play DVDs, you can delete the DVD player in your computer and have that reinstall as well.

System Restore

You can also try a System Restore to see if you can roll your computer back to an earlier time when the sound was working well. Go to Start and then All Programs and Accessories. Click on System Tools and then System Restore. You will see a welcome screen for System Restore. Click on “Restore my computer to an earlier time”. Click Next and you will see a “Select a restore point” page. You will need to select a date just before the virus hit and you lost sound. Click Next and confirm the date. The computer will shut down and reboot - when you see the Restoration Complete message, click Ok.

If the System Restore is successful, you need to immediately update your antivirus product and run another full virus scan to eliminate anything that might be lurking on your system. It is a good idea to set another restore point when everything is working and you have just performed a scan so that you will have something to go back to in case this happens again.

I was just about to turn off my Internet and all of a sudden I had this software called personal antivirus upload on my computer. I want to uninstall but it won’t let me. I tried to delete but it still doesn’t leave. Does anyone have any ideas?

Most likely, the reason that you are having difficulty getting rid of this “personal antivirus” application is that it is a form of malware or rogue antivirus program. Since you haven’t made mention to downloading any such program, this personal antivirus application probably came to you compliments of visiting a particular website, clicking on a link sent through an instant messaging service, clicking the security alert that appeared, or opening an unsolicited attachment.

Sometimes you can prevent the application from installing by closing out of your browser immediately and shutting down the computer. However, this strategy doesn’t always work and it is past that point for you.

What is Personal Antivirus?

The application, Personal Antivirus, was created by Innovagest 2000. It is a form of rogue antivirus that will eventually create pop ups telling you that you have security problems with your computer such as spyware or viruses. It makes use of Trojans, a form of malware that uses a great deal of Internet bandwidth and can upset the functioning of your computer. As long as you don’t click on the security alert that appears, the application shouldn’t fully install. However, it is designed to load automatically upon the start of Windows.

What are Rogue Antivirus Programs?

A variety of rogue antivirus programs exists and infects computers every day. These fake antivirus applications can create a lot of problems on your computer. So, you really do want to get it removed as quickly as possible.

How to Remove Fake Personal Antivirus Applications

The first strategy that you need to take is to run a thorough scan using an up-to-date anti-virus/anti-spyware program. If you have such a program, check the website for it and make sure that you have the latest version. Once you have done that, you can run the application and hopefully, it will remove the fake personal antivirus program. You can check the log file for most anti-virus/anti-spyware programs to see what programs have been removed.

If you don’t already have an up-to-date anti-virus/anti-spyware program, you need to obtain one. I can recommend Anti-VirusPLUS. It’s a great application that should be able to remove the fake one.

What Signs Exist for Personal Anti-Virus?

If you check the log file for your legitimate anti-virus/anti-spyware program, you will most likely see some of the following types of data:

• Rogue.PersonalAntiVirus
• C:\Program Files\Personal AntiVirus
• C:\Program Files\Personal AntiVirus\Explorer.ico
• C:\Program Files\Personal AntiVirus
• PerAvir.exe

These are just a few of the entries that will show up in the scan. Once they are removed by your legitimate anti-virus/anti-spyware program, you should be fine.

I’ve recently started experiencing these “copy and paste” problems with Works. I haven’t changed anything on my computer so I assumed that it occurred from the automatic updates that Microsoft periodically downloads. The “paste special” option helps sometimes but that option doesn’t always appear as a selection in the “Edit” section. One example, for many years, I always liked to type up my eBay item descriptions in Works first and then paste them into the description box on eBay when I was ready to list the item. I no longer can do this so I have to retype the descriptions (which can be long sometimes because they are in HTML code) with every listing. I really hope they come up with an actual fix, this is not good.

Enable Copy and Paste in Internet Explorer

In this case, you are trying to copy from Microsoft Works to eBay’s description field, correct? If so, it may be that your Internet browser is restricting copy and paste. If so, try changing the copy and paste setting in Internet Explorer’s Options menu. Do this by going to Tools > Internet Options > Security. Select the globe icon and then click Custom Level. Scroll down until you find Misc > “Drag and drop or copy and paste files.” Change this from Disable to either Enable or Prompt.

Ebay’s HTML Tab

Since you mentioned eBay and HTML in the same breath, let’s also take a look at how to enter HTML in the eBay description form. It sounds like you have a Works document containing the HTML code for your commonly listed item. If you copy and paste this HTML into the standard description form, all of your HMTL codes will show up as codes rather than carrying out the specific commands. For example, <table border=”0″> and other HTML commands will appear as text complete with the codes rather than carrying out the command such as creating a table for coloring a font.

Fortunately, the description form for eBay also has an HTML component. However, the HTML tab isn’t viewable if you are using eBay’s simple form. If you are creating a listing in the simple form, you’ll need to go to the top of this form and find the link that says, “Switch to Form with More Choices.” Now, when you go to the Description form, you will see a Standard tab as well as an HTML tab. Click the tab labeled HTML and paste your HTML into that form instead. Now, click the Standard tab and you should see your description nicely formatted with all of your HTML instructions properly carried out.

Using Notepad

Finally, if copying the text from Works into the HTML tab still gives you problems, try copying the text into Notepad first and then copying from Notepad to the HTML tab of eBay’s description form.