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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.

Where can I get an automatic virus killer?

Many antivirus products are virtually automatic virus killers though some are better than others and some require more user interaction than others. You’re smart to want one that automatically detects and kills viruses. So, let’s look at antivirus programs that offer real-time protection.

Why is Real-Time Protection Important?

In the past, antivirus programs installed on your computer and launched at startup. When you turned on your computer, the program would scan your system for viruses. Daily scanning used to be good enough. However, what if you don’t turn off your computer for days at a time? What if a virus arrives in between scans?

Real-time virus protection protects against viruses the second that they are encountered. The moment a virus arrives, the real-time protection detects it and blocks it. The virus never has a chance to wreak havoc on your computer.

Automatic Updates

However, a real-time antivirus program is only as good as its last update. After all, if it doesn’t know about a new virus, it can’t defend your computer against it. No matter which virus killer program you choose, make sure that not only does it defend against viruses in real time, it also updates itself automatically. In addition, set the auto update feature up for frequent updates, such as several times per day. This is because new viruses are discovered and frequently.

Automatic Scans

Even with real-time protection and automatic updates, regular scans are still required. This is because new viruses may slip in before your antivirus software developer has created a fix. Given time, a defense will soon arrive but your computer won’t know it’s been infected until you have the update and then scan the system. Look for a virus killer with a scheduling feature so that you can rest easy knowing that your software will regularly scan for viruses.

Where to Get Virus Killers

Earlier, we reviewed the top twenty or so antivirus applications for 2009. You’ll find many excellent programs in this list, including a few free ones. We recommend ParetoLogic’s Antivirus Plus software because it meets all of these crucial requirements plus it protects against other threats like spyware, adware, and Trojans.

Free Registry Fix placed a folder in my Control Panel that can’t be opened or deleted. It is linked to “shell32.dll” in the folder C:\windows\system32\. Is there any way to delete this entire folder from Control Panel? Right clicking does not bring up any way of deleting it and there is nothing in the drop down menu of the toolbar that will allow this as well. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Malware Program Disguised as Registry Fix

The most immediate concern in your case is that the free registry fix program you downloaded is actually a malware program. Hackers and malware developers know that computer users are likely to download free applications that look like helpful programs like registry cures, so they use them to package and disseminate malware and viruses.

Update and Run Full System Virus Scans

The first thing you should do is update your legitimate malware/computer security programs and run full system scans. These scans will find any suspicious or dangerous software and isolate it, offering you instructions to remove or quarantine potential problems. First, go to the website of the antivirus software manufacturer and look for any available updates. Even if you have a paid subscription to a program like Norton, you might consider adding a malware program like Malwarebytes, which offers a free version. As with many free antivirus programs, you should routinely check for updates manually, rather than depending on automatic updates. Run the scans and deal with any problems by following the advice offered by the program. Once you deal with the issues, run the scans again, until they come back clean. Reboot the computer and check on the registry fix folder.

Remove Programs with Windows Add/Remove or with a Registry Edit

If the folder is still there, then there are a few ways to go after it. There are several registry programs available online that advertise as Free Registry Fix, so without knowing the manufacturer of the program I can’t know for sure what the registry entry would be. We can remove the program using Windows Add/Remove, which you may have already done, but if it has left stuff behind then you will need to edit the registry to manually delete the entries. For this, I would suggest that you contact a remote technical assistant. At Filetonic, we recommend the services available here. Registry editing is tricky business, and mistakes can be disastrous, so be sure that you are comfortable and know what you’re doing. To use Add/Remove:

1. Click Start, then All Programs
2. Scroll the list and find any and all entries related to Free Registry Fix
3. Click to highlight the entries, then click Remove

If the folder remains, get in touch with a technician who can help you through the steps to edit your registry manually. Hope this helps, good luck!

I have AVG Free. The last updates came in a language I can’t read. I went to Interface but there isn’t a tools menu to pull up to change language. How do I change the language to English?

AVG 8.5 Free Updates Dutch Language Default Settings

Hmm, this is an interesting one, and you aren’t the only AVG user who has encountered it. Apparently a bunch of the AVG 8.5 Free updates were sent out with the default language set in Dutch, making it hard for users to know how to change the settings back to English. Thankfully, it’s easy to change the language setting back to English, but you will need to follow the directions below to adjust the settings using the Dutch system.

Changing the Language Settings in AVG 8.5 Free

• Open your AVG Free program
• Look on the toolbar at the top of the screen - find and choose the Extra tab.
• There should be two sections: the top one starting with Computer Scannen, and the second starting with Update. Under Update, look for and choose an entry that says Geavanceerde instellingen, it should be the last listing
• Now, a screen will open called Geavanceerde Instellingen AVG
• Look for the drop down menu on the right pane of the screen. It should say Taalselectie in blue at the top of the screen
• Click the arrow on the drop down menu on the right side of the screen.
• When you click the arrow you should see English appear as an option
• Click to highlight English
• Now, on the bottom right side of the screen, you should see a tab that says Toepassen with an icon of a shield on it. Click this tab.
• Now, click OK, also on the bottom of the screen
• Close the screen by clicking the x on the top right corner
• Close and quit the program and then restart AVG - you should be back in English when it reopens

I hope that this does it for you, and that you are back up and running in English and able to communicate with your AVG antivirus program again. If you need any further help or the language is other than Dutch, let us know. Good luck.

I think my computer has a virus, but I don’t know which one. I got an error once logged in saying Windows will not open Internet Explorer for security reason. When I scroll over the toolbar all I get is the loading symbol. No applications open. I want to restore it so I tried reconfiguring the BIOS to boot from a CD but it wouldn’t work. Please help!

Removing Computer Virus

Since you think that you might have a computer virus that is affecting your ability to use Internet Explorer, we are going to start there. Close out all open applications or programs for the best results. If you have an antivirus application, make sure that it is the latest version by checking for updates before you run it. If you don’t have an antivirus application, then I can recommend Anti-VirusPLUS. This program offers you a free scan, so that you can see exactly what type of computer viruses have infected your computer.

It is important to understand that you definitely need an antivirus application to remove a computer virus from your computer. Completing a restore or repairing your Windows installation isn’t going to remove the virus for you. In particular, an IE virus would lead to problems using your Internet and it could even cause Internet Explorer to shut down.

Troubleshooting after a Virus Infection: Internet Explorer

Sometimes after a computer has been infected with a virus, it might not function properly and it becomes necessary to complete a few simple tasks. If your Internet Explorer is still not functioning properly you can try to repair it using these directions:

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Select the option for “Tools.”
3. Select “Internet Options.”
4. Select the option for “Advanced.”
5. Select “Reset.” Hopefully, this fixes the problem for you.

Troubleshooting Failed Internet Explorer

If Internet Explorer shuts down or won’t even open after trying the above strategies, perhaps you need to reinstall your version of Internet Explorer. Make sure that you have the latest version and update it if you do not.

Alternatively, if you are referring to a problem that exists because of your security setting, then you can adjust the setting to a less restrictive one. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click “Start.”
2. Click to open “Internet Explorer.”
3. Click “Tools.”
4. Click “Internet Options.”
5. Click “Security.”
6. Click “Internet.” You should see a slider in the window. All you need to do is to move this slider to a lower setting

Troubleshooting after a Virus Infection: Clean up with a Registry Cleaner

If you think that your computer is experiencing some other type of problem even though you have gotten rid of the virus, try the following strategies:

1. Run your antivirus application again to be sure that the computer is clean.
2. Clean the registry using a good registry cleaner such as “RegCure.”