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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.”

My PC started working slower, took time to start up and open a new window or new tab. I suspected a virus. I ran Spybot and found my PC was infected with win32.agent.nmy trojan horse. I cleared it using Spybot, used CCleaner to clear my registry and defragment. I ran Spybot again and it was all clear, no more trojan horse. But it still takes time to start up and open a new tab, what should I do now?

Check Windows Add/Remove for Bad Programs

OK - I think that we should go through your computer and make sure that all the malware is gone, even though Spybot says it is. It’s worth checking thoroughly because some infectious code is cleverly programmed to evade your virus scans and hang out in your computer. First of all, you can use Windows Add/Remove Programs to look through all the programs that are installed on your system and make sure that there is nothing dangerous or suspicious. To open Add/Remove Programs just click Start, then choose Control Panel, and then Add/Remove Programs. Here is a link to a list of dangerous programs to look for, if any of them appear delete them. You should also delete your download of CCleaner, we’ll get the latest version later.

Remove Java and JSE - Java Sun Environment - Programs

While you are in Windows Add/Remove, delete any and all installations of Java or JSE. Old versions have weaknesses and should be removed. Then you can go to the Java website and reinstall the newest version when you are finished troubleshooting your PC.

Start XP and Vista in Normal Startup

You should also set your computer to start up in normal mode while you are cleaning your system. This is important and not doing so can lead to more complications. If you are running Windows 98, ME or XP:

1. Click Start, then Run, and then type msconfig and click OK
2. Choose the General tab, then choose Normal Startup
3. Click Apply, then OK then turn your computer off and on again

If you run Vista:

1. Click Start, then type RUN in the search box and then click Enter
2. In the Run box, type msconfig and click Enter
3. Choose General, then choose Normal Startup
4. Click Apply, then OK, then reboot your computer

Empty Trash and Quarantined Files

Now empty all your trash and quarantined files. This will reduce the amount of data on your system, simplifying the scans and making the process faster and less complicated. Empty your Windows Trash - right-click the icon and choose to delete the contents. Also, if you use a Norton virus scan, empty the quarantined files and the protected recycle bins.

At this point you can download and install CCleaner, but run it with only the default options enabled to get rid of your temporary files. If you have more than one user account on Windows, you need to run the cleaner on all of them.

Make All Extensions Visible

Before you continue, you should make all file extensions visible, so that your scans have the best chance of finding everything. If you run Vista:

1. Right click Start, then choose Explore, then Organize
2. Choose Folder and Search Options, then the View tab, then Show Hidden Files and Folders
3. Click to remove the check from Hide Extensions for Known File Types AND Hide Protected Operating System Files
4. Click Yes, then Apply, then OK

If you run XP:

1. Click Start, then Explore, then Tools, then Folder Options
2. Choose the View tab, then Show Hidden Files and Folders
3. Click to remove the check from Hide Extensions for Known File Types AND Hide Protected Operating System Files
4. Click Yes, then Apply, then OK

Follow Detailed Operating System Cleaning Instructions

Now use Windows Defender, which should already be on your system, or a reputable antivirus/antispyware program to scan your system one more time. Run a complete system scan. Sometimes, using a second anti-malware program catches malware that the first application did not catch.

I’m dual booting Vista and Windows 7. How do I get Windows 7 to see my Vista programs?

File and Program Access on a Dual Boot Computer - Vista and Windows 7

The short answer - I’m afraid you can’t. When you are running a dual boot operating system the two are on different partitions and are unaware of each other. What this means is that when you boot up your Windows 7 installation, it has no idea that the Windows Vista operating system and environment is even there. Your data files will be accessible, as they share the same access, but programs and applications will need to be installed on Windows 7. There are some applications that you can try to load on a third partition and switch back and forth between operating system, setting the program up predominantly on one or the other, but you will encounter conflicts between the different operating systems.

Upgrade to Import Programs

If you decide to keep Windows 7, in the future you can use the operating system installation upgrade to get the latest operating system version on your computer and transfer all your programs along with it. In this case, the jump to Windows 7 doesn’t allow for the upgrade option.

Install Programs on Windows 7

To get back to your original question, you are going to have to load the programs you want to use onto the same partition as the Windows 7 operating system. To do this, you can load your software in a third partition in the hard disk, and then allow both operating system platforms to access them. There is a tutorial and a download here for an ownership tool that allows users to move quickly between operating systems and programs, which you will likely be interested in. With this tool you can click and take ownership of programs in Windows 7, the downside is that you will have to repeat the process if you want to access the same programs in Windows Vista.

Single Installation Software Programs

Unfortunately, many software program installation packages are limited to one installation per product code, meaning that - even though you are loading the same program on the same computer - you can only use the product licensing code once. Instead of buying all your software twice, you might opt to designate certain programs to each operating system, or take some time to sample Windows 7 and decide if you want to upgrade before installing a lot of software. I hope this helps, good luck!