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Maintaining a clean computer is more difficult than most people think. Whether you have come to this page because your computer is infected, or whether you are learning more about the programs installed on your recently-cleaned computer, get ready to learn why maintaining your computer is essential in today’s Internet-ready world.
Recent studies by "[r]esearchers found that 89 percent of consumer PCs were infected with an average of 30 pieces of spyware... using advanced spyware programs like rootkits, Trojan downloaders, keyloggers and driver–level installers." (Source: Webroot Software, Inc.) And if you’ve been connected to the Internet for more than 15-25 minutes with an unpatched, unprotected machine, there’s a chance that your computer is already infected! (Source: SANS Internet Storm Center)
How could your machine be unpatched? You just bought it, pulled it out of the box, and connected it to the Internet, right? Most manufacturers, such as Dell, HP, or Gateway, patch their machines when they make it, not when they sell it. Each machine sits in a warehouse while awaiting shipment to a vendor. When the machine finally gets shipped to a retail store, it can sit on the store shelves for months before you purchase it.
In the meantime, virus and spyware writers are creating new malicious programs daily at an alarming rate. By the time you get your ‘new’ machine, several dozen or hundred new programs are on the Internet waiting to infect your now-unpatched machine. (A computer purchased from Computers & More, LLC, however, is protected when you walk out the door!) You may notice your computer is slower than when you first pulled it out of the box, or your Internet home page changes from your preferred page, or you get unwanted popups. Additional undesirable symptoms such as the ones below may appear as well. - Sluggish system
- Repeated system crashes
- Getting kicked off the Internet
- Your anti-virus or firewall are turned off unexpectedly
- Your computer keeps requesting to connect to the Internet
- You wind up at an usual page every time you attempt to search
- Unidentified, suspicious phone bill charges (usually 900 numbers)
- New shortcuts appear on your desktop that you didn't specifically install
- Your Favorites folder has new entries that you didn't specifically request
- Changed browser settings that you cannot modify to their previous settings
- Intermittent or overwhelming pop-up advertisements, whether you are online or not
- Sound, printers, USB-connected devices, or other components not working properly
- New toolbars for your Web browser and/or file browser that you did not specifically install or download
Thankfully, five pillars of protection exist to help you keep your computer running smoothly. Click on each of the links below to learn how to protect your computer.
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Protect Your Computer 
