Virus 101

Viruses are getting more difficult to remove especially when they render you control panel inoperable. There are some things you can do to prevent from getting them.

First install an anti virus there are several good free ones such as Avira at http://www.free-av.com/ there are some other free ones but you should also be careful not to download anti-virus programs that are viruses themselves.

Second make sure that you create user accounts form everyone that uses a computer and set up whether they are going to have administrator rights. Generally if they are kids or inexperienced users they should always have limited user accounts on a computer.

Third if you do get a virus then take your computer off the network unplug it from the Ethernet cable and/or turn off wireless. Make sure you back up all your important files ASAP. If you see a pop up coming up constantly don't close it just leave it up and in the background while you back up your files. If you can run an anti virus scan do so and clean up anything it finds.

If it does not go away after several scans contact a professional for additional help to try to clean it but if it is really bad then you might have to re-image the computer.

Frozen PC or Laptop?

What happens when your PC or Laptop froze on you?

Well you could wait until it finishes doing what it was doing it might be in the middle of running something that is too much for it too handle.
The next step can be scary especially if you where in the middle of a 10 page document that you forgot to save. Although you should always save or set your auto save features on the software you are using.
So after waiting a while it is not coming out of it's frozen state you should try rebooting by holding down the power button for about 10 seconds until it shuts down.
After this restart it and it should work ok again. If it continually does this it is possible that the computer needs some type of hardware repair or upgrade in memory.