Trend Micro Internet Security 2008 is blocking access to the internet, even with the firewall set to the lowest level of security. This means I need to disable the firewall in order to use the internet which is obviously very dangerous. How can I fix this problem? The computer is running Windows Vista Home Premium. (more…)

Balloon messages are appearing from the system tray claiming that the computer is infected with the “XP Security Center” virus. The message instructs me to click on the balloon to fix the problem. A web page appeared recommending that I buy the cure. On inspection of the payment form I saw that payment was in roubles, the company was Russian, and there were spelling mistakes in the instructions. Needless to say, I backed off instantly and did not purchase the item. The constant balloon message interruptions continued, so I purchased Spyware Doctor in an attempt to fix the problem. This cleaned up my system and removed the malware, including the Trojan Spy.Zbot. However, the system slowed almost to a halt, such that it was virtually unusable. I discovered this slowness was only when the so-called Spyware Doctor “intelliguard protection” was running. Upon disabling this feature the system immediately returned to normal speed. Is there any way to avoid this slowdown? The computer is also running McAfee VirusScan. (more…)

Updating AVG Antivirus produced the error message: “A .bin file is missing”. Now it seems that my computer is not protected. How can I fix this problem so that AVG updates correctly? The computer is running Windows XP. (more…)

After about 10 – 15 minutes on the internet my laptop will turn itself off. This problem only happens while on the internet. (more…)

Recently I downloaded SuperAntiSpyware and I wanted to seek your opinion on how good and effective is this software in removing spyware and adware threats? The computer is currently running Windows XP Home Edition with Norton Internet Security 2008, Windows Defender, and Spybot Search & Destroy. Windows Firewall is also enabled. In the past I have noticed that you recommend Ad-Aware, however I did not like this software so I have uninstalled the program. Additionally, Norton Internet Security did not seem to like Windows Firewall being enabled but I have enabled it anyway. I have always been a loyal Norton Internet Security user but recently I have seen people commenting that NIS can “hog” system resources, so I am starting to investigate alternatives. Any advice you could provide would be greatly received. (more…)