Prevent Viruses, Spyware, and Adware with Avast and CounterSpy

Would you like a set of two programs that, once installed, will prevent all malicious software from infecting your machine without having to do scans in safe mode?

Steps

  1. Get the software from the websites provided in the section 'Things You'll Need'.
  2. On each website, there are instructions on how to obtain the product keys for each program. Avast! 4 Home is free for personal home use, and CounterSpy is $19.99. Once you have the product keys, install each program.
  3. To enter the key for Avast, right-click on the system tray icon (blue sphere with the letter a) and choose About avast..., then click on License Key. This will enable you to enter in the key emailed to you. Avast is now good for 14 months.
  4. For CounterSpy, double-click the icon on your desktop, and the setup wizard will launch. During this time, it will request the product key, as well as to set up some initial preferences. Once the wizard has finished, run CounterSpy to perform a scan. You want to go ahead and remove all that it finds.
  5. Both programs run in the background. This is evident from the Avast icon spinning around a lot, and CounterSpy popping up messages about malware trying to install itself. However, regular scanning is also necessary.
  6. Both programs also automatically update their own definition files, and can also update manually.
  7. A particularly useful component of the Avast program is it's VRDB, or virus recovery database. It is set to perform only when running the screensaver, so right-click the Avast icon, click VRDB, then click Generate VRDB only when computer is idle. This will create backups of your system files so that in the event something gets past Avast, it can restore that file without you having to reinstall your OS. Avast is the only anti-virus software that performs this way.

Tips

  • Remember to check your programs often, and make sure they are scanning when they are scheduled to.
  • On a pop-up, never close the window with a link inside the pop-up, instead close the pop-up with the red 'X' in the top corner. Closing the pop-up with the link can download spywares or adwares.
  • Make sure you do all your windows updates, most windows updates have cumulative or critical security updates in them and this can plug holes in your operating system for you.
  • Remember to do away with Internet Explorer, and switch to Firefox, or Opera, or something other than IE or Netscape.
  • Remember to implement firewalls into your security arsenal. Software firewalls aren't as good as hardware ones, but something is better than nothing.

Warnings

  • Check that System Restore still creates valid restore points after installing Avast! 4 Home. This may fail to work properly.

Things You'll Need

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