It never seems to fail… if I so much as think about installing a new application in Facebook, I am almost guaranteed to get a virus on my machine. It’s gotten so bad that I no longer take any of the cutesy quizzes, use any of the “artist” programs, or even play many of the games. I ignore most invitations from friends to join this or that – although that has a lot to do with the amount of time I am willing to devote to Facebook, too – and I almost never play any of the videos.

And still, I get attacked by malware and viruses. Thankfully, I use a good (free) antivirus program, backed up by a purchased one, and a couple of good anti-malware programs. They tend to catch most everything that comes my way. My favorite free anti-virus program is Avast, although AVG is also very good. I also use Malwarebytes and Ad-Aware against malware, and I’ve also used Spybot.

Recently, though, I’ve found myself helping to clean other computers infected with “Internet Security 2010” or some variant of it. This is a pernicious program that makes the unwary person think that he or she has a virus, then requires the purchase of an expensive program that (you guessed it) doesn’t exist. But hey, now they have a valid credit card, so it’s time for them to go on spending spree! Grrrrrrr…

If you are infected, then it’s really not difficult to clean it off, but it is time consuming. Anyone who has taken one of my computer classes knows that I am very much a do-it-yourself person whenever possible about computers, and there are some great sites to walk you through cleaning this virus. I really like bleepingcomputer.com, because the instructions are step-by-step with pictures.

If using your computer to access the internet is impossible, please come by the library. We can print out the instructions for you, and even help you download the files to your flash drive. In fact, I have most of them on my computer now, ready simply to be copied. Like I said, I’ve done this a number of times already!