Recent Comments
Comment by Graham on Low Battery? Extend Your Laptop's Battery Life (May 22, 2025 11:57 PM)
I am in Australia and there have been a number of building fires caused by recharging of battery scooters and bikes. I always left my HP laptop on cha...
Comment by Ron Atkinson on Low Battery? Extend Your Laptop's Battery Life (May 22, 2025 08:57 PM)
The last time I bought a laptop with a removable battery was 2012. Since then my Asus of 2016 and my Dell of 2023 have fixed batteries. Is it differen...
Comment by Otto on Low Battery? Extend Your Laptop's Battery Life (May 22, 2025 05:02 PM)
You didn't mention using Dark Mode which I use continually. As the screen background is black no battery power is used for it? My refurbished laptop ...
Comment by Wolf on Build Your Own PC? (my advice) (May 20, 2025 08:50 PM)
This is an article, which presents another great idea. In my case, when Windows 11 came out, although not going as far as building a completely new co...
Comment by Eli Marcus on Build Your Own PC? (my advice) (May 20, 2025 03:06 PM)
Yup, over the years I have built a number of desktop work stations. Years ago, it was the only option to get a system with an AMD CPU, and to pick and...
Comment by misterfish on Build Your Own PC? (my advice) (May 20, 2025 08:53 AM)
I built about a dozen back in the eighties (no Youtube videos back then) for my employer's office and three for myself. Components were pretty cheap c...
Comment by Laurie on Build Your Own PC? (my advice) (May 19, 2025 10:44 PM)
I used to build a new main computer every 3 years or so, “mix and match” style. It was fun and exciting to look over all the new options for RAM,...
Comment by hifi5000 on Build Your Own PC? (my advice) (May 19, 2025 05:32 PM)
I have no desire to build my own PC unless it was absolutely necessary.At the most, I can replace individual components with no problem. With most use...
Comment by John T on Build Your Own PC? (my advice) (May 19, 2025 04:42 PM)
I have a tower I built back in July of 2011. Upgraded it to Win-X from Win-7 when that was offered. Well now with Win-X going to be no longer supporte...
Comment by Len on Build Your Own PC? (my advice) (May 19, 2025 04:38 PM)
Yes, I've built two machines--my current one (2015) and an older one (2008) because I really believed I would 1)get what I wanted and 2)get it cheaper...
Viruses Articles
Fileless Malware: Who You Gonna Call?
A clever but pernicious software technique that's been known for more than a decade is finding favor among today's malware authors, complicating the work of anti-virus developers and digital forensic analysts. Tracking down so-called “fileless malware” is to detection of regular malware what ghost-hunting is to catching a garden-variety burglar. Read on to learn about this resurgent threat and what you can do to stop it...
...Is This a Fake Virus Alert?
A concerned reader asks: “Bob, I'm worried that I might have a computer virus. My computer will sometimes stop and a warning says I have a virus, and I must call a number on the screen. Then supposedly they will walk me through the process to fix it. Is this true? I have antivirus installed but still, it pops up now and then.” Is this virus alert real or rogue? Here's my diagnosis...
...Can You Get a Virus By Opening an Email?
A concerned AskBob reader wants to know... “Is it possible to get a computer virus by simply opening an email?” It's true that email has been and remains one of the most popular attack vectors for hackers, spammers, scammers, phishers and other cyber-miscreants that are jiggling the latches on the door of your inbox. But is it really that easy to slip in, and wreak havoc on your computer? Let's find out...
...Malware and Spam: Why Do They Exist?
Philosophers have pondered the nature of evil for ages. Perhaps you also have wondered how a medium meant for information sharing has become a minefield of privacy and security risks. Spam, viruses, ransomware, identity theft, data breaches, phishing, malicious links and other cybercrimes have become commonplace. Who does this stuff, and what the heck is wrong with them? Let's take a look at what motivates the miscreants who menace millions on the Internet...
...Is Your Flash Drive Infected?
Security research firm Sophos found malware on two-thirds of fifty USB flash drives that had been lost aboard Australian trains. That might suggest that you should avoid computing on Australian trains, but the broader lesson is that USB flash drives are highly vulnerable to malware infections. Here's what you need to know, and how to protect your computer from viruses that may lurk on flash drives...
...Where Do Viruses And Spyware Come From?
Several thousand new viruses and spyware programs are detected every day by security analysts. Have you ever wondered who creates these plagues, and why?
...Virus Alert - XP Total Security 2011
Somehow I got a virus called XP Total Security, and I can't get rid of it. It blocks my security software, and it won't let me download any new anti-virus tools. It's even asking me for money... how do I get rid of this thing?
...Should You Call The Geek Squad?
My computer is running really slow, and I think it might have a virus. There's also a ticking sound inside the computer. I'm not very technical, so I'm thinking about calling the Geek Squad. Do you think that's a good idea?
...How Does a Virus Spread?
I love your site and your Tourbus Newsletter! I would like to know how a virus propagates over a network? If you get a virus on one computer - do other users on the network have to do anything to get infected? Is there a good way to protect against this?
...Free Virus Scan
My computer has been acting strangely... at times it's very slow and I'm getting lots of popups. I'm afraid I have a virus, and the anti-virus software that came with my computer has expired. Can you recommend a good (and preferably free) virus scanner?
...How can I avoid computer viruses?
When I wrote in a previous article that You CANNOT get a virus just by opening or reading your email I fully expected it would unleash a torrent of emails in response. I knew this would happen, because Ask Bob Rankin readers are generally smarter and better-looking than the rest of the online population. Read on for Virus Prevention 102 -- even more information on virus prevention and the merits of anti-virus software.
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