Q: Virus programs really aren't that important, are they?

A: Virus programs are absolutely important. In fact, virus programs are so important that if you don't have one, you might as well not even have a computer.

Q: What virus program do you recommend?

A: I personally recommend Grisoft's Grisoft's AVG Internet Security because in my experience, this program has found, removed and blocked viruses that other virus programs failed to find, to remove or to block. Up until recently, I would have whole-heartedly recommended that you always use Trend Micro's virus program but so far, Internet Security 2007 has caused a majority of the computers I have installed it on to slow down to a crawl. Usually Trend Micro has been quick to respond when there was a problem but this time they have said that Trend Micro Internet Security 2007 can't work properly when Spybot is also installed. That is unacceptable since Spybot has been the only program that has found some crucial spyware that blocks some computers from getting critical windows and virus updates. Grisoft's AVG Internet Security  is not only sold at a great price, it is also fast and takes up very little system resources. Also unlike the competition, AVG scans Web pages and documents to ensure they are safe before you open them and are compromised.

Q: I have Norton Antivirus on my computer, I should be fine, right?

A: I can't tell you how many times someone has come to me complaining about how slow and messed up their computer is and when I go to their computer to check it out, lo and behold, Norton Antivirus is on the job. When I check for viruses using a different means, again, I can't tell you how many times I find all kinds of viruses that Norton has either not been able to detect or has been able to detect but couldn't remove.

Q: I had a computer guy come out and he did some clean up, and was out of there in an hour. The computer was a little faster for a little while but started to slow down again. So I had another computer guy come out he said that there were lots of Windows updates and Office updates that needed to be done that the other guy had neglected to do. He also said it would take some time to apply but that they were absolutely critical. I was afraid he was just trying to run up the hours on me. So my question is, are Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office updates critical?

A: Absolutely! You computer will not run properly unless you keep your Windows operating system and Office application completely updated. Microsoft releases the updates because of flaws and security holes discovered as time goes on. I would even go so far as to say that a computer guy that doesn't either inform you or apply the Windows and Office updates has bordered on being neglectful. To save money, I would strongly advice to try to do Microsoft Windows and Office updates on your own so that when the computer guy comes out to your house, he won't have to spend the time doing something you could have done. If you computer doesn't allow you to update (because of spyware blockers or other problems) be sure to let your computer guy know this. If he/she is worth his/her salt, he/she will quickly find this to be a critical piece of information for the troubleshooting process.

Q: I thought that Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office applications automatically updated?

A: Well, the updates are supposed to be automatic but the problem that I have seen on most computers that I have been on recently is that there is some spyware that blocks Windows from updating automatically and gives you no warning to the update failures. There are three pieces that can be found by running Spybot in safemode:

1. Microsoft.WindowsCenter.AntiVirusDisableNotify
2. Microsoft.WindowsCenter.FirewallDisableNotify
3. Microsoft.WindowsCenter.FirewallDisabled

Once you remove these, Windows will be able to start updating automatically again.

A: The old saying, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' rings true. If you are using XP and are satisified with the performance, there are no pressing reasons to upgrade. While I have been impressed by Vista's Movie Maker, XP seems to do everything just as well (if not better). On the other hand, there are ways to tweak Vista so it runs quite nicely. I am also sure that in time, a service pack will correct some of the problems. that exist. And for the record, even though the mac commercial on television slams Vista, Leopard is just as full of bugs as Vista.

Q: How do I speed up Vista?

A: Try stopping and disabling the following two services (these services start by default): Superfetch and Windows Search. 

Q: How do I get the scroll bar back in Word 2007?

A: Click on  the new 'Office Button', click on 'Word Options' at the bottom of the menu, click on the 'Advanced' tab, scroll down to under the Display section (on the right), and click the box next to, 'Show vertical scroll bar'. Click ok.

Q: My laptop with Vista installed keeps losing the wireless connection every little while.

A: Try disabling 'auto-tune' in the wireless settings by going to a command prompt and typing in the following:

netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled

It seems like we are seeing a theme with Vista: auto configuration features tend to have the exact opposite result.

Q: I was trying to install something and all the sudden none of my .exe files would not open in Vista. It seems like something was trying to execute these files other than the application that is supposed to execute it. When I removed the program that seemed to be interfering, Vista didn't take over.

A: Try these (one is for the .lnk files and the other one is for the .exe files) both for Vista:

lnkfix_vista.zip

exefix_vista.zip