Most of the computers that I have encountered in need of service fall into one area Spyware/Virus infections. Over the years the delivery methods have changed and the behavior of the infection once on the host computer. It is no longer necessary download a file or clink on link to infect your computer.
There are infections that attempt to attack your computer as soon as you arrive at an infected website. Many believe that if they don’t visit bad websites, illegal movie/music/software download sites or websites that offer free adult content that they will not encounter infections. Sorry to bust your bubble but that is not true sometime legitimate website are infected by hackers so that the site visitors are infected. In some cases it’s not even the site you are visiting but the server that is providing the advertising stream for the website. With that knowledge there is no way of telling if your next mouse click is going to lead you to an infected website.
The older versions of antivirus software can not detect the new delivery method of rouge applications. The newer versions provide warning and block you from the website before you even reach the page. If you have young people who use your computer you can not afford to be without this level of protection.
I used to be a die hard Symantec Antivirus fanboy but a few years ago I encountered ESET NOD antivirus. During this time I was a heavy gamer Call of Duty or Battle Field 2 and I wanted virus protection but at the same time I didn’t want my PC getting bogged down by the software. After doing some research I discovered that ESET NOD is the way to go.
It functions in the background and when you encounter a threat it is there to handle it. I’ve been shocked by the alerts at times one day I was visiting a forum that I’ve been a member of for years. On one occasions the website was blocked and NOD presented me with a message box informing me that the website is infected and the name/type of infection. I have not any infections in the years that I have been using ESET antivirus products.
If you have used computers for a few years, I think its safe to say that you’ve been hit at least once by viruses or malware. I learned my lesson the hard way a few years ago and totally lost my work horse PC. Due to some virus that destroyed my files and applications I had to start over from scratch reload all of my applications. Once done I had recovered about 70% of what I had lost from various zip files, old backup tapes and a few CD’s that I had burned data. If you don’t want to shell out cash paying monthly or yearly for offsite backup solutions, creating an image/clone of your computer is the way to go.