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Vonesha H. from New Orleans asks,
"Do I need to purchase software to protect my PC from computer viruses or is free anti-virus software good enough?"
ANSWERED June 24th - Free anti-virus software is better than running expired software or no malware protection at all. Nevertheless, most free offerings lack features and rarely offer technical assistance. You're usually on your own if you have a problem. Commercial products tend to have more features and better support options. This could change, however, now that Microsoft has entered the free anti-virus (or more accurately, anti-malware) software arena. The software giant has launched a public beta of Microsoft
Security Essentials (reportedly limited to 75,000 downloads) and announced that the final release will be offered for FREE. Security Essentials will replace soon-to-disappear $99 Windows Live OneCare, which fizzled as a challenger to products from Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, and others. Sources say the final release of Security Essentials (expected to coincide with the release of Windows 7) will provide basic anti-malware protection for legally-licensed copies of Windows XP (SP2 or later), Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit), and Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit). Security Essentials features "dynamic signature service," which alerts Microsoft when the software spots a suspicious, but as yet unidentified, process in the wild. For more information about the Security Essentials public beta, visit
Microsoft.com.
- Christopher C. from Metairie writes, "When I logoff my PC at work, I often forget to remove my flash drive and don't realize it's still at the office until I get home. Is there a way to prevent Windows from shutting down or logging you off as long as a flash drive is inserted?"
ANSWERED June 24th - An inexpensive USB extension cable can keep a connected flash drive in plain view, where it might remind you to take it before you leave for the day. Another answer is Flash Drive Reminder, a free utility by Brad Greco that can be downloaded from BGreco.net. Two versions of the program are available, "quiet mode" or "standard mode," but it's a no-frills solution. Flash Disk Alert by Moveax Professional Solutions LLC is a more robust paid solution that supports both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows. It's worth $14.95, in my humble opinion, but a 30-day free trial is available. You can judge for yourself.
