I just spent several hours unbricking my computer

AVG Anti-virus which is a decent not excellent but decent anti-virus program, has a feature called "Safe Search" that wants to run all of your searches through THEIR servers first and add a toolbar in your browser.  The problem with that is #1: they keep track of all of your searches and #2: they FILTER all of your searches.

I get enough of that from Google, I don't want nor need it from my anti-virus.

Also I DO NOT want "Toolbars"  I HATE toolbars, I DESPISE toolbars.

They take up system resources and clutter up my screen.

However ever since the newest release of AVG, they have been trying to force "Safe Search" down my throat and they have been trying to force an unwanted toolbar onto my system.

This morning, I did what I always do when I wake up.

I rebooted my computer.

AVG and it's Safe Search Updater then tried it's best to FORCE my computer to do something I had explicitly set it up to NEVER do.

It tried to install the Safe Search browser theme and toolbar.

Well I have 3 different anti-malware programs that were specifically setup to BLOCK that installation.

However they couldn't block the UPDATER program from TRYING to run, just block the actual installation.

So the AVG Updater loaded over 200 instances of itself TRYING to FORCE through the update.

Taking up all of the available memory and system resources.

And since AVG went with the newest version of itself, it forces it so I can no longer BLOCK it from forcing through so it loads and updates before many of my other security software programs can fully load.

So it loads itself, updates and then starts to scan my system.

Which normally would be a good thing, except this morning it tried to FORCE the Safe Search Update.

My other security software couldn't load in time to prevent it from TRYING, but they could load in time to prevent it from actually succeeding.

Which mean I spent several hours trying to BYPASS AVG so I could get into my scheduled tasks and REMOVE their frickin.FORCED update.

I had to boot from a DVD because that was the ONLY way I could get my task scheduler to load because the Safe Search Updater would load so many instances I ran out of system resources before I could load the Task Scheduler.

Great Job AVG!!!

Some of us have REASONS we block certain parts of your software.  Not the least of which is that you rob our system resources and you DO NOT allow us to REFUSE to use certain parts we DO NOT LIKE BECAUSE they use so many system resources.

A One Size Fits All approach to computer security DOESN'T WORK, so please quit trying to FORCE it on everyone.

DO you remember a story about ineffective anti-virus programs?

Insty linked to it a while back but I can't find it, I do however have a rebuttal.

"We believe that the majority of anti-virus products on the market can't keep up with the rate of virus propagation on the Internet," the study stated. "[What] enterprises and consumers spend on anti-virus is not proportional to its effectiveness."

Imperva's study was widely criticized at the time for poor methodology, small sample size and unrealistic testing scenarios. Because of those doubts, TechNewsDaily did not report the study when it was first released."

According to that story Imperva used a small sample size and had other incorrect or misleading methodolgy.  Click the above to go read it for yourself,

Computer Maintenance and Security and YOU

About once a month my Ex-wife asks me to "Fix" her computer, at the same time my mother asks me to "Fix" her computer about 3 sometimes 4 times a year.  They are always concerned because their computers have gotten slower and are acting weird.

On my Ex-wife's computer, it is usually a combination of factors almost always related to the fact she lets our kids use her computer whenever they want and we have 4 boys who LOOOOOOOOOOVE  computer games.  And downloading patches and cracks.  Yes, most of the time her computer is Virused up with so many Virii I just pull her hard drive out of her computer and hook it up to one of my external drive enclosures and start letting my various A/V, Anti-Malware and drive maintenance programs go to work on it.  The full scans usually take 2 days.  Seriously, for a 320GB hard drive it takes 2 days to run all the scans I do on it.  The last time I pulled full maintenance on my computer I was on the laptop for a full week, 3.4 TB spread out over 5 drives takes a long time to scan fully.

My mothers computer isn't usually as bad but some of the Virii and other Malware she has gotten have been rather bad.  I actually had to do a wipe and full re-install once on her laptop it was so bad.

Both my Ex and my mom try to keep up with their computer maintenance, but with me just a phone call away they don't really stay up on it like they should.

However it does get old after the 7th or 8th time.

This isn't directed at my mother or my Ex, but to everyone in general.

The following are the list of programs I use.  And the schedule I follow for my personal computer systems.

CCleaner  I run this program every time I close my browser

Registry Mechanic  This is run once a day, I have a subscription that covers my two desktops and my netbook, which all run different versions of Windows, Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Home Premium 64 Bit, and Windows 7 Business.

Malwarebytes Which is run every Saturday after being updated, and run in Chameleon Mode once a month.

Spybot Search and Destroy  Is also run every Saturday after updating and run in detail full scan mode once a month as well.  Be sure to re-immunize your system after every update.

Advanced System Care  This is run once a week after update, usually Sunday morning.

 AVG Anti Virus This is my main AntiVirii Program  They also have a Free version for home/Student use at Free.AVG.com  This is also a decent program.

There are other Free and low cost Anti Virus Programs but I don't use them as I have had problems with them in the past, usually related to browser setting they didn't like and kept trying to change and I didn't want them changed.  So the programs got changed.

Also, I reboot my computers once a day, normally after it finishes it's daily virus scan.

File Back up - I use the built in Windows Back for my Vista desktop and the Win7 Netbook, for the Win XP Pro I use Filefort File back u.  And all of my computers are backed up twice a week, on Tuesday and Saturday.

Defrag I use the built in Defrag program for the XP and Vista systems once a month.  Still haven't found a Defrag I like for the Win7 yet.

Now those are just the scans I do offline to protect my system.  Lets get into what add on I use to protect myself when I am on line.

First my browser.

Firefox  is the browser I use  and I use several add-ons/plugins to protect my system.

Adblock Plus to block ads

Adblock Plus Pop up Addon to help adblock block pop ups

Better Privacy which removes pesky Flash Cookies that track your browsing

Do Not Track Plus which blocks even more tracking cookies and such

Element Hiding Helper for Adblock Plus hides pesky page elements I don't want to see and can load malicious code on your computer through Javascript.

Ghostery add on blocks even more cookies and trackers.

No-Script Blocks scripts from running until you authorize them.

install and configure those addons to make it a LOT harder for malicious and rogue code to get loaded on your computer.  Of course they can all be undone by clicking on the wrong thing.  But I can't sit over your shoulder to tell you what to not click on.

With a little effort and some commonsense you can protect your computer from virii and other assorted nasties, however the best program or add on in the world won't protect you from your own stupidity.

So be sure what you click on, and remember.

If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

or TANSTAAFL  There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch