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AntiVirus, AntiSpyware and General Maintenance

We recommend that all students use an AntiVirus program on their computers and update it regularly.  Norton AntiVirus is no longer available to students free of charge from the IT Dept. and you are not required to use this brand of AntiVirus on your computer while at EOU.  Instead, you can purchase any brand and install it yourself or we have included the names of some free programs that can be downloaded.  You are welcome to call or email anytime with questions or issues and we do encourage you to use an antivurus product and keep it current! 

 

   Resources:

Free Anti-Virus Programs:

AVG                   http://free.grisoft.co

Avast                 http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html

Avira                  http://www.free-av.com

 

LaGrande area computer repair shops:

 All Around Geeks          786-4763        1306 Adams Ave.

 EONI                                962-7873        808 Adams Ave.

Extra info......

SpyWare and Adware

Spyware and Adware are applications that get installed on a computer from various web sites and programs that are downloaded and installed. Some applications are useful and have little effect on a computer.  But the vast number of these installed applications can bring a computer to its knees, crawling along ever so slowly.

 

There are several software packages you may purchase to scan and clean your computer, but we recommend the use of two free applications. These are Ad-Aware from Lavasoft and SpyBot Search and Destroy. Lavasoft also offers a version of Ad-Aware for purchase that has more functionality and the web site listed below shows the features available in each version.

 

Download and install each application.  Each time you open the application you will need to perform an update, similar to anti-virus programs. Run one application then run the next one. We use both applications since they are designed to catch different signatures and types of mal-ware. Each application will create a quarantine file of the files it removes in case it clobbers a valid program.   In several years of use I have never had to use the quarantine files.

 

Websites:

Ad-Aware:            http://www.lavasoftusa.com/download_and_buy/product_comparison_chart.php

SpyBot Search & Destroy:  http://www.safer-networking.org/en/home/

For an expanded explanation of what these types of applications are and where they come from see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adware

General Maintenance

Computers will slow down over time and use. Here are two applications on Windows that will help keep your computer operating better. These utilities should be ran when you start noticing your system is slowing down, booting slower, or you are experiencing some problems.

 

Disk Cleanup will delete temporary files and empty the recycle bin. Do not check to remove the Microsoft Office setup files. If you do you will have to have the original Office disks when updating the program. To access Disk Cleanup follow these commands from the start menu:

 

       Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup

 

Disk Defragmenter reorganizes your files and straightens out the file structure on your hard drive. To access Disk Defragmenter follow these commands from the start menu:

 

       Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter

 

Note:      If you have Windows Vista, you may access either application by clicking the Start icon and typing disk in the Start Search box.

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