If you have thought about clicking on one of the many "Free Registry Scan" ads seen online, be prepared to hear that your Registry is indeed infected and that it can be fixed for about $36.  If you decide to respond with "No, thank you," you may discover that you've downloaded a program and will be required to pay about $36 to have it removed.

The good news is that a Free PC Scan is available from Microsoft at MicrosoftSecurityScan and a Free Anti-virus Program is available at MicrosoftSecurityEssentials.

Does this mean these programs are guaranteed fool-proof and will always keep me safe?   No!

Bear in mind that new viruses are being launched all the time, and that it may take a few days for any anti-virus service to detect them, create a remedy, and distribute the fix to its subscribers.  The best protection from viruses is to use common sense and NOT OPEN any email attachments you aren't expecting and to avoid clicking on any Internet links that you are unsure of.  Even a prompt as seemingly benign as "Click on your choice for President" can lead to a deadly scam — unless it's found on a reputable site such as, say, CNN.com.

As for the spyware/adware that is encountered nearly everywhere on the web nowadays, most of it is in the form of "cookies" that are placed on your computer by various commercial sites.  However, they can be removed by going to Start>Control Panel>Internet Optionsand clicking on Delete Cookies (which I do every day).

You should also be suspicious of other "Free Scan" ads that you encounter.  You will always be told that issues were found and that you need their particular "service" to fix the problem.

Think about this: if you were a burglar who had an expensive home in mind, wouldn't dressing up and pretending to be a representative from a well-known alarm company (such as, say, Brinks) who offers the owner a "free security survey" of her house make your burgling job a lot easier?  Free scan from a stranger?  Not for me, thank you.

Questions or comments can be sent to: ComputerTutorTeam@gmail.com

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