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Frequently Asked Questions

Glossary

Virus

A virus is a piece of software that replicates itself. Usually viruses have what's called a "Payload" which is generally harmful to your computer. Viruses are written by people for one reason or another. They don't come from broken files or programs.

Viruses, while still common, aren't as bad as they were years ago. If you see something strange happening on your computer, it's more likely to be Spyware.

Spyware

Spyware is unwanted software that seems to have a mind of it's own. Its main purpose is to generate revenue for its creator by popping up advertisements, spying on surfing habits for marketing research, etc. It's usually written very poorly and will often bring the computer it's installed on to a crawl.

The term "spyware" originated specifically from programs that collected data without the user knowing it. It has since grown to be a general term for unwanted software.

Operating System

An operating system is like the forman on a construction site. It keeps tracks of what's happening and tells the hardware what to do when you ask the computer to do something. The operating system is what you seen when your computer first finishes booting.

The most common operating systems are Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.

Maintenance and Prevention

How can I stay safe from viruses and spyware?
Viruses and Spyware come mostly from the Internet. The following will help keep the junk at bay.
  • Run anti-spyware and anti-virus software on your computer.
  • Make sure that your anti-spyware and anti-virus software is up to date.
  • Stay away from sites with a lot of advertising or "free"1 stuff.
  • Use a secure browser like Mozilla Firefox, Opera or Safari.

Repair

I was told that I need to do a "Wipe and Reinstall". What does that mean?

Sometimes a computer has problems so severe that the only cost effective solution is to remove everything from the computer and do a clean installation of the Operating System. This ensures that the only thing left on your computer is what really needs to be there. From here, your data and applications can be put back onto the computer.

When we do a wipe and reinstall, we can move important data onto our server so that it isn't lost. Programs, however, have to be reinstalled because of their complexity.

Notes

  1. You really can get things for free on the internet (like Mozilla Firefox or Linux), but it's usually not highly advertised. If someone really wants to give something away, then you probably don't want it.