Recommended Utilities-Side Porch Computer Services-Computer Repairs Orillia Ontario

At Side Porch Computer Services we like to teach our clients how to manage their computers safely and wisely to ensure as good a computing experience as possible. There are many free utility programs available on the Internet, but not all of them are good and many of them are Spyware/Malware programs which say they will do one thing but actually just take up valuable RAM and send out log files about when and where you surf to!

Remember - any program that pops out while you are surfing and NOT when you have put in a search for that type of program - is better left untouched! Often a pop-up will appear telling you your computer is slow and offering to let you click on their link to scan your computer and advise you how to fix it. DO NOT CLICK ON ANY OF THESE LINKS! When you consent to visit their site or accept that "free" scan, you are inviting that Spyware program into your computer!

There is not one reputable software company that would ever create such a popup. These Spyware software programs are praying on people who have a problem with a slow computer. Let's face it, the longer we have our computers the slower they seem to get if we don't keep on top of things. But the new computer owner does not know that. He or she may already be infected with some Spyware, or may have had Spyware pre-loaded on their system when it was new. So they actually believe that the popup can tell 'their" computer is slow when in fact nothing can do that without downloading and installing specialized plug-ins that you authorize. Getting to the point - just don't get any free stuff from just anywhere. Do some research first. Do a Google search and see if there are pages coming up about what you want to download- more than likely, if it is a bad program there will be a review on it somewhere.

Side Porch Computer Services recommends the following free programs to help you manage your computers - all Spyware free!

1. Our number one recommendation is Win Patrol by Bill P Studios.

Win Patrol is about the most important program we think there is for keeping your computer safe and easier to manage. Not only will it identify threats from the Internet as they are trying to get into your computer, it also lets you manage your "Start Up Folder" which over time can get very large and difficult to control causing your computer to slow down especially at boot time. Follow the link to read about this valuable utility which is offered for free with less features than it's paid version.

It is most important to read what WinPatrol is telling you or asking you when it pops up. Remember, if you are installing any new program which accesses the Internet, the program will verify with you whether or not it should do that, as will your firewall if you have Zone Alarm or Sygate firewall installed. In this instance, you expect Scotty to jump up with a popup for you - it is when he jumps up and alerts you when you are not installing a program or have clicked on some link that you should pay particular attention.