- You have one or more slow computers, frustrating you and your staff; affecting your productivity and therefore your profitability?
- You want to make your computer(s) run faster?
- You’re looking for a quick, simple, cheap or free tip?
The main issues with slow computers usually lie not with the hardware but with changes that occur to the PC’s software. The two most common causes of slowdown are:
- Every time you or a member of staff loads a program, file, or webpage, the PC’s software registry is updated with new instructions needed to operate that item. However, when the item is removed, these instructions usually remain on the PC. The result: A significantly slower computer.
- Spyware and viruses are software programs that are loaded on your computer without your knowledge or permission.
You probably already know that the simple rule of thumb to follow is to never download programs like screensavers, emoticons, films, etc from unknown sources. In addition, you should never open any attachments to an email unless you are 100 percent certain you know and trust the sender.
Unfortunately – this also applies to software sold online that purports to “Clean Up” your PC in seconds. You will see these on offer, making claims such as “literally only takes 5 minutes to work”, “Your computer will instantly be restored and you can schedule automatic system clean-ups to keep it running like new.”
The advertisements may also go as far as to claim: “…also protect you against viruses and attack from malicious files, ensuring it runs smoothly all of the time”.
Let’s take a look what SafeBro.com say, for example, about one such TYPICAL download …
“… a nasty rogue infection that works as a double agent. On one hand, it pretends to be a powerful system optimization and antivirus software that would fix your computer, but on other hand (in reality) it brings viruses to your computer and steals your money. Actually this virus is associated with cyber crooks who create fake programs to trick users. Once this software has been installed, it alerts you of several viruses detected on your machine (even if there is no virus in your computer). After a while, it will force you to buy the full/professional version in order to remove the viruses from your computer. That is the actual target of this nasty program. We recommend you to uninstall the software as soon as possible and do not purchase it on any condition. Please note: Manual removal may cause damages to your system if you do any mistake. Use this method only if you understand what you are about to do”.
If your PC is infected by this kind of application virus it may do the following…
- Enter into your computer without your knowledge
- Scan your computer without your request and claim it has found viruses
- Display a lot of warnings and alerts popping up on the screen
- Provoke you to buy its full version or activation code (which may not even work)
- Collect Personal user information which may include sensitive financial data such as logins, usernames, accounts
- It may bring further infections are direct the user to infectious sites
- Make the computer run slow, uses a big part of system resources
That’s not a great picture is it?
It may cost a little more to ensure you use the right software to protect your systems and use qualified, knowledgeable engineers to resolve problems but ultimately it could save you thousands or even save your business.
At The PC Support Group, every computer we look after is subject to a remote weekly health check that includes:
- Spyware protection and Anti-Virus check
- Check for early warning signs of problems
- Removal of unnecessary temporary files that can choke your system
- Organisation of your disk drives to prevent your computers from slowing down over time
Call us on 03300 886116 if you want your business critical IT System to be in SAFE hands! We’re here to help!