Over the last couple of years, Microsoft Windows detractors have gotten their laughs poking fun at Microsoft's newest operating systems.  Windows is "too slow, doesn't work with my old software or hardware, is subject to viruses and security attacks, etc".  But many of the "problems" with Windows are not caused by Microsoft or the Windows software, but by the hardware manufacturers and third-party software developers (software producers other than Microsoft).  Microsoft tried to tell the hardware manufacturers, well in advance, what the requirements would be to run the newest version of Windows.  But the computer manufacturers tried to skimp on the hardware and ended up with slow PCs and complaints from consumers, which was blamed on Microsoft.  The peripheral (printers, cameras, scanners,etc) manufacturers saw an opportunity to force consumers to buy new products so they decided that they were not going to support their older hardware in the newer Windows, which was blamed on Microsoft.  Software developers refused to produce patches or upgrades for the newer operating system because they wanted you to buy a newer version of their software.  Microsoft Windows Vista has been attacked as buggy and subject to security flaws, but the truth is that Vista is the most secure operating system produced by Microsoft.  Consumers and business users complained about "Windows User Access Control" which is a utility that produces a pop-up window asking for permission before making any changes to your PC.  This is just the PC' s way of protecting you from programs and malware that used to self install on previous versions of Windows, it protects you from yourself if you let it do its job.  Windows Vista is a fine operating system if, you have the hardware to run the software and you are not counting on the suppliers of your old peripherals and software to support your old peripherals and software.  Hopefully, Windows 7, which is scheduled to be released before the end of 2009, will improve even further upon the security and stability of Windows Vista.  I am looking forward to its release.

Lately we have been seeing a lot of fake anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed on our clients computers.  These "fake" security programs install themselves after you click on a pop-up or e-mail link that tells you that you have a problem with your computer.  These programs, once installed cause many performance problems with your computer and may even hijack your personal information and send it to criminals who may misuse your information.  There are two lessons to be learned here, and the first is to never click on a link or pop-up that you don't really know what it is doing.  If in question, do a search on "Google", "Yahoo" or "Dogpile" to get more information about the software or company in question.  Second, make sure that you are up-to-date on your anti-virus and anti-spyware definitions.  These scams come out so fast that a daily update of your security software is required to protect you from the latest tricks.  Also make sure that you are using the most up-to-date Windows, MacIntosh or Linux security patches to protect yourself and you valuable data from being comproised by the bad guys.  Yes, even MacIntosh and Linux systems are now becoming targets for people who write software designed to steal your information.  Remember, if the software is free, you are probably getting what you paid for!

Everybody has either heard of, or experienced malware also known as viruses and spyware.  The best way to avoid problems with these sneaky, disruptive programs is to keep your computer's security up-to-date.  To do this, you need to make sure that you are completely up-to-date on Microsoft's updates and keeping your anti-virus and anti-spyware definitions current.  Most security software companies, i.e., Symantec, McAfee, CA, AVG, release new definitions several times a week and sometimes daily.  You must make sure that Microsoft Automatic Updates is turned on on your Windows XP PC or Windows Vista PC, or if you have an older version of Windows that you check at least once a month.  Older versions of Windows are no longer supported by Microsoft, which means that no more security patches are being released, but you should still check to make sure that no one has uninstalled a patch.  On your anti-virus and anti/spyware programs, most have an auto update feature so make sure it is turned on and working.  Free anti-virus programs don't usually automatically update, so make sure that you do an automatic update every time you use your PC.  Just a few hints for safe computing.