Unplggd: Speeding Up Your Virus Scan

We’ve all had this problem: we wake up in the morning and find out that our computer virus scan that was scheduled late last night is still running and basically stops you from getting any work done on your computer unless you interrupt or cancel it. Here are a few ways that we’ve found to make these scans run faster.

1. Run a default virus scan: Deep virus scans are thorough, but if you have a lot of data, they can take a lot of time. They can last anywhere from a few hours to over a day, so use the default level scan unless you really want every nook and cranny of your machine scanned.

2. Free up space on your hard drive: The more data the virus scanner has to check, the longer the scan will take. Delete anything you don’t need, and try to keep the apps to a minimum.

3. Run scans selectively: Instead of scanning all of your hard drives, program your software to scan only one hard drive per scan. The other hard drives can be scheduled for scans on other days. That way, you are only scanning one hard drive per scheduled virus checkup.

4. Run scans on your main hard drives: If you use a multiple USB hard drives which aren’t plugged in all of the time, then you can keep scan time to a minimum by running the scans only on your main hard drive. Periodically, you should scan also those hard drives, say every two to three weeks.

5. Pause your scan: Start your scan when you go to bed on a week night, pause it when you get up if you have to use the computer, then start it up again once you leave for work. This gives your computer time to scan pretty much everything.

By Range.

(Image: HD Free Wallpapers)

Unplggd: Computer Security Myths

“When it comes down to spyware, viruses, and phishing scams, any personal computer can become a target to take your information, sell it, and make your digital life a living nightmare. To make sure you’re in the know, we’ve adapted Giz’s excellent roundup of computer myths and emphasized a few more of our own.

TOP 5 COMPUTER SECURITY, DEBUNKED:

1. Macs can’t get viruses. Oh yes, they can. Buffer exploits, trojans, and other malicious codes can put your computer on lock down. While the PC share is still running high at 90%, the more popular Mac computers get, the more likely they’ll become a target in the future. So proceed with caution, don’t click random links, and avoid software piracy.

2. My e-mail inbox is spam-free. If you think you’ve never received a single spam address, you’ve either never publicly used it for e-mail or have your spam filter turned off. Make sure it’s on. Otherwise, you’re just asking for a flurry of phishing e-mails to come into your mailbox.

3. We’re getting better at virus protection. One would think that with more complex software systems that we’d be improving on all fronts, especially security. Wrong. The more the complex the system, the easier it is to poke holes it in, or – in McAfee‘s case, mistakenly identify a critical system process as a virus and screw everything up. Antivirus software is good, but one must be educated catch it when it trips up.

4. Phishing only happens to other people. Someone trying to steal my social security number and Facebook password? In a million years! This kind of mentality is fresh meat for identity thieves and will get you into a lot of trouble. Ever get a random Facebook App invite from friends you rarely ever hear from? Chances are they’ve fallen victim to malware and are now virtual zombies in your Facebook friends pool. Again, don’t click any links that even hint at something fishy.

5. My hard drive is safe. Again and again, we’ve spoken to people, even CEOs of companies, who fail do to the simple act of backing up their data. Back up your data. Not only will this make your life much less of a nightmare when any of the above were to occur, but the average hard drive life is barely ten years – though many of us here have seen them as short as two. Always make sure you’ve got your important stuff on in at least two places.

Got a computer security tip to share? Let us know in the comments!

[Image: Macgeek13]

[Adapted from Gizmodo]

By Anthony”