Expert: Keith Davis - 12/5/2009

Question
My laptop only gets internet connection via a router hooked up to my desktop OR when I go to a place that has WiFi. Do I need to worry about viri, and all those other worrisome things?

Answer
Everyone needs to worry about viruses and all types of malware. I recommend a 2 or 3 step approach.
1. A good anti-virus program- I have always used AVG free anti-virus. It is always ranked in the top 10 anti-virus programs (this includes programs you have to pay for). It is easy to use and you can get it here: http://download.cnet.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10320142.html
You have to have Windows XP SP2 or later to run the latest version.
2. Anti-spyware program- I'll list a few that I use or have used. Spybot Search and Destroy (realtime and manual scanning among other tools), Spywareblaster (realtime, runs in the background), Malwarebytes (simply one of the best malware detection programs. The free version is only manual. No realtime.) All of these programs are free. You can google them or get them from www.majorgeeks.com or www.snapfiles.com
3. The 3rd step is really overkill if you are behind a router. There are many software firewalls that are free and good. ZoneAlarm and Sygate are two that come to mind. If you are running Vista or Win7 you have a much better built-in software firewall than the worthless one included with XP.

There is one other program that I would recommend. It is called Crap Cleaner or Ccleaner. It is a digital shredder for all temp files and has an excellent registry cleaner. You can get it at the sites listed above.

Keith