I have a lot of family and friends, who in turn have a LOT of computer issues. I wanted to take the time to share with you a few of the tools, application, and other tips I use to help them out. The idea for this post came to me via Software Candy (@softwarecandy or softwarecandy.com). One of the most common things I run into concerning my friends’ computers are viruses and malware. Here are a few of tools I use to both prevent, or in the case of an infection, remove these nasty things.

Prevention:

The best thing I can recommend to avoid viruses is simple, admit that your computer is at risk. Got it? Awesome, now that you are aware that your computer is not safe when traveling the internet give it some back up with these anti-virus programs. They are free, so NO EXCUSES!

AVG Free Edition – I use this in combination with the tool below to keep most PCs virus free. It has automated scanning and it only gets better if you do choose to invest in the paid version.

MalwareBytes – I always thought two heads are better than one, and with MB in combination with AVG you get that two headed protection.

Removal:

Well…It was bound to happen wasn’t it? You went to that online poker site, lost 50 bucks and got some spyware in the process. Don’t worry, just because your anti-virus didn’t catch it in time does not mean your computer is lost forever. Try the tools below and announce proudly “MY COMPUTER IS FREE!”

AVG Virus Removal - Once again AVG comes to save you when a virus has kicked your but. With a searchable directory of viruses and their removal tools, its a great source.

Hijack This – I have used this tool for a LONG time. It has a great scan to find settings that may have been changed, and can also help with cleaning infected registries.

Oh my…How the mighty have felt the heat the internet can create from such incidents. Let’s start from the beginning of this story shall we?

Earlier this week a man by the name of Giorgio Galante was contacted by an AT&T representative in regards to two emails sent to AT&T’s CEO. The two (count ‘em two) emails sent by Mr. Galante were polite, concise, and sent over the course of two weeks. In the emails Mr. Galante expressed his dissatisfaction with AT&T data rates, and also made mention of his thoughts to take his money to Sprint. Most would hardly count this as a case for concern and possibly send the customer a letter letting them know you would like to offer them a service credit, but not AT&T. Mr. Galante recieved a phone call from AT&T’s “Executive Response Team” (drones) thanking him for his feedback and warning him that any further emails would result in legal action.

AT&T released the following statement on the matter:

We are apologizing to our customer. We’re working with him today to address his questions and concerns. This is not the way we want to treat customers. From Facebook to significant customer service channels, AT&T strives to provide our customers with easy ways to have their questions addressed. Because of this incident, we are reviewing our entire process to ensure a situation like this does not happen again.

How is it that that could have been a part of ANY process?! I’m not saying that all of the CEO’s of the world should answer every email they get, but the least Stephenson could’ve done was offer an answer or two. I want to know when these corporations are going to realize that one angry customer will give you more BAD publicity than ten happy customers will.

I was happy to hear that AT&T ultimately lost this customer. They don’t deserve him, and he doesn’t need them.

Thats all for now,

From the Desk of Matt Redman.

Isn’t that really what AT&T is saying? Not only to their customers, but also to their competitors? It seems as though AT&T has had issue after issue since the launch of the iPhone on their platform. And now, instead of beefing up the network architecture, they say, “you know…I think we’ll just tell our customers to stop using so much data.” AHHHHH! It’s like handing a village of starving people a bag of grain, and when they say the bag is running empty, telling them to eat less. In my opinion, if AT&T had taken the advertising budget used to fight Verizon (after the whole “There’s a map for that” incident) and invested it in their network they wouldn’t need to cap data usage.

Ok, so now that I have that rant off of my chest…

As much as I would like to see AT&T build up their network and offer customers complete freedom from data capping, it’s not realistic. First off, AT&T stands to make more money from this, not just from the new plans, but also from customers exceeding their data cap. Secondly, as a former employee of AT&T I know from experience that they will make their equipment last as LONG AS POSSIBLE before even thinking about upgrading it. So in AT&T’s mind it’s a win-win, they make more money, and don’t have to spend more money to do it.

I can only hope that down the road with the advent of newer mobile broadband technology AT&T will upgrade their network. Not for me (I’m with Verizon), but for all of their customers facing the daily dropped calls, poor call quality, and now…data usage caps.

From the Desk of Matt Redman.

Just a quick note,

I have been testing out a new tool lately called Twitalyzer (@Twitalyzer) that I heard about via John Moore (@JohnFMoore). This thing is AWESOME! Not only can it give me in depth reporting on my twitter usage, but it also gives me suggestions on how to improve the way that I use Twitter.

So swing by their website and check it out!

From the Desk of Matt Redman.

Well Facebook, I think you have some explaining to do; that’s been the general consensus anyway. The CEO of Facebook has been under the kind of scrutiny normally reserved for the likes of Enron after it was reported that the Social Media giant was allowing outside access to its users’ data. The uproar was intense, immediate, and seemed as though it had the potential to give Facebook a big kick in the ***. However, I am not convinced that Facebook is to blame for these privacy concerns.

WE, that’s right WE, have to pay attention if things are going to change at all with online applications such as Facebook, Buzz, and MySpace. I am a firm believer in self-control and this issue with Facebook has reaffirmed that belief. Facebook does not force you to put data on its website, and as much as I love to side with the user in most situations, privacy (or lack there of) is at the user’s discretion.

That being said here are some tips:

1. Watch your mouth.

• Remember when your mother told you “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”  Well, in the land of Facebook the rule states “If you wouldn’t yell out that phone number in a crowded room, don’t do it on Facebook.”

2. You can pick your friends. Your friends can pick their friends. But you can’t pick your friends’ friends.

• Please…PLEASE make sure that you have your settings set correctly so that Mike’s friend Jan from that party that time can’t see your personal address and phone number. She doesn’t need it, and I’m sure you don’t want to hear from her anyway.
• To check this, go to your Facebook account button and click on Privacy Settings. You’ll see what I’m talking about when you get there.

3. Farmville wants to do WHAT with my data?!?!?

• Your apps just don’t need all of the access they claim they do, at least not all the time.
• Put down the pitchfork for a minute and listen to me…ok. Go to your account button again, click on Application Settings. Make sure that Farmville horses aren’t selling your data on the side for some extra oats.

So to sum this up, BE CAREFUL. Just because you have to login to access something does not make it secure. Data in all its forms is a great thing, but like fire it must be used carefully and cannot be allowed to chart its own course.

That’s all for now,

From the Desk of Matt Redman.

Hey there,

I just wanted to take a moment to say how good it is to have you here. This is my new house of tech and all other things I find interesting, from things on Twitter, to crazy people I encounter, or news stories I think you might enjoy. I hope you enjoy reading my posts, and also that you walk away with some tidbit of knowledge (useless or otherwise) to impress a friend with.

Until my next posting, thats all there is…

From the Desk of Matt Redman.