H.
System seems to be running fine. I haven't had any issues.
Good, congratulations both of your computer's appear to be malware free!
Below is some generic advice which can be applied/used on either machine since both have similar software installed etc....
Importance of Regular System Maintenance:I advise you read both of the below listed topics as this will go a long way to keeping your Computer performing well.
Help! My computer is slow!Also so is this:
What to do if your Computer is running slowlyNow some advice for on-line safety:Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware:This is a excellent application and I advise you keep this installed. Check for updates and run a scan at least once per week.
Other installed security software:Your presently installed security application,
Symantec Endpoint Protection automatically checks for updates and downloads/installs them with every system reboot and or periodically if the machine is left running providing a internet connection is active.
I advise you also run a complete scan with this also at least once per week.
Further reading/resources:This is a very helpful/useful set of advice from Microsoft:
Microsoft Safety & Security CenterAs is this:
Computer Security - a short guide to staying safer online And these are worth reading also:
Understanding Windows Firewall settings,
Securing Your Router and
Securing Your Web Browser.
Keep Your System Updated:Microsoft releases patches for Windows and other products regularly:
- Click on Start(Windows 7 Orb) >> All Programs >> Windows Update.
- In the navigation pane, click Check for updates.
- After Windows Update has finished checking for updates, click View available updates.
- Click to select the check box for any found, then click Install.
- When completed Reboot(restart) your computer if not prompted to do so.
Plus check
Automatic Updates is enabled.
Check your third party software is up to date:Via a download/install and use of the
FileHippo Update Checker...
Be careful when opening attachments and downloading files:1 - Never open email attachments, not even if they are from someone you know. If you need to open them, scan them with your antivirus program before opening.
2 - Never open emails from unknown senders.
4 - Beware of emails that warn about viruses that are spreading, especially those from antivirus vendors. These email addresses can be easily spoofed. Check the antivirus vendor websites to be sure.
5 - Be careful of what you download. Only download files from known sources. Also, avoid cracked programs. If you need a particular program that costs too much for you, try finding free alternatives on
FileHippo or
MajorGeeksStop malicious scripts:Windows by default allow scripts (which is VBScript and JavaScript) to run and some of these scripts are malicious. Use
Noscript by Symantec or
Script Defender by AnalogX to handle these scripts.
Avoid Peer to Peer software:P2P may be a great way to get lots of seemingly freeware, but it is a great way to get infected as well. There's no way to tell if the file being shared is infected. Worse still, some worms spread via P2P networks, infecting you as well. It's really important, if you value your PC at all, to stay away from P2P file sharing programs, like utorrent, Bittorrent, Azureus, Limewire, Vuze. Criminals have "planted" thousands upon thousands of infections in the "free" shared files. Virtually all of these recent infections will compromise your Security, and some can turn your machine into a useless "doorstop".
I will further add; P2P software has the ability to create a direct conduit onto your computer, their security measures are easily circumvented, and Malware writers are increasingly exploiting them to spread their infected dross onto your computer. Further to that, if your P2P software is not configured correctly you may be sharing more files than you realise. There have been cases where people's address books, passwords, other personal, private and financial details have been exposed to the file sharing network by a badly configured P2P applications
My friendly advice is to avoid these types of software applications.
Consider the below extra/layered security for your machine:Custom Host File:A Hosts file is like a phone book. You look up someone's name in the phone book before calling him/her. Similarly, your computer will look up the website's IP address before you can view the website.
Hosts file will replace your current Hosts file with another one containing well-known advertisement sites, spyware sites and other bad sites. This new Hosts file will protect you by re-directing these bad sites to 127.0.0.1.
Here are some Hosts files:
Only use one of the above!
CryptoPrevent Tool:How to prevent your computer from becoming infected by CryptoLockerWinPatrol:WinPatrol alerts you about possible system hijacks, malware attacks and critical changes made to your computer without your permission.
Download it from
here.
You can find information about how WinPatrol works
here.
Next:Any questions? Feel free to ask, if not stay safe!