TUCSON VIRUS & MALWARE
Tucson Computer Repair Service can rid your computer of viruses, trojan horses, spyware, and other Internet nasties, and at costs typically well below other certified competitors. We currently offer our virus removal service included in our Computer Tune-Up at a rate of $120-$150 depending on the severity of infection and the status of your operating system. This also includes free Anti-virus software if needed. We will not only remove the original virus/malware infection, we will also install any critical updates to prevent your computer from being reinfected in the future. In these difficult economic times, we try to keep our rates as low as possible. We also understand that it can make little sense to spend Big Box money when your laptop or desktop computer may not even be worth as much as the labor to fix it.
Tucson Computer Virus Removal
We are one of the longest standing computer repair companies in Tucson because we stay current with the new technology and treat our customers as we would like to be treated ourselves. We pride ourselves on honesty and integirty, even when being honest with the customer might mean that we make less money. This, in the long term, is actually good business. Too few companies realize that!
The most frequent problems we see today come from the trojan horse variety of malware. A trojan horse is like a virus, in that it executes malicious code, but it does not self-replicate. These little nasties almost always come from a rogue or infected website or from a program (like a free game or desktop screensaver) that has been downloaded and installed on your computer. They can also come from Peer-to-Peer file sharing programs like Kazaa, Limewire, etc. It can be surprising to learn how ineffective most anti-virus programs (like Norton or McAfee, and most others) are at preventing these types of infections or removing them once they have been detected.
A trojan horse can be surprisingly difficult to rid from a computer system completely, usually requiring a variety of different software tools and manual work, as they are designed to prevent you and your anti-virus solution from getting rid of them–and they can be very stubborn in this respect. You usually will need a professional to do this for you.
What are some symptoms that your computer is infected?
- Advertisement pop-ups. You are basically swamped with pop-up ads.
- A program you don’t recognize suddently pops up telling you that your computer is infected with all kinds of malware. This variety of trojan horse is often called “scareware” because it basically tries to scare you into purchasing their bogus anti-virus software.
- Your computer or Internet browsing has suddenly become much slower than you remember.
- Your computer in general has suddenly become much slower.
- When you type a search term into a search engine like Google, or type in a web address, you are taken (or redirected) to a website you did not intend to visit.
- Your antivirus software suddenly stops working or can no longer update itself.
- Your Internet browser, like Internet Explorer, suddenly does not work, or you can’t access the Internet at all.
If you are experiencing any or a combination of the above problems your computer may well be infected. At Tucson Computer Repair Service we do not charge anything just to look at your computer and perform an initial accessment. So please feel free to call and set up an appointment.
Call Michael at 520.425.8730or email michael@tcrservice.com
WHAT IS “SCAREWARE”?
Fake Antivirus Programs / Scareware
Fake Antivirus Programs, often called “Scareware,” are among the most common forms of malware you get from the Web. You are surfing the Web and all the sudden you get a pop-up window informing you that your computer is infected with all sorts of viral nasties. Where is this message coming from? Well, it could be coming from your legitimate antivirus software (like Norton, McAfee, AVG). But most of the time you won’t recognize the product name from the pop-up window. For example the message may be coming from a product called Internet Security 2010.
F.A.Q
Frequently Asked Questions
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Do you have a pesky virus?
We’ll not only remove the computer viruses, we’ll make sure you have the latest security updates to make it less likely that you’ll get re-infected in the future. We’ll also install free Anti-virus software if you need it.
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Cracked or Broken laptop LCD Screen?
We carry the most common laptop LCD screens in stock. If we do have yours in stock, we can have it installed the same day you bring your computer in! Contact us first for a free estimate before you spend $$$ on a new computer. The cost of replacing your laptop LCD screen is typically much less than the cost of a new laptop. We can have your computer looking and working like new again.
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Broken Laptop LCD/Screen hinges?
The vast majority of computer repair shops or computer stores will tell you that broken hinges or hinge joints on laptops is either an unrepairable problem or will cost the value of the laptop to fix. Not true. We can repair 95% of these cases most often without the need to order new parts.
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Broken or defective laptop DC/Power Jack?
Not many local companies do this type of repair anymore, but we do!
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Liquid damaged PC laptop or Apple Macbook?
We have a state-of-the-art Crest ultrasonic cleaner that can often bring liquid-damaged electronics devices back to life.
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Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 problems?
From non-booting computers, to Slowwwwww computers, we can help!
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Computer became slow and unresponsive?
Due to a variety of software factors, after about 2 or 3 years or most computers will start slowing down noticeably. A performance optimization or reinstallation of the Windows operating system can make a world of difference in terms of reviving your computer’s lost performance, and at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a new one. That old(ish) system of yours may still have a lot of life in it yet.
Tucson Virus Removal:
HOW DID MY COMPUTER GET INFECTED?
The vast majority of time viruses come from infected websites. These viruses exploit a security vulnerability in in your web browser, whether it’s Internet Explorer, Firefox, or another. The owner of the website from which your computer contracted the virus may or may not be aware that it contains malicious code. It’s been estimate that over 90% of the infected websites on the World Wide Web are legitimate, meaning that the people who own or manage the website are not aware that their website is infected and were not the ones who infected it in the first place. To give an example, a while back we had four different customers who came to us with infected computers who swore that the last website they visited was that of a major airline. This was too coincidental not to be true.
Your best protection against these threats is to be careful what websites you visit, what links you click on, and keep your antivirus software up to date.
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Tip #1: Keep Your Operating System and Web Browser Up-to-Date
This is vitally important. Microsoft regularly releases security updates for Windows operating systems, whether you’re using Windows XP, Vista, or the new 7. Big collections of security updates and bug fixes are called “service packs.” If you are running Windows XP, as of this date, you should also have Service Pack 3 installed. For Vista, Service Pack 2. For Windows 7, service pack 1.
Unless you have a good reason for not doing so, Automatic Updates should be turned on.
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Tip #2: Consider Switching from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox as your default web browser.
Most people “in the know” believe Firefox is a more secure and better updated web browser, not quite as prone to exploits as IE.
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Tip #3: Do not open email attachments from people you do not know.
Opening up unknown email attachments is a great way to infect your computer with a virus.
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Tip #4: Resist the temptation to install "free" Internet games, emoticons, desktop screensavers, and the like.
These so-called “free” programs often contain adware or worse and can result in your computer being plagued with pop-up advertisements amongst other very annoying things. In general, if you don’t have a good reason to trust the source of the free game or program do not download it, install it, or agree to install it.
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Tip #5: Stay away from suspicious websites.
Use your common sense in this respect.
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Tip #6: Ideally, restrict access to your computer to the adults of the household.
Understand that if you let your precocious 13 year old play around on your computer, with free reign to the Internet, it is probably not going to be long before your computer is infected with all sorts of malware. Again, use your own best judgement on this. Your 13 year old may know more about computers than you do, but he doesn’t have to pay for the computer repair technician 😉
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Tip #7: Be cautious, not paranoid.
The Internet is full of scams, preditors, and malware, and deserves due cautiousness on your part, but if you follow some basic rules then you can dramatically reduce your exposure to them. And enjoy the Internet as it was meant to be enjoyed.
GET IN TOUCH
Tucson Computer Repair Service. Get An Email Quote Now!
Location:
3512 E. Grant Rd. Tucson AZ 85716
Hours:
(Mon – Fri: 9:00AM – 6:00PM, Sat: 12:00PM – 3:00PM)
Call:
(520) 425-8730