Here’s how to switch from AVG Free Edition to Microsoft Security Essentials (also free).  Further explanation of why we recommend switching is below.

1. Uninstall AVG Free Edition.  You can do this by going to your Control Panel, then “Add/Remove Programs”.  Select “AVG Free Edition” from the list and click Remove.
2. You may need to reboot the computer after this.
3. Next, download and run the AVG Remover.  You can get it here.  This cleans out all traces of AVG from your system.
4. Now download and install Microsoft Security Essentials from here.  The install couldn’t be simpler.  Be sure to let it do a full scan after it installs.

Here’s more details about why we recommend Microsoft Security Essentials.

Free antivirus may sound “too good to be true”, but it’s not.  For years, companies like Avira and AVG have been giving out free antivirus to consumers.  How do they do it?  Usually, free antivirus exists as a “gateway” to get you to buy more expensive products such as internet security suites (which we don’t recommend for most consumers).  Instead of spending money on advertising, or on getting trial software preloaded on new PCs, some antivirus makers found that offering free basic protection to millions allowed them to sell expensive “enhanced” protection to tens of thousands.

This model is fine, but AVG has gone too far with it.  Starting with version 9, the product which was once lightweight and simple has become overburdened with unnecessary and slowing features.  Where AVG used to gently recommend a paid version of their product, they now push the paid version too aggressively, with questionable tactics such as unnecessarily complicated upgrades which often confuse the user into paying.

The good news is, Microsoft has released a free antivirus, and it’s different.  Microsoft is not trying to sell you an upgraded version, they are simply protecting the reputation of their operating system.  Their new product is fast and lightweight, without the popups, system drain, and confusion that bogs down other free and paid antivirus programs. It works exceedingly well.  While the world of antivirus changes from month to month, we’re happy to recommend Microsoft Security Essentials as the optimum choice for most home users (for now).

The good folks at AVG have released the latest version of their excellent antivirus software, AVG Free Version 9.  As many of our readers know, Computer Courage is a big fan of AVG.  They provide high quality antivirus to the masses for free, without bogging down your computer.

The latest version of AVG Free doesn’t have much in the way of new features, it’s supposed to be faster and lighter.  This is probably a response to the release of Microsoft Security Essentials - a new free antivirus option from Microsoft itself.  MSE has some real promise to it, but we’re not ready to recommend it over the proven AVG yet.

When it comes to AVG, the most common question we hear is “why is it free?”  The answer is simple.  They provide a free product to millions of home users, with an option to upgrade to the paid version (which contains extra protection that we think isn’t necessary for a typical user).  Even if they get only a tiny percentage of users to convert to the paid version, they will make big bucks.  The other big guys (Norton, McAfee) use other methods such as advertising, and getting their software pre-installed on new PCs.  Any way you cut it, everyone is making money.

Now, if you are running AVG Free 8 or 8.5, it’s time to upgrade.  The upgrade is easy, with one caviat: You must uninstall AVG Free 8.x before installing AVG 9. This is critical – it will not warn you if you try to install AVG Free 9 on top of 8, and it can result in a loss of protection.

1. Uninstall AVG Free 8.x : Start Menu -> Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs -> AVG Free
2. Restart the PC
3. Download and install AVG Free 9 from here.
4. When installing, a few things to consider:
   1. Make sure to select the Free version in the installer – don’t get fooled into upgrading!
   2. Don’t install the Toolbar, it’s overkill
   3. Set up a weekly scan to run at night

If you have any thoughts about the new version of AVG, or free antivirus in general, please share in the comments.

UPDATE

The full text reads:

“Warning!

Your’re in danger! Your computer is infected with spyware!

All you do with computer is stored forever in your hard disk. When you visit sites, send emails… all your actions are logged. And it is impossible to remove them with standard tools.  Your data is still available for forensics. and in some cases

For your boss, your friends, your wife, your children. Every site you or somebody or even something, like spyware, opened in your browsers, with all the images, and all the downloaded and maybe later removed movies or mp3 songs – ARE STILL THERE and could break you life!

Secure yourself right now! Remove all spyware form your PC!”

Fabulous stuff.  Someone, somewhere with enough skills to write a functioning computer virus actually got this thing off the ground, and somehow my customer managed to pick it up!   It should also be noted that they are The Print Shop user – a good old school program.

Viruses and spyware are usually no laughing matter.  Many of them attempt to mimic antivirus programs in an attempt to extort money from you.  Don’t be fooled.  If you think you have a virus, contact us to learn more about how to protect yourself.  You can also read some of our relevant posts:

Computer Courage Antivirus Guide – What Are Viruses and Spyware

Phishing – How to Avoid Being Scammed by Email

The media has taken to the story that this virus will be attacking computers tomorrow, April 1st.  The virus even appeared on 60 minutes last night.

Bottom Line: This is a Windows-only issue (Macs are unaffected).  If you update your copy of Windows and your antivirus software, you will be safe from this worm.

The Conficker worm is not intended to destroy your computer or your data.  The goal of the worm is to spread itself and to use your computer to send spam and make money by masquerading as antivirus/antispyware software.  You can easily get infected with the worm without knowing it, or be tricked into giving it money in a supposed purchase of antivirus software.  Here’s what you need to do to prepare.

Step 1 – Update Windows.  Open up Internet Explorer (not Firefox) and go to http://update.microsoft.com.  Do all the urgent or required updates.

Step 2 – Verify your antivirus software is on and up-to-date.  You should have a “resident” (always running) antivirus software installed such as Norton, McAfee, AVG, Trend Micro, etc.  Open your antivirus and see if it is running and updated.  Update it if it is not.  You can also go to Start Menu -> Control Panel -> Security Center to verify that antivirus is running.

Warning Signs - If you see any new and suspicious software on your computer in the next few days, particularly any popups claiming to be antivirus or antispyware software, you may have the virus.  Give us a call immediately to discuss next steps.

Optional Step 3 – Run MalwareBytes Antimalware.  You can get this terrific little scanner from http://www.download.com.  Use it in addition to your resident antivirus software to scan for any infections.  Run this today, and tomorrow to be sure.

Also – Don’t go around googling the term “conficker” and clicking on results – that’s an easy way to get infected!

If you have more questions about Conficker or antivirus in general, remember you can always call us at 510-525-2226 or email us to get in touch and we’ll help you out.

Computer Courage, a computer services company in the San Francisco Bay Area, is offering this newsletter to customers and friends who want to stay informed about current computer issues.  Computer Courage provides IT services and computer support to home and business users, as well as web design and search engine optimization.  www.computercourage.com