Memory, viruses near top for computer concerns

Nobody can deny that we live in a high-tech world and technology is becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives. We all use our computers for a variety of things, whether for keeping up with friends on Facebook, tracking of finances or playing video games.

For the last 10 years, I have been fixing computers for friends, acquaintances or just those people I’ve overheard swearing they are about to throw their computers into the nearest snowbank. It often seems to be a common set of questions most computer users need answered.

Here are a couple of the more common questions I get and their answers.

Q: “Someone told me that I need more memory to fix my computer. What are they talking about? Will it make my computer faster?”

A: When someone tells you to add more “memory,” they are usually talking about RAM, which is an acronym for random access memory. The simplest way to explain what RAM does is to use an analogy, think of everything on your computer as pieces of paper put into three-ring binders on a shelf, which represents your hard drive.

Now imagine you’re trying to write a Word document, we’ll say that’s a piece of paper sitting front and center on your desk. A human being can simply sit down and write on that paper, but because of the way computers work, it’s going to need to look at a lot of things in those binders on the shelf. It would take a long time to write something if every time you needed to look at one of those papers you had to get up and go get the binder off of the shelf. In the same way, it would be very slow for the computer to get everything it needs to run your program from the hard drive.

The solution is to put the binders that you’re using on your desk off to the side where they can be easily accessed. RAM is essentially that spot off to the side of your desk where the computer will temporarily put things it’s working on. If the side of your desk is too small, you’ll wind up with a huge pile of binders and some chaos, but your computer won’t allow that to happen. Instead, things that aren’t being immediately used will be moved back to the hard drive in order to make room for new information.

Adding more RAM makes that corner of your desk bigger and allows more information to be stored there for easy access, so if you’re running large programs, then RAM can make things feel like they run faster, but if it’s a new problem then there could be other things afoot as well, such as a virus running in the background.

Q: What’s the best way to protect against viruses? Which program is the best?

A: Frequently your computer may come preloaded with a trial version of Norton or McAfee products, which will allow you to use them for a period of time, and then you must buy the program or it will no longer protect your computer. Personally, I have advised people against them because of the nature of computer viruses.

A virus doesn’t just come from cyberspace to ruin your day. Somewhere out there in the world, there’s someone who wants to cause trouble. Instead of running around town with a can of spray paint writing crude statements on the architecture, they sit down and write a program. Instead of writing a program that can be of use to people and contribute to the world in a positive manner, they write a program that’s designed to cause all manner of frustration. Viruses come in many types, with many adverse effects we won’t go into right now. For now, all we need to know is that you want to keep them out.

As with any program, viruses take time, effort and knowledge to create. Because those who create viruses are investing this time and effort, they want to reach as many people as possible with their creations. Knowing that many people will buy a computer and pay for the program that is already installed because it’s convenient, they will seek out and exploit any holes in the defenses of these programs specifically.

There are a number of free versions of other antivirus programs out there. I personally have used free versions of both AVG and Avast antivirus without incident. I particularly like the active monitoring features of Avast, which will alert you if a website you are viewing contains potentially harmful content and block it.

Some of you may wonder if the old saying you get what you pay for means using a free version is going to leave you wishing you’d purchased a full version. The purpose of the free versions are to get you to buy one of their products in order to take advantage of the extra features, and if the free version doesn’t keep your computer clean why would you bother paying for another version?

As for the “best” program, there really isn’t one. Before you download or purchase any program, do some research. Plugging the product name into Google will give you all manner of information on it, as well as user reviews and opinions, but keep in mind that it is still the Internet and you should take all opinions with a grain of salt. Also keep in mind that an antivirus is akin to the lock on your car: determined intruders can still get in.

Send questions for Tech Notes to VikingTechSolutions@Gmail.com or call 232-1409.

Jordan Roquet owns Viking Tech Solutions in Wasilla.