Nerd’s Words (sm)

This one is for the PC only. Mac people, see you next time.

AVG (“Grisoft AntiVirus”) is very good antivirus software. They have a version for $50 a year, but they also have a free version. The free version doesn’t have a spam filter. If you can live without a spam filter, you don’t need the $50 version. I have been installing AVG on clients’ machines for years and I highly recommend it.

Recently AVG released version 8.5 and I recommend you get it or upgrade to it.

If you already have AVG on your machine, download the free version and install it.

If you don’t have AVG, uninstall what you do have and then download the free version and install it.

The problem is, finding the free version. AVG wants you to buy the $50 version, so they hide the free version. Here’s where you can go to get AVG Free 8.5:

http://download.cnet.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10320142.html?tag=mncol

Once you get to this page, be careful. There are at least four places on the page marked “Download.” Only one of them gets you AVG Free. It’s the one entitled “Download Now (xx.xx MB)” in blue.

If the link above doesn’t work, go to download.com and search for “AVG Free”. Carefully click on the links for “AVG Antivirus Free Edition 8.5…” until you get to the right page. Careful, because there will be links to all kinds of other “Anti-Virus” and “Anti-Virus 8.5” programs. These are there hoping to mislead you. Don’t be misled. Be particularly careful NOT to download anything named “Anti-Virus 2009.” It’s a real mean piece of malware.

On second thought, maybe you want to have me do this for you.

-LLiioonneell
Lionel Goulet
Te Deum