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Recently, a virus definition update for the widely used anti virus program AVG has wrongfully tagged a Windows file called user32.dll as a malware and considered it as a threat and recommended it to be removed. This is just one of the many flaws that really prove anti virus softwares that exist are not perfect in dealing with its purpose. WHY? For the benefit of the readers who have not a clue in Windows registry system, user32.dll is a vital function of the Windows operating system. You DELETE it, you will have no chance of booting up your PC again. Luckily for Windows Vista, the Problematic tagging is limited only to Windows XP. AVG on the other hand has updated the definition and resolved the false tagging.

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The latest edition of the popular Avast anti virus software is here. The Avast Home Edition is a complete ICSA & Checkmark certified anti virus program. It is also certified by Checkmark for its anti spyware and anti rootkit bundled package. Avast boasts of its featured components like an On Demand scanner with a simple, easy access user interface. The skin can be changed according to your meticulous preference. What you do is just pick out the drive or media device to scan and then simply press the Play button, Voila! On Access scanner is one other feature. These are special providers that protect mostly available email clients, instant messaging and the Network traffic which detects easily, any intrusion. It is a light weight firewall. Peer to Peer protection for file sharing programs like Kazaa. Bit torrents, the most popular file sharing method. It has Web shield which monitors and filters HTTP traffic. It has Boot time scanner which scan disks in the same time as Chkdsk does in Windows. it provides a much more secure and prompt detection of trojans and rootkits.

Antivirus software is an essential part of a computer’s ability to rid off viruses and malicious softwares. Online, there are hundreds of Antivirus softwares just waiting for you to be discovered. Some perform very well, others just lacks particular functionality. so to help you in choosing between these softwares, we’ll narrow it down to just a few.

Top 10 Recommended Antivirus Software Programs

1. BitDefender - Softwin, which owns BitDefender, has been around since 1990.
2. Kaspersky - Founded in 1997 by Eugene Kaspersky, the Moscow-based company.
3. Norton Anti-Virus - Owned by global security giant Symantec.
4. McAfee - McAfee is another big name in Internet security.
5. F-Secure - Based in Helsinki, Finland, F-Secure has been in the computer protection business since 1988.
6. Shield Anti-Virus 2007 - PCSecurityShield offers protection against viruses, hackers and privacy threats.
7. Protector Plus - Proland Software offers virus protection with its Protector Plus package, compatible with Windows Vista.
8. DefendGate - Canada-based DefendGate offers everything from protection against viruses and identity theft to office productivity suites and desktop accelerators.
9. PC DoorGuard - This program is PC DoorGuard is designed for those looking to protect their email from spam, viruses, Trojans and worms.
10. CA Antivirus - CA Antivirus says it provides software to 98 percent of Fortune 500 companies and boasts that it was the first antivirus software to be awarded certification with Microsoft Vista in 2007.

Anti-virus software is responsible in treating your computer if it is infected by some viruses. It is like the first line of defense or immune system of your computer. It acts in order to destroy the found virus automatically and with instructions, you can heal the infected area. The effectiveness of anti-virus varies according to its type. There are two in kinds. The free ware and the one that can be bought online via internet access and applying for their payment basis using credit cards or visa cards. The one that is being sold on the net is more reliable because it has technical support and customer service. In other words, the extent of its effectiveness is efficient compared to the free ware anti-virus. Because the developer or the authorized distributor of that software will be held responsible in updating versions of the anti-virus software where in every version, there is a special feature making way to convenience of having an efficient and effective anti-virus software installed to update your computer everyday

The damage done by these viruses and malware can reach to billions of dollars every year. And according to some research made by Computer Economics, the lost in the world economy is close to $18 billions and is having the trend towards a growth rate of 30% to 40% annually.

The AVG free edition anti-virus is the most common used anti-virus software or protection tool. AVG is enclosed with automatic updates whenever you turn on your computers. In fact, for as long as the product lives, the user of this protection tool will be privileged to make use of it. AVG Free is trouble-free to use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements). Special Features include automatic update functionality, AVG Resident Shield that provides real-time protection as files are opened and programs are run, free Virus Database Updates for the lifetime of the product, and AVG Virus Vault for safe handling of infected files.

In the passed few years, there has been computer viruses that took great effect on global economic growth. However, there are these viruses that have cause millions, worse, billions of dollars loss. Here are the top 10 most destructive computer viruses of all time according to techweb:

1. CIH (1998)
Estimated Damage: 20 to 80 million dollars worldwide, countless amounts of PC data destroyed
Unleashed from Taiwan in June of 1998
2. Melissa (1999)
Estimated Damage: 300 to 600 million dollars

3. ILOVEYOU (2000)
Estimated Damage: 10 to 15 billion dollars
4. Code Red (2001)
Estimated Damage: 2 billion and 600 million dollars (2.6B $)
5. SQL Slammer (2003
Estimated Damage: Because SQL Slammer erupted on a Saturday, the damage was low in dollars and cents. However, it hit 500,000 servers world wide and actually shut down South Korea’s online capacity for 12 hours.
6. Blaster (2003)
Estimated Damage: 2 to 10 billion dollars, hundreds of thousands of infected PCs
7. Sobig.F (2003)
Estimated Damage: 5 to 10 billion dollars, over 1 million PCs infected
8. Bagle (2004)
Estimated Damage: Tens of millions of dollars…and counting
9. MyDoom (2004)
Estimated Damage: At its peak, slowed global Internet performance by 10 percent and Web load times by up to 50 percent
10. Sasser (2004)
Estimated Damage: Tens of millions of dollars
The effect of computer virus is really serious because it can harm not only computers, same is true with the life of others.

Both spyware and a computer virus are forms of unwanted or malware (malicious software) that can be harmful and give nuisance to your computer. The difference is that spyware collects information without any notice or consent. Spyware will not actually harm or corrupt the data on your computer but as stated earlier, it can give nuisance because it takes control or your computer. Anti-virus programs or software cannot remove spyware, so there is still further study of some anti-virus developer to create an antivirus that also features anti-spyware. There is a lot of ways on how Spyware can be installed on your computer. One is via virus and another is by being secretly attached to the software that you want to install or download. Furthermore, spyware is a specific type of malware that collects information about you and your computer, without you knowing it. Meanwhile, virus is just a specific way of having spyware get into your computer and be secretly distributed via e-mail or instant messaging.