How to uninstall software programs from your computer

If all you are trying to do is remove an icon from your desktop, but want to leave the software program on your computer, simply hover your mouse over the icon on your desktop – right click and choose “delete”  With many software programs, you will receive a quick message dialog box reminding you that you are only deleting the icon and that if you want to actually remove the software, this must be done from the control panel.

Why would you remove a software program from your computer..  Programs we never use can take up extra storage space and can slow our computer’s down – or maybe you are changing Anti-Virus providers – remember you can only have one Anti-Virus program on your computer at a time, so you must remove one before you add a new one…

The Windows operating system has a program utility that makes it easy to uninstall unused or unwanted and it’s easy to get to through your Control Panel. 

1. Left Click the "Start" button on your taskbar.
2. When the Start menu appears, left Click "Control Panel."
3. When the Control Panel appears – left click “Add/Remove Programs”
4. It will take a moment and then list all software programs on your computer
5. Scroll thru the list to find the software program you want to install
6. Under each program on the right side, you will see a "Uninstall” button.
7. Left click on the “Uninstall” button and it will remove the program and once removed it will no longer appear on the program list
8. Once removed it will also remove icons from desktop, quick launch and taskbar)
9. Repeat process for any other programs you want to uninstall. 

Reminders…

Some programs include an option to change or repair the program in addition to uninstalling it, but many simply offer the option to uninstall. To change a program, click Change or Repair.

Some programs might ask you to enter an administrator password or confirmation before this can be done, so you’ll need to type the password or provide confirmation.

What is a computer virus?

A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without our permission or knowledge. The term "virus" is commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, adware & spyware programs that don’t have reproductive abilities.

• A true virus can only spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a CD, DVD, or USB drive.
• Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.

Viruses are very different (technically) from COMPUTER WORMS & TROJAN HORSES:

• A WORM can use security vulnerabilities to spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host
• A TROJAN HORSE is a program that appears harmless but has a hidden agenda. Worms and Trojans, like viruses, may cause harm to either a computer system's hosted data, functional performance, or networking throughput, when they are executed. Some viruses and other malware have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but most are hidden. This makes it hard for most users to notice, find and disable and is why anti-virus programs are now commonplace

Free Anti-Virus & Spyware software

www.avg.com – The one I’ve used for years and have great faith in

www.moonsecure.com – This free antivirus program installs easily, updates frequently and continually monitors your system; it was noted also in the fall 2009 issue smart computing magazine…

There are others out there, such as: TrendMicro Systems, WinFixer and others but I’ve not heard great things about them – so ask around & do your homework before you use them

ON LINE BACK OF YOUR COMPUTER (Documents, pictures, music etc..) Two companies come to mind:

www.carbonite.com and www.mozy.com

Personally, I use Carbonite and find it the least expensive, because I have so much to back up (over 200GB); their annual flat rate now is $54.95 – which is insignificant if everything was ever lost or corrupted……it backs up continually (behind the scenes) so no matter how & when I add work, etc to my PC it’s backed up without thinking about it… never have to worry about my computer crashing. So check them both out - do the math decide which is best for you..