dumb computer questions

[Sapphire]

Originally Posted by craig johnston

2, i keep getting this message saying something like 'you have 548 critical errors and your pc is about to explode' i just click it off and nothing happens, but am i dicing with death?

more to follow, when i think of them....

Is this a message you receive while surfing the web? Does it look remotely like this or similar -




Or like this -


Or this -


Or like any of the other popups displayed here:

Google Search Results

Get yourself a good pop-up blocker and some good anti-spyware software. A broser hijack blocker is a good idea too. I'm suspecting you're not getting a windows-generated error, but one generated by spyware or spam pop-ups.

The programs I use, with great success, are:

BHOdemon (browser hijack blocker)
SpyBot S&D
Ad-Aware SE
and Spyware Blaster

Google them and you'll find the download pages - they're all free.

I also use Avast home edition as an anti-virus.

Also, everyone who owns a computer should occasionally run an on-line anti-virus scan, like the one on TrendMicro's website. Having anti-virus software is great, but many viruses disable your AV software, and you won't even know it. You'll run your AV updates, and the software tells you it's successfully updated your virus definitions or that your computer is clean - and it's not. The virus has hijacked your AV software on your local machine, and your software is now corrupt and not to be trusted.
Reinstalling your AV software won't work to find the virus - you have to get rid of the virus first or it will just corrupt the AV software again.

If none of this solves your problem, then it's time to start looking at your operating system.

Last but not least - the BEST thing you can do for your computer, in my opinion, is to ditch Internet Explorer and start using Firefox. www.mozilla.org