No. never. However, we can take precautions. The best precautions are by nature preventative, and one of those is having some decent anti-virus software installed on your PC. Other precautions include not opening email attachments that are unexpected, or from people you don't know; not clicking on pop-ups saying your computer is infected - just close them, or reboot the machine if you can't; don't install software that you don't absolutely trust; and be aware of strange icons or other activity on your screen. This isn't an exhaustive list, but if you follow half of the advice you've ever heard, you're probably ahead of the game.

Several things - does it get frequent updates? New viruses are being developed and discovered every day. Your anti-virus software should update no less than once every few days. - does it slow down my computer? It shouldn't. You may notice a little slowing from time to time, but overall, your machine should be just as fast with it as without it. Many have gotten used to Norton and McAfee turning their machines into snails. This is not necessary - generally it is because the programs are actually program suites, with every portion of their subprograms turned on and running constantly. Proper configuration of your anti-virus software is crucial to maintain your computer's performance. - perhaps most importantly, does it catch (and dispose of) viruses? There are rating systems for this, tests done with anti-virus software to see what will be caught, and what will slip through. It doesn't hurt to see how your current solution fares on these independent tests. Avast! Antivirus, which we strongly recommend, consistently is awarded top marks for both speed and accuracy.

When dealing with anti-virus, its impossible to not also talk about malware and spyware. While neither are technically viruses, to the end user, they mean the same thing - slow, unresponsive computer. We recommend a multi-faceted approach - use software that works for each type of aggravation, and use preventative practices to avoid infection in the first place.

For malware, periodic checks must be done. The best program we have found for detection and repair of malware is Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware. It consistently found problems on machines that had gone undetected by other products. It is a manual scan with the free version, and you should be running that scan every few months, or whenever you think there may be a problem.

Spyware is different, in that it often doesn't cause as much slowing as it does insecurity. There are data mining organizations out there that are determined to discover everything they can about you, and then influence your computer experience accordingly. We allow far more information to escape our computer when we are online than we would be comfortable with if we knew what was being sent. A spyware tools tries to both block some of this information from escaping, and block the programs that facilitate it - which are sometimes innocuous enough on the outside, like WeatherBug, but insidious once you find out what they are sending out. The best Spyware tool is Spybot Search & Destroy, which is also free to use. It has a scanner, which should also be run occasionally, or when a breach is suspected. It also has a tool to actively block infection from spyware, which is very helpful, especially to those using Internet Explorer. It comes with several other tools as well, but we recommend sticking with just its core functions for now.

Adware is perhaps the least dangerous, but most prevalent of nuisances. It is very similar to spyware, but often more obvious, as it actively attempts to show you advertisements, instead of hiding behind the scenes. There is a tool for that, again free, called Ad-Aware. Same basic concept, run the scan quarterly or when you fear infection.

Sure, but do your research. Most other tools we use are to rid machines of very specific infections. There are some more general tools that are helpful, like CCleaner and HijackThis, but the above approach tends to take care of most problems without resorting to other tools - still, anti-virus software and 3 other parts to the puzzle - that seems about enough.

Avast Antivirus. Free to home users, inexpensive to business clients. Full managed network scalability if needed. Best overall product we've tried, and from looking at the independent testing, there's good reason that's the case.

While viruses do exist that will infect Mac and/or Linux machines, they are extremely rare - and once caught, quickly updated against by Apple System Updates and Linux updated distribution packages. It should not be necessary to run antivirus tools on a Mac or Linux machines. However, there are programs out there for those willing to buy them, and if you feel safer doing so, by all means, go ahead.

For Windows Server, Avast Antivirus also has a server edition, which is again a must-have. If you already forked over the money to buy Windows Server licensing, the fee that Avast charges won't break your bank.

If you have a machine that is infected, we can diagnose and repair it. Or, worst case, we can recover your user data from it, and start over with a clean copy of the operating system, your installed programs, and then migrate your user data back on to the machine, along with proper antivirus protection.

If you want to take preventative steps, we will happily install any and all of the above software on your machines, and configure it for the best performance. Further, we can monitor machines on your company's local network and respond to infection alerts. We have a solution that will fit your business and its needs.