Posts Tagged ‘AVG’

Quick Tip – AVG CTF Control File Error

November 14th, 2008

I have found a few clients recently having a problem with AVG updating and it says “Invalid Update Control CTF file.

This should be fixed with the latest version of AVG reinstalled over the top, but if you don’t want to do that we stumbled across a little tool that does the job nicely, AVGMechanic and can be downloaded from StrategyOnline.

We can’t support the use of this tool, so if you are concerned about using it please contact your local IT support but we have found it works nicely. All it does is removes the AVG CTF files that are causing the problems and then you will be able to update.

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Quick Tip – Phishing

November 7th, 2008

In the past we have written about recognising spoof emails trying to acquire some form of personal information on you, whether it be from a hoax bank email or website, the problem is becoming much more common and serious.  In September 2008 there were over 8,621 Phishing Sites/Emails found and verified.  Our previous posts on this topic are:

Phishing – general advice to help you stay safe online

Advice on Hoax Virus Warning Emails

Quick Tip: Stopping Spam

AVG Save 15%

Today we came across PayPals 3 Part Phishing Guide.  We think that articles are well worth a look.  They are primarily based on helping identify PayPal spoof emails, however much of the information applies to general spoof emails.  The links below link to each Part of the Guide:

Part 1- Understanding Phishing

Part 2 – Recognizing Phishing

Part 3 – Fighting Phishing

With more and more phishing sites/emails being found each month we all need to be on our toes with what’s going on!

Safe Surfing!

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New Software Page On Brandstar.co.uk!

October 22nd, 2008

Brandstar have recently released a brand new Software page!  The software page attempts to tackle the problem of not knowing which software is worth buying and downloading.  After all, there are so many options to choose from!  It covers a variety of both free and commercial products in the genres of Computer Security, Media, Office Applications and System Tools.

It’s worth checking out!

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Quick Tip – Training AVG Anti-Spam

August 22nd, 2008

You may find that your AVG Anti-Spam isn’t catching some of your SPAM Emails.  If this is the case you will need to train AVG.  You may have to do this a few times but AVG catches on pretty quick!

  1. First of all open up your email program e.g. Microsoft Office 2007 (Although we are using Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 for the example, the process is very similar in most email software.)  Now you must create a new folder.
  2. Give the New Folder a name.  We suggest ‘TRAIN_SPAM’.  Then Click OK.
  3. Drag into this new folder any Spam emails that AVG has missed.
  4. Once you’ve put any missed spam in the folder you need to open up AVG.  Select ‘Tools’ and then ‘Advanced Settings’.
  5. Click ‘Anti-Spam’, Settings and then ‘Train Anti-Spam’.  (Click on image to make bigger).
  6. Select your Email Software from the list.  (Click on image to make bigger)
  7. Now you will be asked for your profile name.  For most people there will be only one option because you will only have one profile.  But for those who have more make sure you select the right one, i.e. the one you will to train with.  You can make your selection via the drop down list.  Then Click OK.
  8. Find the folder which you wish to train.  Then click ‘Next’.  (Click on image to make bigger)
  9. Select All Messages (No Filtering) then Next.  (Click on image to make bigger)
  10. Click Next.
  11. Once the process is complete click ‘Finish’ and then ‘OK’.
  12. Go back into Outlook or your email program and delete anything that was in the TRAIN_SPAM folder.

From now on the files like those that were in the TRAIN_SPAM folder should be sent automatically to your junk email folder. Sometimes they need to be trained a few times as there are variants of Spam so just repeat the steps above. Give it a go and let us know if you have any suggestions!

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AVG 8.0 Free – Tutorial

July 2nd, 2008

A couple of months back AVG 8.0 Free was released and here at pctoolbox we have decided that its time to give it the quick once over and create a quick tutorial to help you use some of its basic features.

New Features:

The most noticeable thing about AVG 8 Free is the new user friendly interface. Not only is it far more stylish and a long awaited/needed face lift it is designed in such a way that everything just seems so much simpler! You can also modify the settings a lot more to suit your style and needs.

Another great new feature is Safe Search, Safe Search scans all the results from your searches in search engines, e.g. google. This is a great way to help prevent any viruses getting into your system. There is also Safe Surf which works very similarly to Safe Search, the difference being it scans in real time the website you are on/visiting instead of the search results. You can be told by ticks or crosses if the site is safe.

Three other new features which are very similar but equally as important are Safe LinKScan, Safe URL Scan and Safe Download Scan. Safe LinKScan Scans any links in emails, web pages, documents etc to check the are safe. Safe URL Scan inspects your favourite websites to check they are safe. Safe Download Scan Scans any downloads you may make to check that they are safe to download.

We recommend that if you download AVG 8.0 Free you download it from Download.com.

Click ‘read the rest of this entry’ to read:

  • Installation Tips
  • How to initially Configure Your AVG
  • How to Change Scheduled time for Scans/Updates
  • How to Run a Manual Scan
  • How to Run a Manual Update

Read the rest of this entry »

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AVG Free

March 1st, 2008

This blog will show you how to use AVG Free Edition efficiently and effectively. AVG is a free (for personal use) virus scanning software download which we have found to be an excellent virus scanner.

AVG Will automatically update each day if the computer is connected to the Internet. The update will take roughly one minute on a Broadband connection but may take longer if you are on a dial-up connection. The AVG icon is the square on the left-hand side of the picture below.
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To manually update you simply right-click on the AVG icon and select check for updates. However, you must be connected to the internet to do this. Again the update will take roughly one minute, on a broadband connection but may take longer if you are on a dial-up connection. If the AVG icon becomes slightly grey it means that AVG is in need of updating.2.jpg

How to run a Scan:

To run a virus scan you must firstly double click on the AVG icon located on the bottom right-hand side of your screen. 3.jpg

Secondly click on ‘Test Centre’ situated on the left-hand side of the AVG window.

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Then a second AVG window will appear. Simply select ‘Scan Computer’ and your computer will begin to search for viruses. AVG will then deal with the virus. The scan will take approximately 1 hour.

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How to change the time of a Scheduled Scan:

AVG automatically is set to do a system scan at 8.00 am each day. If the computer is switched on after 8.00 am, AVG will automatically run a system scan as soon as the computer is switched on. The scan should take roughly 1 hour depending on the speed of the computer and the amount of files there are on it. To change the time of a scan follow the instructions below:

Firstly double-click on the AVG icon located on the bottom right-hand side of your screen.

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This will open up the window below. Click once on ‘Scheduler’ and then select ‘Scheduled Tasks’.

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By doing this a new window will open. Click once on ‘Test Plan In Basic Mode’ to highlight it and then select ‘Edit Schedule’.

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Then the window below will appear. All you need to do is simply change the date and time in the bar, either using the arrows or keyboard. Once you have made your changes click ‘OK’ or to delete changes click ‘Cancel’.

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How to cancel todays scan:

When a virus scan is happening the computer will slow down a fair amount. If you wish to cancel the scan for that day, follow the instructions below:

Firstly right click on the AVG sign with a white triangle in the middle, which is placed on the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The white triangle simply means that AVG is running a Scan.

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Then simply select ‘Cancel Scanning’.

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How to stop all daily scan:

To stop the computer scanning daily double click on the AVG icon.

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This will open the window below. Click once on the ‘Scheduler’ and then select ‘Schedule Tasks’.

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By doing this a new window will open. Click once on ‘Test Plan In Basic Mode’ to highlight it and then select ‘Edit Schedule’.

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Then simply un-check the box which says ‘Periodically Start Scheduled Anti-Virus Test’. This will mean that you will have to manually run a test, we recommend a scan once a week for most machines.

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If this helps please let us know!

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