Anti-virus Programme

Further to sorting out Ron's computer I said I would send Avast on a CD for

Jackie...

Thanks again pmj all info saved, I will have a trial run soon I hope on my
PC!

him but I had a thought that he `might`
have an Anti-Virus already on his computer, probably long out of date. Since

pmj...

Jackie...

Thank you pmj I have all the information saved and will look into it. I
think you understand the problems I will have to deal with! I think I
will need a week or so to deal with it! and a good nerve tonic.

pmj...

I don't *think* that he has, actually?
I don't remeber seeing any Anti Virus thing when I visted him
a few times, to help sort out some of his other probs he was having
a while ago.

pmj...

Yep, if he does have one, I don't think he knows it & he prolly hasn't
ever Updated it.

my being on XP for quite a while now and he is on ME I have forgotten how he
can find out if he has an Antivirus programme on his computer so that I can
tell him where to look to find it, a numpty leading a numpty.

pmj...

Prolly the best way (without getting involved in a load of fancy
Utilities or complicated Instructions) is to jus tuse the micro$oft
System Information Utility (msinfo32), that comes with windoze, for
him to find out - that will show everything that is Running & which
Loads at BootUp (which any Anti Virus thing should do)...

Get him to go to...

Start>Run msinfo32 [OK]

(can you explain that for him?)

pmj...

Then get him to Look in the TreeView on the left.
Clicking on the "+" Signs, to Navigate down through the Tree to...

System Summary
+ Software Environment
+ Running Tasks
+ StartUp Programs

pmj...

Any Anti Virus thing should show up in either (or both) of those Views.

Also, get him to Save the MSInfo32 stuff (as a text File) & eMail it
to you, so you (or we) can look at it & help him suss it out.

Use...

Menu>File>Export...

To save it as a Text File.

pmj...

It will be very useful to have that Info anyway, ready for the next
time he needs something sorted out.

Try doing that yourself (I think you already did, once?), so you can
see how easy it is to do it & give him any Instructions (over & above
what I have Listed above) yo uthink he might need, so as to be able
to do it.

At last Ron is getting his e-mails through now and he is able to send them
(he just needed to be connected!!!) he did not realise that (he did have a 3
month computer course)!.

pmj...

LOL!
Yep!
:-)

I did try to explain to him that for his eMail Client (OutLook Express
or any other thing) to be able to Fetch & Send mails, the Computer
needs to actually be Connected to the Internet!...

& to do that, (Connect to the Internet) he needs to Click the DialUp
Internet Connection Icon on his Desktop or in the QuickLaunchBar
But he seemed to have a bit of trouble grasping that concept.

Help very welcome as to how to find out if he has an Antivirus, thanks.

pmj...

See above.

The Output from MSInfo32 will give all the Info that is needed.

pmj...

Yep I do.
:-)

So do try what I suggested (Running msinfo32 yourself, from the
Start>Run Box) & Saving the stuff out from it (as a Text File)...
That way, you will be able to tell him what steps to take to do it.

pmj...

Try it on your own PC first, posting back if you have any Queries,
so you can be confident of being able to tell him how to do it.

Once he has the Text File of the msinfo32 stuff Saved, he can eMail
it to you, as an Attachment to an ordinary eMail. (He could .ZIP it
up first, to make it smaller, but I don't know if he is confident
enough with using his PC to be able to do that (though it's actually
very easy to do, with WinME, like with WinXP, cos that has a built-in
ZIP thingy, just RightClick on a File & choose SendTo>ZIP (Compressed)
Folder).

Try that as well?
We'll soon be able to get his probs sorted out.

Also, he would find that using something like M$Netmeeting (which he
does have set up on his PC) would be very useful, for sorting his
various probs out even though he's only got a Dial Up Internet
Connection it would enable whoever is helping him to actually *see*
what's on his Screen & what he is doing, which makes it all *so* much
easier to sort out, doesn't it?