A nice free antivirus protection option: Microsoft Security Essentials

For the past few weeks, I've been using Microsoft Security Essentials on a number of PCs at home and work. Microsoft Security Essentials runs well, it doesn't appear to slow down the computers by tying up resources, and it has protected each machine from a number of threats when I tested a few known virus and spyware threats. Overall, it's a "good" option (not great, but it's free) for those of you who need antivirus protection at home or at work. It runs in the background, it updates automatically, and you don't have to worry about expiring subscriptions and renewals.

Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free* download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and always kept up to date so you can be assured your PC is protected by the latest technology. It’s easy to tell if your PC is secure — when you’re green, you’re good. It’s that simple.

Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background so that you are free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or long computer wait times.

Free EMR options (Electronic Medical Record)

There are a growing number of Electronic Medical Record or EMR options for the medical office. How about the free options out there? Open source? Freeware?

Well, I've written about this topic quite extensively on my other site (http://www.medicineandtechnology.com), so if you're interested, I encourage you to browse the blog posts tagged with "free EMR." You'll find those here.

What is the best free EMR solution?

Upgrade to AVG 9.0 (free anti-virus software)

If you've been using AVG for anti-virus protection, you're probably running version 8.5. At some point, you'll need to update that to version 9, so why not do that upgrade now? AVG will try to get you to purchase their "Internet Security" package, but if you're simply looking for the free version of AVG, I suggest you go straight to the download page on CNET.

Speaking of CNET, their editors give AVG 9.0 (free version) five out of five stars. You can't beat that type of review for a free product.

So what's new with version 9?

Version 9.0 runs and installs faster, delivers new anti-phishing detection techniques and introduces the AVG LinkScanner to proactively screen the Web pages you haven't even visited yet. For added peace of mind, you also get safety ratings for your Google, Yahoo! and Bing/MSN search results.

I use AVG free and it works just fine for me. I've tried other free anti-virus applications including Avira and Avast. I simply prefer AVG.

PC World: 101 Fantastic Freebies

Over the weekend, I was looking for some free anti-spam software and I remembered that PC World has a list of 101 Fantastic Freebies (free software). Since medical students and residents are often very hungry for freebies. Who isn't?

So, whether you're looking for anti-virus software, anti-spam, productivity software, a free file sharing service, photo editing software, or something else, I'm sure you'll find something useful on this list.

View the 2008 list of 101 Fantastic Freebies here:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/143642-16/101_fantastic_freebies.html

Keep in mind that there are multiple versions of this is "101 Fantastic Freebies" list (one written in 2008 and there's also a version written in 2007).

Free Antivirus Software

I've been testing AVG FREE for a while now and they recently released a new version: 8.5

There used to be a time when you couldn't get free antivirus software. Now, you can select from several different vendors. AVG is probably one of the most popular. Another one is called Avira and the other popular software product is made by Avast.

Notice how all these names begin with the letter A?

In any case, if you're interested in using free antivirus software, make sure you read things carefully as you click to download and install the software. You can easily click on the wrong link and before you know it, you'll be entering your credit card information to purchase the "deluxe" or "full" version that includes various bells and whistles. A long time ago, I used to use Norton Antivirus. I don't use Norton anymore because it's caused more problems for me and it drains all my system resources. Bottom line: it really slows my system. When you're dealing with slow machines like ultra-mobile PCs, you need to conserve your resources so that your device doesn't freeze up all the time.