Technology and Gadgets Online

Have you ever experienced that sickening feeling of finding out that your antivirus subscription has expired, leaving you and your computer exposed to the wiles of the internet?  It is our household rule that we only purchase protective anti-virus software once a year to help the family budget.  But this strategy proves to be agonizing for several weeks a year.  You would think that I would have this process down and re-order new internet security software before the protection runs out. Nope, not me and thousands of other people around the world.  That is right; if you practice the same bad habits as me you are not alone. 

Why is this horrifying experience for most of us computer users?  Because first of all, we hate spending $40 – $80 on some software that secretly protects our computers and our data. Second of all, a high percentage of us “home” users leave our computers constantly attached to the internet and for every day that we let our antivirus portable software be expired, thousands of “no-gooders” are searching for a way into our computers. 

These two reasons are why this process always reminds me of buying health insurance; buying a product that should protect me and help me in the long run but doesn’t always show its reward.  So this is the simple reason that these particular days have become known as the “Oh No The Security Thingy is Gone” days around our household.  My wife and children always know what time of year it is because I become a little sour – similar to tax time!

So the next question is: why don’t you use one of the many free antivirus programs that are available on the internet today?  The true answer is that I have tried and have not been happy with any of the free software.  Actually it has been a disaster and I have ended up purchasing new anti-virus software every time.  It even got to the point of having to reload the computer’s operating system, www.antivirusportable.net software, and all of my programs.  So, free software won’t do for me but I still hate having to download each new year’s version of antivirus firewall software.  Not trusting the free stuff has kept me in the agonizing cycle of the “Oh No the Security Thingy is Gone” each year.