Some Windows 7 users have reported a problem with the operating system that they were experiencing after installing the latest Microsoft security update on November 25 although there are some incidents where this problem seems to have been reported earlier than that. What happens is that the operating system will display a black desktop after startup with no options to interact with the operating system at this point.

Microsoft is currently investigating the issue. Good news though for users who have been experiencing the black screen of death after a Windows 7 update. Security company Prevx have released a fix for the issue. They do state that it will fix the most common cause for the issue which means that it will most likely fix the problem for most users but not for all.

Here are the instructions courtesy of Windows 7 News

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Drop your bags, grab a drink, and grab the XP CD—it’s time for the holiday ritual of fixing up your relatives’ computer. Here are some tips and downloads to keep handy while you’re cursing all the auto-starting crapware.

The folks over at Lifehacker have written a post that just may help you out.

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Now that we in the northern hemisphere have had some time to digest the Windows 7 hype and settle in for the coming winter, we thought we would get some more hard data regarding Windows 7 security.

On October 22nd, we settled in at SophosLabs and loaded a full release copy of Windows 7 on a clean machine. We configured it to follow the system defaults for User Account Control (UAC) and did not load any anti-virus software.

We grabbed the next 10 unique samples that arrived in the SophosLabs feed to see how well the newer, more secure version of Windows and UAC held up. Unfortunately, despite Microsoft’s claims, Windows 7 disappointed just like earlier versions of Windows. The good news is that, of the freshest 10 samples that arrived, 2 would not operate correctly under Windows 7. – Full report

This is where a good anti-virus software comes in. What do you use on your PC?

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Thanks to the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, it’s a given that malicious hackers will devise ways to exploit the sites’ numerous users in order to infect their computers with malware. This unwanted software is designed to do a number of terrible things ranging from identity theft to turning computer into remote-controllable “zombie” machines.

Without sufficient anti-virus and malware protection programs installed, social networking users can easily become victims to these ever-evolving attacks. However, the best way to avoid becoming a victim yourself is to be aware of what’s out there and what sorts of things you should avoid.

Continue reading

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One of the most annoying spyware programs out today is System Security 2009.
I have worked with several folks that have got hit with this rogue spyware. Many of these folks have up-to-date paid security software in use when they become infected.

One of the problems I have seen is that most all Anti-Spyware programs on the market can’t stop it.
Without getting real specific with the names of such software, they cost upwards of $60 bucks a year.

System Security 2009 is really good at hiding itself inside your PC. It also disables your current anti-virus, anti-spyware and security software.

I have now found a software at the moment that will find it and delete it entirely from your system.

Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware will work when nothing else will. One of the best things about this software is that it’s totally free to use. It will find System Security 2009 and remove it completely from your PC without asking for your credit card number.

After trying the free version, and seeing it actually works….I would purchase the real-time protection before I ever considered trying the big name software again.

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