If you’re a regular internet user, there’s a good chance you’ve seen advertisements on various sites for something like a “Free PC Software Check Online”.
Sometimes these will invite you to click on a link that will claim to be able to scan your PC’s hard drive in order to remove viruses and malware, or sometimes to speed up your PC. Sometimes you see a slight variation on the theme where the ad offers to check how fast your internet connection is.
It should be noted that some of these so-called services may be legitimate, but many of them are not and it would be very dangerous to proceed further.
Frustration with your PC
One of the most common experiences for IT help desk staff is technology users complaining that their PC or network is running slowly.
In fact, that can easily happen and could arise through a number of causes. It is also true that in an increasingly security-conscious era, people are becoming more and more aware of the dangers of viruses etc. and they are willing to try to make sure their systems are clean.
Therefore, the attractions of such seemingly free offers on the net are obvious, but the dangers less so.
What are the dangers?
To thoroughly check your PC for viruses or its performance, you need to allow a piece of software to search deep into its internals. As a result, as the software finds its way into the deepest components of your machine, it also has the potential to wreak havoc.
Unfortunately, a lot of free online checks are simply malicious pieces of software that, under the guise of trying to help you, may be placing viruses and other unwanted software (ads, for example) into the very core of your system.
The basic solution here is very simple: don’t assign access to or control of your PC to an external piece of software unless you’re absolutely sure you know whose it is and what it’s doing.
For example, allowing an outside IT support specialist who you know to be from a reputable company and who pays you for their services to run software on your system to check for problems is one thing. Granting such permissions and access to someone on the internet you’ve never heard of is quite another.
Don’t believe the label
Try to keep in mind that many crooks who use seemingly free offers to gain access to your system may have read your ad or website with impressive names like Microsoft or Apple etc.
This does not mean anything and should not be taken as an indication that their services are provided by such well-known companies or that the organization offering the check has been approved by them.
If you are having problems with your system, be prepared to spend a relatively modest amount of money for a professional, verifiable computer support company that will be able to offer assistance. Don’t trust free offers on the net to do it for you because they are most likely too good to be true!