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First things first, Windows 7 users, you’ll need to figure out if you’re running a 32-bit or 64-bit Operating System. To find out, go to Start > Control Panel and click on System. You’ll see this window:

Circled is the information you’re looking for, so click the appropriate link below.

XP and Vista users, chances are very good you’re running a 32-bit system, so use the 32-bit link below.

32-bit Windows Users
64-bit Windows Users

On the site, you’ll see this:

Click the Download link at the top right. Once your download has completed, open the installer package.

Vista / Win7 users – if you are alerted with a window asking if you want to allow the program to make changes, click Yes.

You will be presented with a license agreement asking for your first born child, two chickens and a new car, click Accept.

A License Number screen will come up, but as this is the free version, it will auto-generate. Click Next.

When you are presented with the type of installation, click Custom Install and uncheck the gadget checkbox, then click Next.

On the Custom Options page, you will have a couple of things to do before moving on. First, if you use an email program other than Microsoft Outlook (this includes Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Thunderbird, IncrediMail), check the Personal Email Scanner checkbox, you can also uncheck the Outlook add-in checkbox.

Next, uncheck the Additional languages checkbox as it is unneeded.

Before clicking next, scroll down to the bottom of the list. Be sure LinkScanner and the two items below it, plus Identity Protection are checked, then click Next.

Next, you’ll see a window asking about installing the AVG Security Toolbar. This is an unnecessary bloat for your browser, so uncheck the top box and click Next.

You may see a window open that says Uninstalling, this is removing any previous version of AVG in your system and you can ignore it.

The installer will copy and install files:

During (or after) the installation process, you may see firewall alerts (for those of you using 3rd party firewalls), simply tick the “Remember my answer” or “Always use this setting” box, then click Allow or OK. The image below is from Comodo’s firewall, your image may differ.

After the installation is complete, you will be presented with the opportunity to register your software. This is totally optional, I typically don’t because I simply don’t need to be on any more mailing lists. You can uncheck the participation checkbox and click Finish.

The software is installed but we’re not done yet. You may be asked to restart your computer, if not, you’re okay. You should now see the AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2011 main program window. You can ignore any of the upgrade buttons as shown below, we’re not interested in those and they’ll just lead to accidentally buying a pay-version of the software which is unnecessary.

We need to make sure your email protection is configured correctly. Double-click on the E-mail Scanner item in the middle.

At the E-mail Scanner Component screen, check the Scan outgoing messages checkbox and then click the Tools / Advanced sections link.

Check the Check outgoing e-mail checkbox then click Certification below E-mail Scanner on the left pane.

Uncheck both Certify checkboxes and click OK.

Click Save Changes.

You’re now back at the AVG main control panel … and you’re fully protected. Click the X at the top right to close AVG and that’s it! You did it!

If you have any questions, couldn’t understand one of the steps or require further assistance with the upgrade, please let me know and I’ll help you out.

You may have noticed me using a similar flash drive when visiting your home or office. I’ve used many different flash drives and found many of them to be too fragile for every day use, plus I was always misplacing them (especially the tiny ones). This key sized device is perfect because not only is it reasonably tough but it’s also key-sized so it’s right at home with my house keys; something I take with me everywhere!

While you are certainly free to use this flash drive for whatever you desire … photos, documents, backups … I have pre-loaded this drive with a couple of portable applications for you to get started. It’s got 4GB of storage so please fill it up with whatever you need to take with you.

Portable Firefox

Firefox is my browser-of-choice. It’s sleek, fast and has the availability of incorporating hundreds of different plug-ins to enhance your web surfing experience. If you use Firefox, having your favourite browser with you is always a convenience, especially if you customize it with plug-ins.

Roboform2Go

I’ve been using Roboform2Go for about 6 years now and I absolutely love it. This is the portable version of the classic Roboform desktop program. Much like taking your web favourites with you, Roboform allows you to take your logins with you. No more needing to remember usernames and passwords for websites!

When you launch the program, the Roboform toolbar is automatically added to your web browser and with one click you can call up your favourite websites AND automatically login! You can even have the program store and recall frequently typed information such as your name, address, phone number and credit card numbers. Speaking of which, you can also use it as a digital storage locker for other important notes and information. Only one master password is required (and I suggest you make it a tricky one). Should the worst happen, you lose or misplace the flash drive, your information and logins are safe behind some serious data encryption.

The version included on your key is the free version of the software which can store only 10 logins. You can use the free version if you will only use 10 (or fewer) logins, or you can upgrade to the Pro version for only $40US. I hope you find it as useful as I do and consider the upgrade price to be worthwhile.

Launcher

After you connected the key you may have noticed a pop-up dialog asking if you’d like to “Start the Launchpad”. Doing so will open the PortableApps.com utility which allows you to do a few things, including start the programs installed therein, add new programs or even backup files! It’s a really easy utility and makes it easy to use your portable applications.

If have any questions or you require assistance with these portable applications, or want more information on how to add additional portable apps, please contact me.

Again, thank you for your continued business and have a great 2010!

PS: Feel free to change your homepage from this to anything you’d like. Simply browse to the page you’d like to use, click Tools > Options then click the Use Current Page button and click OK.

If you were to read everything on that page you’re linked to, at the bottom, in text (not as part of the chart), there is a link to “upgrade my current product only” which hops you to yet another page which asks if you want to pay for the full version. Deceptive! Even once you’ve confirmed that no, you don’t want their other products, you still aren’t in the clear as you may get one last page advertising their pay products on the same page as the download link.

For those of you who have braved all the advertising and finally find the free download link, you may wind up with an installer which tells you you’re not connected to the internet and it can’t download the full installer package.

Well, I’ve found the solution (it took a bit of digging), but here it is … the full download without advertising. That link will take you to the FileHippo.com website which will always have the latest version for you to grab, just click the “Download Latest Version” from the top right of the page and you’re set.

If you have any questions or need assistance in installing AVG 9.0, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Over the years I’ve progressed from backing up to a floppy, to a Zip drive, to CD-ROMs, to DVD-ROMs, to external hard drives and recently to online backups. Actually, I run an online backup plus I have my automated nightly backup to an external drive for a two-pronged approach. What method is the best? My recommended methods are the ones you don’t have to think a about, which eliminates optical media (and besides, most of us have more than 4.7GB to archive). So why backup online if my nightly external hard drive backup is running? While an external drive is adequate as an option to counter primary drive failure, it is 100% useless in cases of fire, flood, theft or electrical surge. The online bacup runs seamlessly in the background on my computer, uploading new files whenever my network is idle — effectively keeping me backed up in real-time.

The next question you’ll probably ask is if the online system is so efficient, why bother with the external drive? For me, it’s an “all of my eggs in one basket” mentality. While I’m confident my data is secure and redundant on the backup server, I like the comfort of having my own local backup. Perhaps in coming years I’ll ditch the local completely. Heck, I already trust Google with my email!

Hopefully I’ve at least convinced you to consider an online backup service. There are many out there but not all are created equal. The service I use and have been suggesting for my clients is Backblaze. They offer a free 15 day trial and unlimited online storage for a mere $5/mo (or $50/yr if you pay up front). There are others which are free, but for free you may have a limited storage capacity (eg. Mozy gives you 2GB for free), but that’s hardly all-encompassing, as your backup should be.

If you have any questions or would like assistance in setting up a backup solution for your home or business, feel free to contact me any time.

More coming content-wise, it was a matter of getting the framework and styling updated first.