Skype & Avast

The other thing that I have been asked about a lot, is what I use for antivirus protection on all of my computers. I have nothing against McAfee or Norton, but again, when you have 4 or 5 of them, and you work part time, you must be smart. And remember my golden rule, FREE IS GOOD, especially if it is the best thing going.... Read on.

If you have a pc, you need this program. It's that simple. And it is available to all home users for free. You MUST have a home e-mail address to use it. So if all you have is a professional address (username@companydomain.com), then go to Yahoo and get yourself a free personal e-mail address.

To do things right, you must uninstall whatever you currently have running, or what has expired, or what is not working or whatever you do not wish to pay for any longer. Go to your Start button, then Settings, then Control Center. Click on the Remove Programs icon and click on your current Antivirus program and uninstall it. Then reboot your pc, just to make sure it's gone.

Then come back here and click on the Avast icon at the top of the page and follow the download directions. It's a little tricky and when you have it downloaded, they will e-mail your license number (free, but required) to your home e-mail address. Just copy and paste it into the box that will come up asking for the number, and you are good to go. It may ask you to renew every once in a while, but it gives you a link to click on that reads "Existing user, just need another license key to keep using the Free version." It's been about 4 years now and I'm still using it for free.

I don't get popups or viruses. And your pc will talk to you and let you know when it has updated its virus database. Think of your database as whatever vaccines are available. If you don't have the vaccine, then you are susceptible to that disease... And, if you don't run the software at least once a month, then it will not work for you. It will check your e-mail, your internet usage, etc. Just run the new virus definitions (vaccines) once a month. All the instructions are on their site.

I'll gladly help anyone through it if you need help the first time. You will thank me when your kids start using your computers.... They go EVERYWHERE and chat, and cruise, and come in contact with live viruses all the time. I run the cleaner (right on www.Avast.com) once a week on the pc that they use.

Just e-mail me with any questions..

I have been asked about my Internet Phone so many times, that I thought I would just put an article right here to send people to.

If you already pay Time Warner and have high-speed internet access in your house, then you have the option to use that internet service for your phone, not their version of Home Phone, but a real internet phone. It talks through your internet connection, and only works if you are connected. If you are like me, you are always connected. It will not work with any dial-up service. Don't know much about DSL.
People all over the world use Skype to talk over the internet for free. The United States does not, as then the phone companies do not make their money. It involves getting an account at Skype (click on logo above for home page), and then hooking up a microphone and a headset to your pc. You can use the program (opens like a rolodex on your desktop) at any time to call anyone else who has a Skype account for free. Yes, totally free. And as we know, FREE IS GOOD.

Dean and I don't have a home phone--just the 2 cell phones and my Skype phone. The quality is much better than Vonage, but not quite as good as a regular Verizon phone. But, the price is right. We have a regular telephone that I purchased to use with Skype, and if you wish to use it a lot, you may wan to consider one also. It is a regular looking phone, has a speaker that works great so that the kids can use it, and it has its charger and stand. Just has to plug into its unit, that is plugged into your pc. Yes, it's a wireless phone and looks just like your land line. You can get them with extensions, etc. We have one in our kitchen and so far that is all we need.

Skype is free to call out to any other Skype customer. If you wish to call regular landline phones and cell phones, then you will have to pay by the minute and blocks of time can be purchased with a credit card or PayPal. OR... you can just pay $30 per year, and it is unlimited minutes to all of the USA AND CANADA. Yes, $30 per year, and it includes Canada...

Another point, is that if you want people, besides people that have a Skype account, to be able to call you, you must pay them for a phone number to use. You may purchase a phone number at a cost of $18 every 3 months. You may keep the same number and renew every 3 months, or you can get a new number. Great for people that have cottages, vacation in Florida, etc. BECAUSE... you can get a phone number from any area code in the US. If you live in Florida for 3 months of the year, then get a Florida number... If you have a child going to school in Syracuse, get a Syracuse area code to save them money... Or you can keep the same number forever and renew for $60 annually. So all together, a phone that gets you unlimited calls/minutes to anywhere in the US and Canada, could end up costing you less than $100 per year.... ?? Smart??? How much do you pay Verizon or Time Warner per month? The phone that we have in our house is here, but they have them everywhere, including the Skype website. Theirs are the same phones and cost more, so check them out everywhere (cheapest on Ebay)...

Another point, if you travel, you can take a portable version of the phone and just plug it into your laptop and call wherever you want. I have a little one in my laptop bag. Anywhere you can get high-speed internet access, it will work. That phone is shown here.... It works great from hotel rooms, worked awesome from Mexico to home. MUCH cheaper than a calling card or cell phone. The going rate per minute if you pay per minute rather than unlimited, is about .021 cents.

Just e-mail me with any questions..