Finding Free Antivirus Software
There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help.
Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about free antivirus software, different versions of the Palm Treo and emails that claim to be from financial institutions.
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Q: My computer is a virus-infected mess. I sometimes have to close over 20 pop-ups just to access the PC. Taking your advice, I tried to download the "free" AVG Anti-Virus, but there is nothing free about it. They ask for your credit-card info. What am I missing?
A: The company that makes AVG, Grisoft, offers both paid and free versions of the product. The free version must be downloaded from a separate Web site, free.grisoft.com. Most of the first few results in a Google search for "AVG" or "AVG anti-virus" point to this free version. Also, the free version is prominently featured at Download.com, the big site for downloading software that is owned by CNET.
Q: Is there a significant difference between the Palm Treo 700p and the 700w phones -- or is it just preference of software? Do they have the same ease of use?
A. The 700p uses the Palm operating system and the 700w uses the Windows Mobile operating system. The hardware is essentially the same, except for one big difference -- the 700p's screen has a significantly higher resolution than the 700w's. There are also some different buttons on the keyboard.
But asking if two devices differ in "just preference of software" is like asking if living in a similar home in North Dakota or Florida differs "just" in terms of your preference in weather. The software is every bit as important as the hardware, and makes a huge difference in how the two Treos work.
I have reviewed both devices, and I find that the Windows Mobile software on the 700w is considerably inferior to the Palm operating system software on the 700p. Too many common actions in the Windows version take more steps than the same actions on the Palm OS version, and often require navigating menus. You are likely to use the stylus more often in the Windows version as well.
And, even though the software on the Windows version was made by Microsoft, it is actually worse at handling Microsoft Office and Adobe PDF email attachments than the built-in software for that purpose on the Palm OS version.
For my review of the 700p, see: ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20060607.html. For my review of the 700w, see: ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20060105.html.
Q: Last week, you advised readers never to trust any email from a financial institution because online criminals have gotten so good at faking such emails. Does that include emails from institutions where you have accounts, such as receipts for transactions at brokerages?
A: Yes and no. If you get an unexpected email from a bank, or brokerage, or payment service like PayPal, where you do have an account, I'd still advise ignoring it and never clicking on any link it contains. This is even true if the email suggests some problem with your account or advises that you need to log onto a web site to "verify" your account information. Such emails are very often just attempts to steal your passwords and account numbers. To double-check on such an email, phone the bank or brokerage, or manually call up its Web site.
However, if you have just bought or sold a stock, or performed an online banking action, and you get an email confirming the transaction, it could well be legitimate -- provided it contains enough detail of a type criminals might find hard to replicate, and it arrives very quickly after the transaction was completed. I still wouldn't click on any links in such an email, however. Remember, most financial institutions don't have to ask you to supply account information they already have.
It's really too bad that people have to look on such emails with such suspicion. Email could be a great tool for communications between banks and their customers. But, despite some strides, the technology and financial industries have so far failed to find a way to make email truly trustworthy and secure. And law-enforcement agencies have failed to stop the thefts of money and identities. So far, the crooks are winning in this arena. So you have to be extra careful.
如何下载免费AVG防毒软件
在我们大多数人拥有的大件电器中，再没有什么比个人电脑更令人费解、更变幻莫测的了。每个人或许都有些关于电脑的问题，而《莫博士信箱》将为您提供帮助。
本周我将回答读者关于免费AVG防毒软件、两款Palm智能手机的区别以及防范邮件陷阱等问题。
问：我的电脑遭到了病毒的侵扰。有时候我为了操作电脑要首先关掉20几个跳出来的窗口。听了你的意见，我试著去下载“免费的”AVG Anti-Virus，但是这好像并不是免费的。他们索要我的信用卡信息。这是怎么回事儿？
答：这家生产AVG的公司名叫Grisoft，同时提供产品的付费和免费版。免费版必须从单独的网站下载：free.grisoft.com。用谷歌(Google)搜索“AVG”或者AVG防病毒软件，得到的前几项结果多半是把你引向这个免费网站，此外，免费版也可以在CNET拥有的软件下载网站Download.com获得。
问：Palm Treo 700p和700w两款智能手机是否存在明显区别，还是只是应用的软件不同？它们用起来是否同样方便？
答：700p使用Palm操作系统，700w使用Windows Mobile。硬件基本相同－－不过700p的屏幕分辨率明显高于700w。手机键盘上的按键也多少有些不同。
双语阅读
? Finding Free Antivirus Software但是如果你问两款手机是不是“只是应用的软件不同”，就如同问我生活在北达科他州和佛罗里达州的看似相似的房子里是不是“只是”面临的天气不同一样。软件与硬件一样至关重要，对于两款Treo的功能会产生很大影响。
我对两款手机都进行了评估，最终发现，700w的Windows Mobile软件明显赶不上700p的Palm。对于一些很平常的操作，Windows版本的操作步骤要比Palm OS版本更多，而且经常要在繁琐的菜单中搜个不停。采用Windows版本，使用手写笔的次数也更多一些。
而且，尽管Windows版本的软件由微软公司(Microsoft)生产，但实际上在操作Microsoft Office和处理Adobe PDF邮件附件时却不如Palm OS版本灵活。
想看我对700p的评估，可参见ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution- 20060607.html。我对700w的评估登在ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20060105.html。
问：上周，你建议读者不要轻易相信来自金融机构的电子邮件，因为很多网络不法分子技艺高超，很可能通过这样的邮件将人们引入陷阱。但这当中包括你开立帐号的机构吗，比如券商给你发的交易清单？
答：这要具体情况具体分析。如果你莫名其妙地收到银行、券商或者像PayPal这样网上付款系统的邮件，即便你在这里开立了帐户，我仍然建议你不要理它，不要打开上面的任何链接。甚至就算邮件告诉你你的帐户出现问题，或者建议你登录一个网站去确认你的帐户信息，也不要管它。这类邮件很可能是为了盗取你的帐号和密码。仔细审阅一下邮件，打电话跟这家银行或者券商或者网站确认一下。
不过，如果你刚刚买卖股票，或者在网上参与了一次银行拍卖，你可能会收到交易确认信，这个可能是合法的－－如果有足够的证据表明一般的犯罪分子可能无法伪造的话，而且它们通常会在交易完成后立即到来。不过我仍然不会去点击上面的链接。记住，大多数金融机构都不会一定要你提供帐户信息，因为他们已经有了你的信息。
如果每个人都必须怀著猜疑的态度来审查这些邮件，这真是太糟糕了。电子邮件本来可以成为方便银行与客户联系的很好的工具。但是，尽管科技及金融行业都取得很大成就，但目前仍然未能找到一个确保邮件完全可信、绝对安全的办法。法律手段也未能阻止金钱和用户身份被盗。到目前为止，这一领域的骗子仍然可以为所欲为。因此你就必须严加防范。
Walter S. Mossberg
