You come here enough Clair to know we really need more info than that to give you a fair answer.

Sufficient to say that if Skype told you the computer is infected then it is likely a fact.

What anti virus and anti malware programs do you have on the computer?

When were they last updated and full scans ran?
Can you run those now or have they been disabled too?

Are you sure Acer did not say BIOS and not bio? Not too sure flashing the BIOS will do any good at this point in time. You have a new computer so it should have a fairly recent BIOS already.

If you attempt to flash the BIOS be absolutely sure your weather is reasonable, a power outage during the flash procedure will make the computer useless. There was never a fix created for that to my knowledge so play safe on that point.

Ok I have AVG, Mckafee. and tried a new one today called Kaspersky. I scanned with all of them and none found anything. So if its not a virus what could be the problem ?

What's the operating System?

Try a System restore to a time when things were working.

If that does not fix it since it's only 4 mons old you could restore factory settings. Is there a warranty in place?

Thought I should let you know everything is working fine since I uninstalled AVG. I was told I shouldn't have more then one anti virus and it seems that was the problem. Keeping my fingers crossed...

I wondered about that but I thought you were doing an online thing like kaspersky with one of them.

I just read this, and it was going to be my first suggestion. You should never have more than one anti virus on your computer. I am not a fan of AVG nor McAfee, so I would remove both of them, and install one that has a much better reputation.

I had mcfe one time and that was enough for me. I don't like buying things that you can get free.

This post was edited by EmmaR on Sat, Oct 5, 13 at 14:03

" I don't like buying things that you can get free."

I'm not going to defend McAfee, Emma, it's not my favorite, but as a reply to your comment above, I'll say I don't agree with you because "You get what you pay for".

While some (not all) of the free programs offer decent (and narrowly focused) anti-virus protection only, few offer the broad range of security and protection services that the non-free programs offer. Most non-free programs offer more robust security, to include internet surfing and identity protection, malware protection, cleanup and automatic performance monitoring (this can be indicative of unauthorized access), and an untold number of other capabilities.

A license for any of the top drawer systems can be had for under $30 a year (buy a 3 person license and share the cost with with two friends), which is affordable for anyone.

You don't need to agree with me, but you can use your own eyes to see that in this and many forums, the constant parade of users who are suffering infections typically use one of the free programs.

I use one comprehensive (not free) system. I use no utilities, I trigger no scans, and I pay no attention to it because it quietly works in the background and eliminates problems. Everyone is free to choose their own course.

The only one I had that was not free was macafee and it was $70 a year for a subscription. I guess things have changed. I was new to computers and I could not find a way to renew even when I was willing to pay for it.

I've posted this link before, but here's an article that should be of interest. Neil Rubenking has been a respected PC journalist for over 20 years, the findings and ratings are the result of his ongoing monitoring and testing of available products.

Ignore the prices stated for the various products, these seem to be list prices that many sellers can beat.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ratings of PC Security systems

I am surprised it appears no one has come up with a program to automatically wheel through several different free antivirus offerings on a weekly or biweekly basis.
When it comes to free vs paid for, I used free on two computers and paid for a year from the same well known antivirus company on one other computer with identical good results for all of them.
Fixmestick was a later buy in lieu of another paid for antivirus year and the online help from them when needed by a computer illiterate like me was very good.
Took a good hint here for Spybot Search and Destroy to get rid of annoying ad pop ups (be certain you get it from the real site).
Using private browsing, not letting you browser idle on line for long periods, and dumping cookies every night when you are done (which keeps the old memory cells active remembering passwords) seems to be good practice.

AVG is just fine. Avast is fine too. Avira is right there along with them. MSE is just a little step back, but not enough to worry about. Use any of the big four, and you will be fine. Just use one at a time, and keep it updated.

DA

This post was edited by damccoy on Mon, Oct 7, 13 at 12:30

Hi Folks,
I need a suggestion for my Ubuntu system. Or, is it even necessary?
The link Snidley posted had nothing about Ubuntu.
Thanks to all,
Steve

Ubuntu has nothing to do with ratings of PC security systems...which you would know if you bothered to google Ubuntu and learn what it is. Do you have an Ubuntu system or not? If yes...you shouldn't need an explanation/suggestion. If no...why are you even asking?

azinoh, I am fully aware that Ubuntu is an operating system, it is on my computer. And yes, I do need a suggestion for an anti-virus program if it is needed.
Steve

In short Steve, no you don't need an AV when running Linux.

A few reasons you might want one are listed here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Antivirus If nothing else, it's an interesting read.

I believe I have ClamAV on my server, just in case I want to scan a Windows download but truthfully, I never use it. I have nothing at all on this machine.

Chuggerguy,
Thanks for the help. The link was very interesting and informative.
Steve