AVG Free might've flagged just a little in the past few years, but it's back with a shorter install, better usability, and faster scans. Take a video tour of AVG Anti-Virus Free 2011 and see what makes AVG one of the most respected names in Windows security.

With Google Instant, the close link between the company's browser and search service is getting even closer--but Google wants to ensure that the Chrome-Google pairing isn't the only one possible on the Net.

If a proposal from the search giant catches on, browser users might, for example, be able to see Yahoo search results in Firefox--or more likely, Microsoft Bing search results instantly in Internet Explorer. The proposal, if accepted, holds the potential to help both Google and its rivals--at least if they can match the new Google Instant interface.

Google Instant shows search results as a person types, refreshing the window contents as the search terms are added or modified, and Google is building it into Chrome's omnibox. That's a significant expansion over existing browser abilities to suggest completed search terms using a drop-down list.

Google now is proposing an interface to let others link people's search box use with instant-search results.

"We're adding instant search integration to Google Chrome, allowing the search provider to communicate suggestions to the user agent [browser]. If there is interest, we'd like to make sure that we do this in such a way that any search provider or user agent can implement it," Google programmer Tony Gentilcore said last week on a mailing list for WHATWG, the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group that has worked for years to advance Web technologies.

The interface would share information from the browser that the search engine needs before it can send instant-search results to the browser. Under the proposed interface, the information sent--to the default search engine only--would include potential search terms that have been typed in, the user's cursor location within them, and whether the user has changed search terms, hit the enter key, or selected an item with an arrow key.

The move shouldn't come as a huge surprise. On the defensive front, such an interface makes life harder for critics concerned that Google is benefiting from its search dominance in a way that its browser competitors can't. And on the offensive front, it could make it easier for Google to extend instant search results to other browsers.

It's not clear whether others will be interested, however.

Two days after raising the matter at WHATWG, Gentilcore mentioned the proposal on a mailing list for WebKit, the open-source browser engine used in Chrome, Apple's Safari, and many mobile browsers. He suggested a WebKit-wide interface that would faciltate the feature, but didn't drum up much enthusiasm.

"I do have an objection," Apple programmer Darin Adler said in his response. The feature is the kind of thing that is best suited for higher-level browser work based on WebKit, not the underlying engine itself, he said. "WebKit has an architecture that allows this to be done without WebKit code changes. I suggest we put this feature in browsers, not the engine."

Perhaps Microsoft would be more interested. Not only does it have a search engine it's trying to promote, but Its IE9 beta makes much more aggressive use of the combined search and address bar, displaying some search results as people type.

Originally posted at Deep Tech

Adobe today announced the latest version of its Acrobat suite of products.

Set to hit the market in the next 30 days, the new Reader X and Acrobat X products are promising tighter security, better collaboration, and easier PDF reading.

The free Adobe Reader X will offer a new Protected Mode to sandbox, or isolate, JavaScript code, 3D rendering, and image parsing in order to better secure PDFs. Adobe has seen an increasing number of security holes in its PDF technology over the past few years, creating trouble for the many people who use the ubiquitous file format. The company is looking to sandboxing, a feature used by Microsoft for Office and Google for Chrome, to counteract those PDF security flaws.

Beyond the tighter security, Reader X will offer Sticky Notes and Highlighter tools for people who want to add comments to a PDF. And users on the go will be able to grab mobile versions of Reader X for Android, Windows Phone 7, and the BlackBerry Tablet operating systems.

For people who need to create and edit PDFs, the Acrobat X lineup will roll out in three different versions.

Acrobat X Standard will offer a basic set of new features, including the ability to convert a PDF to a Word document or Excel spreadsheet and integration with Microsoft's SharePoint. The Standard edition will retail for $299 and offer an upgrade price of $139.

Next in time will be Acrobat X Pro, which provides additional features. PDF Portfolios will let you combine a variety of different types of files to create a single portfolio with customized themes, layouts, and logos. The new Actions feature will allow you to automate time-consuming tasks and share those with other people. The Pro version is expected to cost $449 with a $199 upgrade fee.

And Acrobat X Suite will team up Adobe Acrobat X Pro, Adobe Photoshop CS5, Adobe Captivate 5, Adobe Presenter 7, Adobe LiveCycle Designer ES2, and Adobe Media Encoder CS5. The suite will carry a price tag of $1,199 with a $799 upgrade cost.

Adobe is also unveiling a couple of new cloud-based services.

A kind of virtual post office, Adobe SendNow will let you send, receive, and keep track of large files. The idea behind this service is to help people avoid e-mail gateways that restrict file size and FTP servers that can be difficult to use. Adobe's new CreatePDF will convert a file to a PDF from within Adobe Reader X or any Web browser. Both services will debut in November.

Adobe users can now preorder any of the Acrobat X products.

Originally posted at News - Digital Media

Has your computer been acting funny, crashing, running slow, or displaying unusual error messages? Have you been promiscuously clicking on Web links and opening up attachments from strangers? You could have a malware infection.

I get questions all the time from readers and friends asking what to do when they think their computers are infected. Here's a primer that should help. It's focused on Windows-based PCs because that's where most of the malware is targeted.

What are the warning signs of an infection?
An infection may cause the computer to run more slowly than normal, stop responding, or just crash. Applications may not work properly, and disk drives may be inaccessible. There may be unusual error messages and distorted menus and dialog boxes.

If spyware or adware is on your machine, in addition to it running slower, there may be new toolbars and links in your browser; your home page, mouse pointer, or search engine may be changed; you may be redirected to a different Web page from the one you typed in; and there may be pop-up ads even if you are not connected to the Internet.

But slow downs and other problems don't necessarily mean your computer has an infection. It could mean that there is some other problem with your system. Your disk could need defragmenting, you could need to add memory to your machine, or there could be some other issue. (To deal with noninfection slow-down and other issues, there are some tools. CCleaner, is an excellent free utility for tune-ups, browser track remover and dead registry keys. IOBit Smart Defrag and Auslogics Disk Defrag are good defraggers. Windows 7 tends to not need defragmenting help the way that XP does. System Mechanic is another helpful maintenance tool.)

Typically, fake antivirus is the only malware that shows itself and that's because it's designed to trick you into thinking you have an infection so you will pay money to have it cleaned up, said David Perry, global director of education at Trend Micro. "The bad guys are building the smallest, lightest, most undetectable items they can so you don't get symptoms at all," he said. "They are entirely silent and entirely invisible."

What are the chances I'm infected?
Even if you practice safe computing and don't click on random links that lead to malicious Web sites or open unsolicited attachments hiding a virus or Trojan, you could get infected. Searching for free stuff and using porn and pirate Web sites can also increase your chances of encountering malware. Legitimate Web pages can be hiding malware that gets stealthily dropped on your computer in so-called drive-by downloads. More than 1 million Web sites were infected with malware during the second quarter of this year, many of them innocent sites whose administrators are unaware of the hidden malware, according to antimalware service provider Dasient.

Given that an estimated 40 percent of computers are not running antivirus software and that some malware disables security software, which opens the door to additional infections, there are many more infected computers than people realize.

How do I check for an infection?

There are a many free online antivirus scanners that can scan your computer for viruses and other malware, including Trend Micro's HouseCall, and Malwarebytes. (For the Mac there's the free ClamXav virus scanner.) Every major antivirus vendor offers scanners. Trend Micro's Perry suggests getting a second opinion if the scan fails to detect an infection and running a second scanner from a different vendor. Chances are that if one scanner misses an infection the other one will catch it since they use different technologies. However, outside of scanning for a potential infection it is recommended that you use only one anti-virus software for ongoing protection as running more than one can may cause system slowdowns.

How do I remove an infection?
Most of the antimalware scanners include tools for removing the problem program once it has been detected. Microsoft has its own Malicious Software Removal Tool, which is updated to detect new malware every month on Patch Tuesday, checking for specific malware on the machine. Another good resource is the Bleeping Computer forum, which specializes in free help to remove malware. It's helpful for those who are patient or on a severely tight budget. The forum is also excellent at helping users diagnose the difference between malware-caused performance problems and nonmalicious ones. However, if using the removal tools doesn't do the job, or you are not computer savvy enough to dive in to your system to try to remove the malware yourself, you might have to contact tech support through your security software provider or an independent firm. Microsoft's Consumer Security Support site requires users to run the company's free antimalware scan before an agent can help.

Getting tech help to clean up an infection can wind up costing as much as several hundred dollars for a complicated job. Support can be done over the phone and some services can reach out to your computer over an Internet connection to perform the fix. In worst cases, the machine can be taken in to a shop or sent to the vendor and the hard drive will need to be wiped and the operating system reformatted and re-installed. It's always a good idea to make regular backups of your data and store it on a separate hard drive or to use an online back up service. And you should keep your operating system recovery disks in case of such an emergency.

How do I manually remove it?
The first thing you might want to do is attempt a System Restore to a known clean state. The goal is to return your system to the condition it was in before the infection. If you don't have a clean copy of your system some people suggest ignoring or even disabling System Restore so that the malware itself is not restored when you reboot. To disable System Restore click "Start," right-click "My Computer" and click on "Properties." On the System Restore Tab click the "turn off" box and "OK."

You can try looking for and uninstalling any aberrant programs under "Add/Remove Programs" in the "Control Program." Before deleting any files or programs, though, you should search for them on the Web to see what other people have said about the threat. There's a good chance that others have encountered it before you. You can also submit a file to most security vendors through their Web sites. If you don't have access to a clean computer, it's worth the extra time to go to a public library or Internet cafe and check from there. Be careful not to confuse corrupted system files with malware infections. Sometimes installing or uninstalling a program can accidentally corrupt essential system files. Always do a Web search on the suspect software before assuming it's malware. If you're seeing the blue screen of death, it's unlikely to be an infection.

You can then reboot your computer in Safe Mode by restarting it and pressing "F8" until the Windows Advanced Options Menu is displayed. Select "Safe Mode" from the menu and hit "Enter." You can run the antimalware scanners now for a more sanitized scan.

If this all fails to clean the computer, you can download the free HiJackThis tool. It examines vulnerable or suspect parts of your system, such as browser helper objects and certain types of Registry keys, and generates a log of items. If you can't make sense of the logs, you can post them to forums like Bleeping Computer or Geeks To Go where more knowledgeable people can take a look. Don't expect immediate answers as these are volunteers.

For an even more hands-on approach to the clean up, you can use the command prompt. Find it through the Start menu among the "Programs" under "Accessories." Then you must try to locate the virus file. If you think you got infected from an e-mail, you can find it in the e-mail attachments folder. Often a virus will show up in the system folder or temporary folder. You can remove the permissions with this command "attrib -r -a -s -h VIRUSNAMEHERE.vbs. To remove it from the system type "del VIRUSNAMEHERE.vbs.

If all else fails, you may have to do a clean install of the operating system and applications. Microsoft has information on how to do it safely here.

How do I prevent future infection?
Use antivirus, antispyware, and firewall software and keep it all up to date. Apply the software updates for the applications you use. Programs like CNET TechTracker and Mozilla Plugin Checker can help remind you when you need to update your applications. Software like AVG LinkScanner and McAfee Site Advisor can help alert you to unsafe Web pages. The NoScript Firefox plugin is used to block malicious scripts hiding in JavaScript and Flash. Microsoft has more general tips about safe computing practices on this page. There are also free Microsoft versions of antivirus software Security Essentials, and antispyware software Windows Defender. Meanwhile, CNET has created a Windows Security Starter Kit that has multiple recommendations on antivirus, antispyware, browser add-ons, and other programs.

Of course, all the best software in the world can't protect you if you are reckless. Specifically, you should avoid clicking on unsolicited Web links and opening dubious attachments. You can verify e-mail addresses and Web links by typing the main URL into a browser, particularly for sensitive sites like PayPal. You should also avoid inadvertently downloading malware on sites by not clicking "agree," "OK" or "I accept" in banner ads or pop-up windows. Instead, you should press "CTRL + F4" on your keyboard and if that doesn't close the window, press "ALT + F4" to close the browser.

CNET's Seth Rosenblatt contributed to this report.

Updated 2:19 p.m. PST with recommendation to not use more than one anti-virus software at a time for ongoing protection.

Originally posted at InSecurity Complex

Adobe Systems is expected to announce tomorrow the next version of its Acrobat software, dubbed Adobe Acrobat X.

The software will include the free PDF (portable document format) viewing software Adobe Reader X, which is expected to be available for download within 30 days, Adobe said.

The new version of Adobe Reader will feature sandboxing security technology designed to add an additional layer of protection against attacks targeting the popular PDF viewer. Adobe Reader Protected Mode will be enabled by default and included in Adobe Reader browser plug-ins for all the major browsers. The sandbox mechanism will keep PDF processing, such as JavaScript execution, 3D rendering, and image parsing, to a confined area and prevent applications from installing or deleting files, modifying system information, or accessing processes.

Microsoft uses sandboxing techniques in Office 2010 Protected View and Office 2007 and Google uses it in Chrome.

Adobe has more details about Adobe Reader Protected Mode here.

Originally posted at InSecurity Complex