Today’s post is somewhat of a hybrid post. You’ll certainly get a tip, but it also has some software suggestions so it could also fall into the weekend widget category.

I often see questions from users who either have trouble installing software or installing a patch or service pack. Of course most of the questions I see are in regard to CorelDRAW, but they also apply to most any other software.

Let me make this extremely clear. Turn off your anti-virus application when installing or patching software! Now obviously you have to be careful about this. What happens if the thing you are installing is infected? You definitely have to be careful, but software from a major vendor should be trusted. If you are worried, wait a day or two before you install. Believe me, if it is infected, you’ll hear about it. These applications and others that deal with the registry can have adverse effects on activating some software.

Now the problem can be minimized if you choose the right anti-virus applications. The software usually mentioned to avoid is from Symantec though it typically has Norton in the name. Most everyone agrees it was once the best product out there and over time it got so bloated that it was unusable. I recently read an article that Symantec is trying to slim things down for their 2009 release (typically out in the September/October time frame). I think I’ll wait for others to try it out first.

There are a lot of users who like the choices from AVG. I’m sure part of the reason is because their basic version is free for personal use. That definitely isn’t the only reason as it does a good job of protecting your computer. I have nothing against AVG, I just happen to use something else that I do like.

I’ve been a user of ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite for at least three years now. I’ve never had an infection of any sort and it hasn’t slowed down my computer as much as other tools I’ve tried in the past. It does have a free trial you can download and costs only $39.95 (using the link at right) for a year of protection and free upgrades. When my time has run out in the past, I just buy two more years of protection which entitles me to free updates and upgrades during that period.

It is definitely important that you have some sort of quality protection installed on your computer. It is also important to know when to turn it off so that it doesn’t interfere with installations and updates. I wish we didn’t have to go through this, but unfortunately there are a lot of financial reasons for hackers to cause us so much grief. Stay on top of your security solution and it can be nearly painless.