What's the Difference?
By Cate Eales
Appeared January 22, 2009 on castanet.net
What's the difference between a hard drive and RAM? Is a virus the same
thing as spyware? This week we sort out some commonly confused terms.
What's the difference between RAM and a Hard
Drive?
RAM stands for Random-Access Memory. It's just that --- memory. It keeps
track of what you are doing right now, like looking at your browser, or
listening to music on your computer, or playing a game. RAM creates a
temporary space to keep the things you need...temporarily.
A hard drive is a permanent storage area. It's where your documents, the
files that are your music and pictures, your programs, and anything you
store on your computer permanently reside. It's not the same thing as
memory.
click here to enlarge picture
Think about it this way: You want to wear something
special tonight when you go out to dinner, but which outfit is best? Your
clothes are always stored in your closet. Your closet is like a hard
drive. When you take out several outfits to look at so you can decide what
to wear, you lay those out on the bed where you can access them easily.
You pick up one, and put it back on the bed. You pick up another, and then
the first one again. Your bed is like RAM --- a temporary space where you
can easily access the things you are working with right now. You can find
out more about RAM in this column.
What's the difference between a virus and
spyware?
Both are bad! But spyware and viruses are not the same thing, and you
might need more than one layer of protection to keep your computer free of
both.
A virus is a computer program designed to reproduce itself as often as
possible, damage your computer files, and spread to other computers. In
contrast, spyware isn't intended to damage your files, just your computing
experience! When it gets into your computer it runs in the background,
sending you popup ads, changing your browser home page or tool bars,
eating up all your RAM, and sometimes messing with your search results.
Spyware can get into your computer several ways. Sometimes you get it when
you're installing other software. Sometimes it comes as as result of
clicking a link on a website or even an email. Often, it disguises itself
as an anti-virus or anti-spyware product. You install it, and it holds
your computer hostage, demanding that you purchase the product to fix
"errors" or rid the computer of spyware.
Everyone --- yes everyone --- using a Windows computer these days should
have layers of protection against viruses, spyware, and all kinds of
unwanted intrusions. You should be running an anti-virus program and have
your firewall turned on, for a bare minimum of protection. Some anti-virus
products also include anti-spyware protection. If yours does not, consider
installing one. You can't run more than one anti-virus program at a time.
But you can run an anti-virus program and use an anti-spyware program,
too.
Avira is a good,
free anti-virus program, available
here. Good, free
anti-spyware protection is available from
MalwareBytes, here.
AVG Free combines anti-virus and anti-spyware protection, but the
current version uses a lot of RAM, and I don't recommend it for computer
with less than 1GB of RAM. You can
get it here. Pay-for security suites also abound, including Norton,
Symantec, and Trend-Micro. No matter which you choose, be sure to get
regular updates and keep your subscription current. You can read more
about spyware in
this excellent article.
Do you need help with your computer? With your printer/camera/music
player? Do you have a virus or a spyware problem? Do you have
a new computer and now you're wondering how to get the files from the old
one over to the new one? I'm here to help you and your computer get along!
To ask a question, make a comment or suggestion, or schedule a visit,
email
cate@rlis.com. You can read previous columns
here. If you'd like to
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Links
RAM is your friend
http://rlis.com/columns/column102.htm
Avira
http://www.free-av.com/
MalwareBytes
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
AVG Free
http://free.avg.com/download-avg-anti-virus-free-edition
How Spyware Works
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/spyware.htm
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives
http://rlis.com/column.htm
Get Cate's column by email
http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=20618
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---
Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible
and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric,
and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in Real Life Internet Solutions,
helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware and malware
eradication; personal computer training and management; digital image
management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and management.
Email Cate at cate@rlis.com with your
comments, suggestions, or questions. To browse the column archives, visit
the Real Life Internet Solutions website at
www.rlis.com.
©
Cate Eales 2009 – All Rights Reserved
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