Vipre

This post brought to you by Vipre. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey guys.  Let’s talk about internet security for a minute.  I know this is a fashion & style blog, but no matter what you do with your computer, if you go online you run the risk of a virus.  I used to think that getting a virus was a death sentence for my computer, or meant having to bring it to an expert for an expensive fix.  But recently I realized that having a great antivirus program eliminates all of that.  Not too long ago, I got a major computer-altering virus that I thought would mean the end of my laptop.  And then my anti-virus program bailed me out.  It took a few nerve-wracking days and some work from my boyfriend (he's the computer whiz in this family), but in the end, it wiped that sucker out.  It was then and there that I realized just how absolutely imperitive having an anti-virus program is.

Recently I had the opportunity to try out VIPRE Internet Security.  I've had it for a few days now, and while I thankfully haven't had to use it for any viruses, I have been able to deduce a few things about it:

The Good:

~Easy installation.  I’m talking really easy.  Like, so easy I could do it (though I kept my boyfriend on standby just in case).

~The scan it performs is extraordinarily thorough; and from what I can tell, it automatically runs once a week, which is perfect for someone as forgetful as me. 

The Bad:

~I had an issue with the program’s website blocker.  It blocked several totally legit websites that I visit on a regular basis, so I had to go in and manually disable the firewall.  Unfortunately there’s no option to view the list of blocked sites, and allow those you feel should be allowed.  Instead, you have to enter each approved website manually, and for me it was inconvenient.  So I just shut the option off instead.  But like I said, I'm pretty computer illiterate.  If you try it and find a better way, please let me know!

The Verdict:

I think that there are plenty of excellent, free anti-virus programs out there, my preferred being Avira (I’m forever grateful that it saved my computer’s life).  But Vipre has free technical support, and promises to patch out of date software, which is a common cause of computer infections.  As far as I know the free ones don't.  It's really nice having that secure feeling of being protected from all the nasty little bugs that are floating around in cyberspace.  Click here {VIPRE Internet Security} to check Vipre out for yourself.