Tuesday, October 23, 2012

FixMeStick Virus Removal Gadget {Review & Giveaway}

FixMeStick logo
Considering the amount of time I spend on the computer, I take the "health" of my PC pretty seriously. While I've generally made smart decisions and had good luck, there was an instance a few years ago that I still clearly remember.

It began when the current computer security software that we had downloaded on my laptop expired. My husband kept saying he would get around to renewing it or finding a better one... but, like with everything else in our lives, we procrastinated for a while. Even with the daily pop-ups reminding me that we needed to take action, I just kept on closing them and saying we would do it tomorrow.

One day I took closer notice of one of the pop-ups and, as it was telling me about the security that we needed, I clicked on it. Pause here to take that in: I clicked on it. Argh, what was I thinking? I'm smarter than that, aren't I? (Don't answer that.) It just looked so real that I didn't even take the time to consider that it might not be.

To make a long story short, after quite a bit of hyperventilating and calls to my computer-savvy brother asking if I could bring my laptop to him that very second to get rid of the virus that was quickly taking over, I managed to remove it. I couldn't open most of my programs but managed to get online in my computer's safe mode, search for the name of the virus and find and run the removal program. It took a whole lot of time and energy and sent my blood pressure through the roof, but fortunately it all ended well.

I resolved two things from that stressful morning. One, if I ever found the address of the jerk who created that virus, I would personally show up on his doorstep and punch him in the face. And two, I was going to be better prepared in the unfortunate case that I needed virus removal again in the future.

While I have yet to make a home visit to my virus creator (I'm just hoping that karma is taking care of things for me), I have found a way to rest a little easier knowing that if malware or a virus makes its way to my computer again I will be ready thanks to FixMeStick.

FixMeStick

As technology becomes more and more advanced, we are continually contending with viruses trying to make their way onto our computing devices. More internet commerce means more internet thieves, while, at the same time, today's viruses are being designed to beat anti-virus products. Argh!

When you realize that your computer is infected, there are only so many options to choose from. You can take your computer in to an expensive Geek Squad type service (my wallet cringes just thinking about it), you can harass a friend for help (or, in my case, my brother), or... what else is left? Crying?

But now there is the FixMeStick. This small virus removal gadget is a foolproof, affordable, easy to use method that was developed in a partnership with three of the world's leading anti-virus companies, Kaspersky Lab, Sophos, and GFI.

The first ever consumer-ready, self-updating, self-contained USB device that removes malware from infected PCs, the FixMeStick has no software to install and is simply plugged right in and ready to go.

FixMeStick review

While the terminology used and complex instructions that come along with most tech devices make my head spin, the FixMeStick is easy enough for even the most novice computer user. The entire directions really only consist of three steps!
  1. Insert the FixMeStick into your computer's USB slot
  2. In Windows, open File Explorer and click on the "FixMeStick" drive
  3. Double-click the file "Run FixMeStick" and that's it! The FixMeStick will take care of the rest!
When the FixMeStick has completed its magic (i.e. cleaning off the malware), just remove it from the USB port, reboot your computer, and voila! It will have returned to your regular Windows operating system and your crisis will have been averted. This cute video really sums it all up perfectly:


While I (fortunately) haven't had an infected computer to really put my FixMeStick to the test, it is definitely going to be the first thing that I reach for if the situation occurs again. As well as how easy this is to use, I love knowing that any removal operations are 100% reversible with the click of a button and that I can use a single stick an unlimited number of times on up to three different PCs.

Each FixMeStick retails for $59.99 and is valid for one year from the date of first use (there is also a FixMeStick PRO that retails for $299.99 and works an unlimited number of times on an unlimited number of PCs for one year). After the year is up, just return to FixMeStick.com and re-charge your stick for the same price.

While a FixMeStick is not a replacement for antivirus programs, which protect PCs from infections, this convenient, portable device just might be a lifesaver for removing any infections that get past the antivirus. It can be run by anyone (especially non-techies!), it is faster and cheaper than bringing your computer to the experts, and it can help you gain your sanity back in the event of a computer virus disaster.

And, thanks to the generosity of FixMeStick, one person will be prepared to fight off the virtual sickies floating around, because...

One lucky person will win a FixMeStick virus removal gadget (ARV $60)!

FixMeStick giveaway

(Enter with the Rafflecopter form below. If you have any questions or problems entering, there is a video tutorial found here that can help.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A big thank you to FixMeStick for providing a FixMeStick for me as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.  

141 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had adware on my computer that wouldn't stop popping up these really annoying banners!

Sandy VanHoey said...

We have one right now on my daughters computer. It won't let us do a backup or use our mouse for that matter. We don't know what is wrong

Kelly R. said...

My moms computer crashes all the time.

Kathy said...

I have gotten a virus on my computer before after downloading a game for my son to play. I paid someone to clean up my computer.

wigget said...

various problems and they've slowed our computers down a lot

SueZH said...

I have has problems with viruses on a number of occasions. Then I have to pay someone to clean up my computer.

d schmidt said...

I have had issues with viruses before and it feels so personal and invasive.

apple blossom said...

can't say I know of any but want to be prepared thanks

Linda W. said...

We do scans everyday on our computer but we still get viruses that squeek through. We've had to pay someone 3 times now to get rid of them. So annoying!

tawndam said...

OI!! Do I REALLY have to go into what computer idiots I know? lol Can't I get by just saying some people will (& DO) download anything? & don't even get me started on their expertise in DELETING 'junk' files... This would be sure to get a real workout... lol

bettycd said...

I'm getting more and more fake emails with attachments and asking me to click links - they are designed to make you think it is your facebook friends email. If you pay attention, the email address is wrong.

EliB123 said...

I was able to successfully remove from my computer, on windows 7 safe mode and following maleware removal instructions that found I on google ,ransomwares popups that disable my computer . Now updated my java to help remove security loophole on previous versions. (Elis B.)

trisha said...

for some reason i always seem to get viruses on my computer, prolly cuz i dont have a protection program. all i know is that it has been a nightmare

chantal cooper said...

I have gotten several in the past few years and they are a pain to ger rid of.

s said...

It took me hours to get some malware off the computer.

Unknown said...

Several months ago I had malware on my computer that allowed someone to steal my passwords and hack my primary email. I tried for weeks to recover the account. No Luck!

ann said...

pop up ads are annoying and somethings you cant even go out of

Wild N Mild $$$ said...

Every single time I let my mother use my computer she would catch something. I have no clue how many times I reformatted. lol

Jennifer Rote
wildnmild4u at yahoo dot com

Cassi Schmigotzki said...

I forget what one it was that my husband got on his laptop. It was a nasty lil bugger. Had to do a system restore from pretty far back to get it working normally again. I still don't believe it's really gone.

Nicole said...

I have a netbook that is basically a brick right now due to a virus.

Tanya M said...

I caught a virus once. It was bad... Thank God, my husband is the IT guy, so he somehow saved my computer.
Thank you for the giveaway.

Marti Tabora said...

I had a virus a while back that completely took out my computer, there was absolutely nothing I could do. It was a nightmare.

Heather! said...

I caught a virus a few years ago while online. Windows started opening and flashing like crazy, and there was nothing I could do! I felt helpless; it was horrible.

h4schaffer at gmail dot com

julie said...

i have had problems after downloading
educational info.

Frugal Tumbleweed Acres said...

I believe I have adware, those irritating banners keep popping on and using up my pc minutes.
gourdsrmylife(at)yahoo(dot)com

Ann Fantom said...

My husband and I both have had viruses on computer. It was very difficult to get our computers clean again.

abfantom at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

I've have a few break down & cry my eyes out cause I messed up moments as well. I've lost photos of everything to every cd I had to every movie.
I now backup weekly.
rierie11booger (@) yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Both my husband and I have had computer viruses... and it took a bit of time to rid them... I learned a lot from doing so.. and I learned that a good anti-virus and firewall is worth every dollar you spent on it..

HarleyC said...

I had a virus one one of my computers years ago. It wiped everything out, including pictures I had on there that could never be replaced. I was SO upset about that!

Unknown said...

I have had viruses that have completely wiped out everything- pictures and all! A good anti-virus is sooo worth it!

Tawny said...

This computer keeps getting virus after virus. Drives me crazy.
What I pay for to work doesn't. So if this works, it would be fantastic!!

Unknown said...

My roommate's laptop was ruined because of a virus. Thankfully we have plenty of computers available on campus. Lieutenantcrunch27 (at) gmail (dot) com

Unknown said...

i have had a number of bad experiences with malware. Usually i just do some manuevering and scanning and am able to fix it, but I did once have to wipe my entire hard drive and reinstall everything.
sarah hirsch
stigay at comcast.net

Unknown said...

ive had issues and this would be a great tool to help
gabbflabber@live.com

melissa griffith said...

I've been pretty lucky and have only had one issue. Resolved by scanning and transferring virus to a vault.

Knock on wood!

melgriff4@yahoo.com

Linda R. said...

i've dealt twice with computer viruses on my laptop at home. It's so annoying especially when I forget to save stuff on my external hard drive

Cserafini said...

I had one on my old laptop, it completly ruined it!

Nataly Carbonell said...

My daughter once downloaded this Zwinky Game toolbar which infected our computer with malware! We had to pay a lot of money to get it fixed

kath g said...

i can't even count the hours i've spent trying to eradicate nasty things that have gotten on my computer.

AmandaC said...

My grandmother seems to open everything that goes into her inbox. There are so many times that my brother has had to help her get her computer back to a good state after getting a virus from opening something bad, haha

Anonymous said...

my mother always has problems with her pc and i am interested in knowing if there is anything wrong on mine and the fix it stick looks awesome i would love to win it star95011()yahoo()com

Jacquelyn Cannon said...

I have had viruses before and it was costly to fix. I would love to save money by having this.
jackieque@comcast.net

vickie schlicher said...

this would be a great thing to have

Carrie Phelps said...

I'm having a problem now and have been for a few months now. It gets worse by the day ... it just took me about 6 moinutes just to open this page! I think I may have a virus.

vickie said...

having some problems and would love to try this

Unknown said...

Believe it or not I get a lot of viruses from entering blog giveaways.

S. Barman said...

Would like to have the safety net this product offers.
Can download virus removal to a thumb drive but then have to update it periodically whereas this product is supposed to update the virus removal programs automatically

Anonymous said...

This would be a blessing had to had my entire system restored what a hassle

Joseph Skidmore said...

Ive had the pleasure of having malware on my computer that just wouldnt go away, it took me almost a week to find a program to remove it. This would make life much easier.

Karen F said...

I'm had a problem with this when the boys would go to game websites. We got our computer cleaned and stay away from those sites now.

Kelly said...

My boys always seem to get viruses!

Unknown said...

I need this!

Karen said...

My in-laws are dealing with one now.

ktgonyea@gmail.com

Wendi said...

I had one awhile back that would not let me do anything just popped up some strange window

Unknown said...

Yes my last laptop r.i.p lol it got attacked and even after having it professionally cleaned it never worked the same again!
darleneysaguirre@yahoo.com

Birdie Skolfield said...

I git the BLUE SCREEN & a professional had to come to the house to tell me to get a new power tower I did & its ok now birdson@roadrunner.com

mahnrafjtb said...

I currently have 2 viruses on my desktop. I have tried several methods to remove them however they say they can not be removed. I haven't used my desktop in a long time.

Donna Willis said...

This product sounds like what I need,and would be able to use.Win or not I would like to buy one.

Unknown said...

A friend of mine had her computer become unusable because of so many viruses and malware. She took it in to get it fixed, but it cost as much as a new computer... so she just got a new one. This seems like a great tool.

CherylS22 said...

One of our computers was hit by the Chernobyl virus several years ago - it was a pain getting that computer up & running again.
Thanks for the giveaway!

Unknown said...

Working from home being on the computer many hours a day, can be a pain with the viruses. I've had to restore computers many times do to this.

Diane said...

Don't feel alone. I clicked on the dumb secuity virus thing and caused havoc with my computer. Too bad one of the smart virus makers can't come up with a truly wonderful product to get rid of all the spammers.

Jessica said...

The computers at work get them a lot. I think it's because people don't take as much care with the sites they visit with their work computers compared to their home computers.

Kylie Carlson said...

I know that my Mother's work computer ended up with a virus that the tech department had to cure by filtering every file through a screen onto a extra hard drive, then reformat the old one and then move the files through another filter back onto the old hard drive.

LeeAnn said...

I think we had an issue with spyware one time, but Brian quickly cleaned it up. My mom, on the other hand, always has something popping up on her computer.

jbmthill said...

My teenage boys dont care what they click on or what they download. My oldest has had to reload his laptop twice! This fix stick would be nice to try!
like2sweep@gmail.com

Kristin B said...

My step-mom has the worst luck with computers, her desktop and her work laptop both decided that they would quit working at the same time. She can never figure out what is wrong with it. Either my husband and I are going there to rescue her and her computers.

Unknown said...

Thank goodness I have never had a virus on my computer, but it would make me feel better to be safe. Thanks for the giveaway! :-)

Anonymous said...

I have had to pay big money at least 3x on more than one PC to fix the damage from a rogue virus. I need a FixMeStick! janthony332002ATyahooDOTcom

Laura Jacobson said...

I had a malware about a year ago and my pc said everything was wiped out! UGH...but the computer guy fixed it and said the malware was just hiding it and making it look like it was gone. He fixed it...but did cost some money!

ladyvon5845 said...

I have had several problems over the years, one time I had to get a new computer. ladyvon at grm dot net

Dave said...

we had teh fun of our email sending out a virus to everyone on our contact list..fun..
entered as Davis

sarah79harding said...

I don't know much about computers but my last one crashed so I'm assuming I had a virus and the other one I have is acting up all the time.sarah79harding@yahoo.com

georgette c said...

My brother had a virus where he kept getting the blue screen of death last year. He had to go buy a new computer.

rayreadb said...

I got some adware on my laptop but the IT person got it off.

brich2222 said...

recently caught a virus that redireted my web pages and took a while to get rid of it

brich22 at earthlink dot net

Jackie said...

Yes, I actually just bought a new laptop because viruses got my last one!

Jilly said...

We have had viruses where the computer crashed we had to get a new one. Usually going back to a new date and restarting the computer helps. But sometimes it does not....

carole said...

havent had any viruses yet(knock on wood)

Kimmy said...

MY COMPUTER JUST HAD AN ISSUE AND I HAD TO TAKE IT TO A PROFESSIONAL TO HAVE IT FIXED. IN THE PROCESS, I LOST AN EMAIL THAT TOLD ME I HAD WON A $50 RESTARAUNT.COM GIVEAWAY AND I LOST ALL THE INFORMATION SO MY HUSBAND AND I DIDN'T GET OUR DATE NIGHT =(

corey1971 said...

My kids keep picking up Malware on our computer! (Corey Olomon)

Betty C said...

I'm constantly having to remove malware and adware. They really slow my computer down and I hate it.

willitara [at] gmail [dot] com

Theresa said...

My grandma always seems to get viruses on her computer from opening spam e-mails. She's learning though!

cc_girly(at)yahoo(dot)com

Robin Quick said...

My teenage son has crashed 3 laptop from viruses they got by him clicking on links he wasnt familiar with.

Unknown said...

The last time I got a virus, I couldn't remove it myself and needed Geek Squad to fix it. It cost a lot of money

kport207 at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

r5tythg

Unknown said...

My ex husband had gotten on a website that was filled with viruses and it crashed my last computer completely.

Unknown said...

My ex husband had gotten on a website that was filled with viruses and it crashed my last computer completely.

Unknown said...

My in-laws' computer drives me insane. I'd like to try this on theirs

DebbyM said...

Luckily, I've only had to deal with a virus once - but it was a doozey! Wiped everything out. I learned my lesson.

*Mirage* said...

Adware... drives me nuts. No matter how careful you are, one wrong click and you have pop ups haunting your every step. ARG!

bbrittbrat1398 said...

I always get viruses on my computer because once my free anti virus software ends I never renew it.
BBrittBrat1398@yahoo.com

Tamar said...

I am always the one the family calls when they get malware.

Charlene S. said...

I had my computer crash from a virus when I first got. Hard lesson to learn, but I now keep my virus protection updated.

yellowlabs said...

I have had an issue with a virus before and it locked up my computer badly. Took a call to a computer tech friend to fix!

oceanrena said...

i lost a computer due to not knowing how to fix it.
oceanrenaatyahoodotcom

Anonymous said...

I have had many problems with my old laptop that crashed twice and I lost very important documents and pictures.


Desiree Dunbar
desireedunbar@hotmail.com

deallieb said...

My nephew ruined my moms new and expensive computer because he downloaded something with a virus. She took it in but it still doesn't run as fast as it should.

ashley said...

I always get them I'm working with one now!

Priscilla Benavides said...

Before we decided to invest in a good antivirus software we had to pay over $200.00 dollards to remove a very sophisticated virus from our laptop!
priscillavbenavides@yahoo.com

Vera said...

I had one a few days ago. Locked me out of my computer, claimed it was an FBI lockout and wanted $200 paid through a prepaid money card to unlock. Fixed it, was a pain in the butt.

James said...

My first computer got a virus and was ruined.

Ericka said...

I had a virus so bad on my laptop that I had to restore back to factory settings, lost everything :(

Karen said...

I haven't had a virus, but my friend had to send her computer out to be cleanded. Thanks for the giveaway.

Kathy P said...

I havent had one in awhile that I know of but I use to get them all the time and usually end up restoring my pc to factory image

Diane Zielinski said...

I had some virus or something that said it was AVG antivirus. I ended up not being able to start my computer and just abandoned it. It was devastating.

ham123 said...

have had many problems with my laptop
looking for a new one with better protection

Angela Livingston said...

I'm the one that gets called whennever family or friends need computer repair. I used to use AVG but it's gotten so bloated like norton and mcafee. Currently use iobit

Erica C. said...

My boyfriend had a bad virus on his computer recently.
ericacarnes(at)gmail(dot)com

foodmom4life said...

My daughter recently had a bad computer virus that shut down her internet everytime she went online. It was a bad one.

Thanks!

Victoria said...

About 2 weeks ago i actually somehow got a virus on my PC. It killed it. Completely. I had to go out and buy a new computer. We were able to salvage only the files that were on my external drive.

Molly K said...

I have had 2 bad viruses in the past that I had to have my whole computer wiped clean and start over although I was told the last time my computer is getting to old to do it again and I don't have it in the budget to get a new one.

Marie C said...

This very computer was given to me used and not long afterwards came down extremely ill and became terminal. My son had to have it wiped clean and now it doesn't have Microsoft Word.
one.f1neday @ yahoo

Anonymous said...

my computer has crashed more than once due to viruses - maryanne

ken ohl said...

My sister had a problem had a real mess getting fixed.

Chip said...

I'm so horrible with my computer. I had to take my computer in about a month ago. Even the computer guy was a little stumped. He finally got it but it really scares me. I made sure to get everything backed up after that. Just waiting for the one big one that just destroys the whole thing.

Entered under Jill L

Lean said...

Nothing too serious. A couple of annoying viruses, but was able to remove them. LeanS12(at)gmail(dot)com

Brenda S. said...

I have had issues with viruses before and it feels so personal and invasive.

dispatcher_kristy said...

I had a virus that all but locked up my computer. Thank goodness hubby was able to fix the issue.

amanda whitley said...

my husbands computer got a virus so we wiped it clean.

Brandon S. said...

I'm currently unable to get online with my laptop. It's useless right now and I'm curious to see if this would fix it.

Kat said...

I did not know what was wrong with my laptop and posted on a tech site, someone figured out it was a virus ... but my Norton did not find it. I had to run 4 different programs to finally get rid of it with no loss of data.

cman said...

I had problems with viruses getting in through java.

susansmoaks said...

i have had to reboot from the original factory discs before and lost all my music, photos and videos, it sucked
susansmoaks at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Well I had a laptop that I used to download music all the time and it eventually gave me the blue screen of death...

mundaneminnie at gmail dot com

Melanie Montgomery said...

I recently had my motherboard replaced. I really can't afford for anything to happen to my computer

Anonymous said...

My laptop got a virus and my husband spent hours working on it to make it so that I could use it again. I would have loved this solution!
monlor AT aol DOT com

Unknown said...

I had a bad computer virus with my last laptop. I lost all my pictures, music, and college papers. UGH I still get mad at myself for not backing up the hard drive!

Brandon Sparks said...

this would be great.. i can never rid my pc of viruses

Dawn Reid said...

Such a pain to clear up the virus. I try to be careful, but it still happens now and then.
mightynaynay(at)cs.com

Anonymous said...

My computer got attacked by a bunch of crap shortly after I started selling on eBay a couple years+ ago.

Anna said...

A friend of mine had a terrible trojan virus on her computer that she had to have professionallly removed. It came from just watching videos online.

khristalsweeps@gmail.com

daveshir2005 said...

I had a friend a long time ago who got a virus that attached porn to all his emails.

email/ daveshir2005@yahoo.com
fb/ shirley greenawalt zolenski

jenn poulin said...

my net book has one right now, i bought a new lap top because of it but would like to fix it so my husband can use it and stay off my new lap top :)

TIm Anderson said...

Had a virus that would keep shutting down my computer unless I paid for their antivirus program.
lycoan@comcast.net

Shannon B said...

I have lost a lot of valuable info due to crashes caused by viruses, etc.... always backup!!

Unknown said...

i have lost pictures of my kids from viruses on my computer that ended up having to be thrown out.

/\Heather/\ said...

I've lost email, pictures, etc...all of it. Had to wipe the hard drive and start over.

Unknown said...

When Vista came out, Microsoft made a bold statement that no one could crack down their software and produce viruses against them.... they got hacked and during one of my lovely "microsoft upgrades" thru Microsoft, I was infected! I was furious since you'd think that it would be SAFE to update from them but not always the case!

Unknown said...

My computer has several viruses. Every computer I have had has been affected by viruses after 6 months. I can't afford to pay to have them removed. garrettsambo@aol.com

lilyk said...

I had spyware on my computer and it was a big hassle to remove it.