If you use the internet on your computer, it’s just a matter of time before you get a computer virus. So, once you are infected, what can you do? Here are 10 steps to help you get protection from computer viruses.
Make sure you get a high quality anti-virus program, of which there are many available, some better than others. Do some intensive research on the net, or ask a question in various online forums, or even try Yahoo Answers. Go to your local magazine rack, check in the computer magazines for review articles or even look in the classified section to help you find the one which seems to do what you require.
See if it emphasises the removal of Trojan viruses, which is just another name for spyware.
Once you’ve got the right anti-virus software, make sure it’s always running in the background whenever you are on the internet. It should be continually scanning incoming email messages, which are the main source of spyware, plus any software programs you are running, especially if they are ones which you have downloaded. If you have the original CDs of software programs, you should be pretty safe with those.
Once you have your antivirus programs, keep them updated with the latest versions. New viruses are coming out all the time and you need an antivirus system that can keep up. A lot of professional anti spyware programs will have an annual subscription, and will keep you alerted of any updates. Make sure you take advantage of these alerts, and always have the latest version. Some of the better programs will let you schedule these updates or a full system scan of your hard drive for off peak hours, such as the early hours of the morning, when you are not likely to be using your computer.
A good idea is to also keep your computer up to date. From time to time operating systems will be susceptible to security violations or they may have addressed issues, which were not done on your old computer. I try and update mine every two years; in fact I’ve just bought my latest one. Make sure you check periodically to make sure you are still running the up to date versions of all your software.
Make regular backups of your data, even though it may seem a chore. Most people on the Windows operating system keep their documents in the “My documents” folder. If you do this, it becomes easy to make a backup of all of your important documents simply by copying that folder. Buy yourself an external hard drive, and keep your backups on there. If possible, never have this external hard drive connected while you are on the internet, that way you will always have some uncontaminated data.
Take extra care if you use floppy disks or USB drives on public computers at your school or an internet caf