Protecting Your Computer From Viruses
With all of the advances in equipment and the swift spread of computers and the Internet, it is apt more and more vital that you protect your information and your files. Computer viruses run rampant throughout the cyber world now and can easily infect your computer, ruining anything that you have on your computer or just infecting a few small files. Viruses range in power from small, nearly harmless to absolutely destroying your computer. There are things that you can do, though, to protect your computer from these viruses.
One of the simplest and best things to do is to install a computer virus scanner or anti-virus software. There are many different programs out there that claim to do the same thing. One of the most dependable names in anti-virus software is McAfee. They have been around for a while and have frequent updates. You will want to continue to update your software when updates are available. This will keep you computer protected from the most current viruses. You will not only want to use this software to scan your computer irregularly, but also to scan any files or downloads before you bring them into your computer.
Most often these viruses will come from people that you know, and normally they don’t do it on purpose. So not only will you want to scan each file you get from strangers, but also from those you know. Simply being aware and nearly over-cautious will keep you safe. When you are using a public or campus computer reboot it before working and be sure to log out when done. This will protect your files from other people tampering with them. Another simple way to avoid problems is to not share money-making software with anyone. Not only is this unlawful, it’s a fantastic way to spread and share viruses.
Now we can’t avoid every virus out there but we can take action to protect ourselves.
Another fantastic way to protect your files from this type of problem is to always have a backup source. Depending on how many files and how large they are will depend on your perfect way to do this. You can use flash drives if you only have a few things on your computer. Or, if you have quite a bit of information stored on your computer, you can use an external hard drive. These should keep your files away from the viruses as long as you unplug them when you aren’t using them.
None of us want to have viruses on our computer, we all want our computers to run as quick as it is capable and work the way it is suppose to. Unfortunately with as interconnected the world is, we can only do the best we can to protect ourselves and always have a backup. If you ever do learn a virus, don’t panic. Often times they won’t be overly destructive and your anti-virus software will normally be able to find and eliminate the threat. If it can’t, simply friend someone that is more specialized to handle the problem.
Rolando Valdes operates a successful miami computer repair service business and resides in Florida, USA. For more details visit his site at: http://www.rgvcomputerconsulting.com/ to learn more.
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While there are many excellent paid anti-malware services out there such at MacAfee, Symantec, and etc, budget surfs need not fret. Excellent lifestyle coupled with a firewall and free anti-malware utilities such as Ad-Aware and Spybot search and ruin will greatly reduce the chances of getting malware.
Excellent lifestyle:
Do not open attachments; whether from a weirder or someone you know. Attachments may have malware and may not always get caught by even the best anti-malware utility. Now days with so many fantastic services such as YouTube, Flicker, Google docs, and other hosting sights there is less and less reason to send files to someone as a attachment. Host the files and send a link to them.
Don’t click on links sent to you. Again, whether you know the person or not, don’t just click a link. Many phishers will send out links that look like they came from someone you know and/or look like a known, safe web address (i.e. http://www.yahoo.com) but in fact have a click-through of some place every different. If someone sends you a link copy that link and paste it into your address bar, don’t just click it.
Firewalls:
A firewall can be a physical firewall, such as a router or gateway or software based one such as Microsoft’s firewall client. The purpose of a firewall simple is to make a barrier between your computer, or network, and the outside world. This limits the ability for people on the internet to easily “see” or gain access to your system.
Anti-malware utilities:
There are many different types of malware including key loggers, Trojans, worms, viruses and more. No matter what any software utility may claim, no one utility will catch it all. Because of this I recommend having at least two or more different anti-malware services (free or otherwise) to check your system from time to time.