The Computer Virus: 10 Ways To Protect Yourself

If you are the type of person that likes to download lots of files of the internet, you could be pushing your luck when it comes to getting a computer virus. If this is the case, I'll assert that you have little understanding of just how vulnerable you are to getting infected. This article is my way of helping you avoid the dreaded infestations.

Below are a list of tips that I have put together to help avoid contracting a nasty virus.

1. Purchase and install a well respected antivirus software program and be sure to set it up so that it automatically runs when the computer starts up.

2. Your anti virus software must be kept up to date. You can do this by checking it manually on a weekly basis, or on some software, this can be set up automatically for you.

3. You can also set up your software to automatically scan for viruses each time you open a word document that you recieve through email. This virus is called a Macro Virus.

4. Downloading software from the internet should not be done too often. It is very easy to get infected this way, even though there may be lots of great programs available This is very risky.

5. Resist swapping data with the use of floppy disks or other mobile storage devices between various computers. If exchanging programs between computers is unavoidable just make sure to scan the storage device(s) for viruses before transferring data from one computer to the next.

6. You must format floppy discs the first time that they are used to transfer data.

7. Only use trusted vendors when you are buying new software for your computer.

8. Never use pirated software. This is both illegal and a very good way to invite an unwanted computer virus.

9. Before you open and install a program you have downloaded of the internet, ALWAYS scan them for computer viruses.

10. Probably the most important and neglected method of disaster recovery are periodic backups of all important files found on your computer. Should a virus happen to get through your lines of defense you may need to replace the virus corrupted files with fresh ones that have been kept for such an occasion.

Following the steps I have laid out won't guarantee that you will not be infected, but it will make you far less likely of becoming a victim of a dreaded computer virus.

Article Source: http://www.search4allinfo.com

Roberto Beiro is a new author on the internet. You can find lots of computer advice from him at his website Old boy articles. There are also 100's of articles on other topics like finance advice, and travel advice .

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