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Avoid Virus Infections on your computer
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There are many actions you can take and good habits you can develop to keep viruses off your computer. Following are a few tips. TIP # 1Change your Windows settings so that you can see the true file extensions:
And presto ... you can see that the harmless.doc file attachments on your emails have been changed to harmless.doc.pif and are not so harmless after all! Never click on a file that ends in .exe or .pif or .vbs as these are files that launch programs … and could affect your computer in some negative way. Even MS Word .doc files can be programmed to harm your computer. Another very important precaution would be to NEVER open any file attachments from people you don't know, or where the email somehow seems odd to you! TIP # 2Buy a copy of McAfee Virus Scan or Norton Utilities (or get AVG for Free) and install it on your computer. On a regular basis, monthly if not more often, update the .dat (virus definition files) on your computer. After downloading the new dat files from the McAfee/Norton website, scan your computer for viruses … every single month without fail to keep your computer virus-free! Newer versions of these software have automatic updates ... you'll see a little pop-up window on your screen from time to time which tells you that the .dat files have been automatically been downloaded and updated. TIP # 3Choose an ISP that offers a virus scan service on all the email that is sent to you. This service will delete all messages that have viruses or worms attached to them and send a notice to you and the sender that the email didn't get through because of a virus. The best way to avoid getting infected with a virus is to make sure that the virus never gets near your computer. This is standard with US ISPs and hosting companies and Indonet offers this service free of charge to its customers in Indonesia. TIP # 4Teach all the staff in your company that use computers (as well as your children at home) how to scan for viruses on the computer and backup drives/discs. If you have had virus infections in the past, the chances are that your backup drives/disks are also infected and need to be scanned for viruses. Better be safe than sorry and have all your staff scan any backup discs they have, once their virus definition files have been updated. TIP # 5Pay attention to your computer, if it starts doing very strange things, or the software doesn't function in the normal manner, there is a good chance that your computer has become infected with a virus or worm. STOP your work, and investigate before it gets any worse. Run your virus scan. If you can't find the virus and know you have recent virus dat files ... contact your computer repair/maintenance company to see if they can help you. TIP # 6Files that you haven't backed up may be LOST in a virus attack. Backup your essential data files frequently ... to avoid major headaches! TIP #7 Use a software like SpyBot (FREE) which according to their website "detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer." Great sources of information on viruses - but the people who make the software! McAfee Virus Scan |
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