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Top 10 Tips to protect yourself against computer viruses
When your computer gets infected with a virus it can be a devastating
experience. A virus can consume your precious computer files and even damage
your computer hardware. Is this worth ignoring? I don't think so! Anything
you can do to avoid a computer virus has to be a good thing and is well
worth spending your time on. We all know prevention is better than a cure so
I am going to share my top 10 tips on how to protect yourself against
computer viruses.
- The first thing that I recommend is to research and become
knowledgeable about viruses. How can you protect your computer from
viruses if you don't even know what they are. Here are some previous
tutorials I have written about viruses. See
What
is a Virus and how do I know if I have one?
and
What's
the difference between a virus, spyware, Malware, and adware?
- Arm yourself with the best Antivirus software to suit your needs. Not
everyone can get away with using free antivirus software because it
depends what you do on your computer. It depends on factors such as if you
download files or not, if you open email attachments, and if you surf
suspicious websites. See my reviews for the best
Virus Removal Software.
Lets face it, if you do not have protection against viruses installed on
your computer, you will without a doubt, get a virus within the first hour
of surfing the internet. It is that easy.
- Having a great Antivirus program installed on your computer to protect
you against viruses is great, however if you do not regularly update the
virus definitions, then the program is useless. New viruses are produced
daily and this is why we constantly have to update the viruses definitions
and stay ahead of the bad guys.
- When surfing the internet avoid websites that contain illegal software
downloads, sexual references, free screensavers, cracks or serials, etc. I
am sure you get the picture. If you go near these sites you are
immediately asking for trouble.
- Always update Windows. These updates contain security updates that
will help in your fight against viruses. If you do not perform regular
Windows updates you are leaving your computer in a vulnerable state.
- Be careful when opening emails. There are obvious emails that you know
you shouldn't open, however what about the ones you get from people you
know? What if your friend has a virus and it is spreading itself through
emails? An email cannot be important enough to risk getting a virus.
Delete the email and send a fresh email to your friend asking them if they
actually did send you the email.
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- If you are really serious about protecting your computer you can
change your email settings and receive text emails only. You can also
disable the ability to open email attachments. Virus travel in HTML
enabled emails and file attachments. They cannot travel in text email
messages.
- Do not use peer to peer (p2p) file sharing programs. These include
programs such as Limewire, Bearshare, Gnutella, Morpheus, Torrents, etc.
These program let you download files from other computer users connected
to their program network. You have no way of knowing what you are actually
downloading until it is on your computer. Even if you share files from a
cd from a friend, it may have a virus.
- Do not download files from websites. Again, there is no way of knowing
what you are downloading. The file can appear to be named like the file
you want, however it could be anything. Most of the time, this is how a
virus is unleashed, it usually seems like a harmless, familiar object.
- Make sure you have a firewall enabled on your computer. Windows comes
with an inbuilt firewall or you can use a third party firewall program
like Zone Alarm. Either way, make sure the firewall is on...To check the
Windows Firewall go to the security settings in your control panel.
If you are careful and are serious about protecting your computer from
invading viruses, it is possible to stay safe. My top 10 tips will help you
keep your computer running smoothly, and virus free.
About the Author
Mitz wrote this article and others for
tips4pc.com Browse
for more articles that are written in an easy to understand
way. Also see our very popular
Video Tutorials page. Watching
a video is a very easy way to learn about computers.
I hope you've found this tutorial clear and easy to
understand. If you have more questions, feel free to visit our
FORUM and we'll be
happy to help.
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What
is a Virus and how do I know if I have one?
What's
the difference between a virus, spyware, Malware, and adware?
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