The internet is sometimes a scary place. It is very common for computer users to have experienced at least one virus attack in the past. Because of this antiviral software is an absolute must for all computer users that are connected to the internet. Simply installing an antiviral software package is not enough anymore. Most of these software packages use pattern matching algorithms that will not be effective when fighting viruses that have been written by professionals. A good antiviral package also has to perform a real-time audit of active applications and files so that it can issue warnings about new executable files and other various threats. This method at least guarantees that a computer user will be warned about suspicious activity in the system. Using this method also helps to detect and remove unknown viruses or spyware. It is also important that the antivirus software that you install updates its virus database often to help detect known viruses.
Even though you may have an antivirus program installed on your computer, there are some things that you can do yourself to help effectively prevent a virus from attacking. First of all, do not open any e-mail attachment if you do not know the sender of the email. Most of the viruses that are spread today are done so through email attachments. These viruses can only attack if the attachment file has been opened, so it is a good idea to completely delete any emails containing suspicious files.
With the cost of many software programs today, it is hard not to be tempted to try and obtain free pirated copies. However, this is not a good idea as many virus writers take advantage of this and disguise their viruses as free software that you may be looking for. Also be sure that you treat floppy disks and CDs with suspicion. Because floppy disks may be used is many different computers before it reaches your hands, it could become infected without anyone knowing if one of those computers had a virus on it. Burnable CDs can also give viruses a place to latch onto without the knowledge of the computer user.
Once you have purchased and installed a good antiviral software package, be sure that you create a schedule for it to perform regular scans of your computer. Make sure that you configure the antivirus software to scan all of the drives in your computer, rather than just the C drive. Also be sure that the software you are using is updated often as it will greatly increase your protection from viruses that are known to the developer of the antivirus software. Most of these programs will allow you to set them up for automatic updates. Be sure to check regularly though to make sure that these updates are working properly.
Last, but not least, use common sense. If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Do not open files from people you do not know and be sure to use caution when receiving files from people that you do know. A good rule of thumb is to never open a file that was unsolicited.
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