Virus Protection is two parts, Prevention and Cleanup. The easiest way to keep your computer virus free is to use safer computing habits, a few tips to keep your computer virus free.
- Everyone knows not to download email attachments from people you do not know, but also extend that to websites. If you are prompted to download something and you are not sure what it is do not download it and definitely do not run it.
- If you go to a website and it says it found malware/spyware/viruses and it wants you to click on something to clean them up, chances are the website is trying to install a virus on your computer. You are much better off closing the browser window.
- Use a secure web browser like FireFox or Google Chrome. I prefer FireFox which can be had at www.getfirefox.com it has all the functionality of internet explorer with the advantage that you can use plug-ins like adblock to get rid of popup adds and a lot of banner advertisements.
A few words on anti virus software, there are many kinds of software to choose from. Your computer should have an antivirus program of some kind, many have it installed at the factory. The default antivirus programs are not my first choice in protection (mcaffee and norton are the usual ones).
We at Bolt Computer recommend Microsoft Security Essentials or Avast Anti virus, both are free and do not slow your computer down. If you make the switch make sure you uninstall your old anti virus program first. The best way to uninstall is to use an anti virus removal tool which is supplied by the anti virus manufacturer, search for it on their website.
