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Top 10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Computer Viruses
by: Jim Faller
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As more and more people are becoming comfortable using their personal computer (PC)s at school, home or in the office it's only a matter of time before they encounter a personal computer (PC) virus. Here are our top 10 steps to protect you from personal computer (PC) viruses.
Use a high quality anti-virus program. There are many different anti-virus personal computer (PC)s programs on the market some of them are better than others. Look to reputable personal computer (PC) magazines or websites for ratings to help you find the one that matches your needs.
Always use your anti-virus software. Make sure your anti-virus software is always turned on and scanning, incoming and outgoing email messages, and any software programs you run.
Keep your antivirus programs up to date. Most programs come with a yearly subscription make sure you take advantage of the updates. More advanced programs allow you to schedule updates or full system scans for "off hours" like 2AM when you aren't likely to be using your personal computer (PC).
Keep your personal computer (PC) up to date. From time to time operating systems fall victim to security holes or issue updates. Make sure you check periodically to make sure you are running stable up to date versions of your software.
Backup your data regularly. Most windows personal computer (PC) users keep their documents in the "My documents" folder. This makes it easy to back up all of your important documents. Make weekly or monthly copies to CD or USB drives.
If you use floppy disks or USB drives on public personal computer (PC)s like your school personal computer (PC) lab, Kinko's, or even digital photo printing store make sure you scan them for viruses. Public personal computer (PC)s are notorious for not being up to date and properly protected.
Be wary of email attachments. Treat any email attachment as potentially dangerous. Never open attachments from people you weren't expecting. Also be careful of attachments from people you know but weren't expecting. Many personal computer (PC) viruses replicate themselves by reading the contacts from an infected personal computer (PC).
Use text email if possible. While HTML email is prettier and allows you more control over formatting it also can carry personal computer (PC) viruses. If you use text based email the only way to get a virus is by opening an attachment.
Use downloaded freeware and shareware files or software with caution. Try to download them from popular reputable sources that scan the programs before they are uploaded. To make sure you are safe scan the program before you install it on your personal computer (PC).
Be wary of links in IM or instant messaging software. Don't accept invitations from people you don't know and never click a link from someone you don't trust, they can easily redirect you to another website that will try to install a virus on your personal computer (PC) system.
� Computers.6ln.com, All Rights Reserved.
About the author:
This article was written by Jim Faller of http://personal computer (PC)s.6ln.coma website with information about viruses, spyware, adware, backups, data recovery and personal computer (PC) security.
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