Protecting Your Computer From Viruses

Posted on: 2005-11-04 15:48:02
Author: Chuck Stephens

I am going to give you some information you will need if you surf the web. Especially if you have a cable modem or a DSL modem. This discussion will be limited to viruses, Trojan horses and the like. Software mentioned in this article does nothing to protect you from spyware or spam. I have another article that addresses this subject. You should check that one out.

If you surf the web you are going to get some nasty and pesky critters on your hard drive. These critters are called viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and a few other choice words. Not mentionable on a family site.

First and foremost you MUST invest in a good virus detection software package. Symantec's Norton Anti Virus software or the one from McAfee are two well known publishers of virus software. There happens to be a very good free virus protection software package. It is called AVG. And it can be found at www.gristsoft.com. They also offer a version for sale. A publisher named Trend Micro has come up in the ratings lately. You might want to look at that one. Once you install the software you have to keep up with all the updates furnished to you by the publisher through regular updates downloaded from the Internet. Read the instructions on how to do this. You should do the update every week to keep ahead of the bad guys.

Installation of these software packages is usually straight forward. The best thing to do is to follow the default setting that they recommend. This will give you a good protection screen. As with most software today you will not receive a written instruction manual. That is usually on the CD. They want you to kill the tree. If you need this manual print it out.

An important thing to look into when looking at virus software is does it scan email, both inbound and outbound? The ones mentioned above have this capability. Also does the publisher offer downloadable updates from the Internet?

What ever type of package you choose it was a good choice. In today's world one must be protected from infection gotten from Internet browsing and emails. Being on the Internet especially with a broadband connection makes you very susceptibable to infection. Keep you virus software package updated on a regular basis.

Enjoy your web surfing with this protection you now have you can feel some relief. One must remember even with the virus software protection software installed, someone has to be the unfortunate first to be infected with a new virus. That is the only way the publishers know of new virus. It is a simple task, keep your virus definition files updated this will give you the most protection.