Viruses can negatively impact your entire computer. A virus can slow down your computer to the point of it becoming unusable. Its connection to the internet can get slowed down, files can be damaged, and your activity and sensitive information can be monitored and stolen. With all of this in mind, keeping your computer virus free is important. Here are a few tips that can help you do that!
Be wary of email
SPAM mail is a very common way of picking up a virus. Stay away from emails from sources that are not known and never ever engage with links from these untrustworthy sources. If you are using a private email host, make sure to have an above average filter for spam. In doing so, you will be able to scan every attachment that you get. Never open an attachment without it being scanned first!
Virus scan USB drives
Always scan everything you put into your computer in general. Any file that you have can contain a virus, so it is important to make sure that you scan files before they are copied onto your computer. It’s also important to know that double-clicking the thumb drive is unsafe. The safe way to open one is to right click then choose “open”. After the virus scan, this is the safest method in opening the files.
Use your best judgment on the internet
The internet is the number one source of computer viruses and other programs that will attack your computer. Never click on pop up windows. Windows that tell you that you have won something are an example of some of the windows you should avoid. To aid in this, you can use a pop-up blocker which will make pop-ups a non-issue. Be sure to also stay away from websites that you do not trust!
Have good antivirus software installed
If you have a computer, you need good antivirus software. You will need to set this software to update automatically and to scan your computer on a consistent basis. There are many free antivirus programs, but it is recommended that you go with a shareware antivirus program. You will often hear that you get what you pay for. As far as computer security is concerned, this is absolutely true!
Be vigilant about search engine results
It’s not entirely uncommon to find a malicious website on your search results. To help you avoid these websites, there is software that can help you stay away from them. AVG Linkscanner, for example, verifies website links before you click on them. This can be a huge help when surfing the internet and/or browsing search results!
Always have a backup
It is always important to have a safety net. In the case of your computer, that safety net is a backup of your computer’s hard drive. The best way to do this is to have an external hard drive with all of your computer’s data.
Contact us if you need any assistance.
