How To Keep Your Computer From Spreading Viruses
How To Keep Your Computer From Spreading Viruses
There are some simple steps you must take to avoid becoming a victim of computer viruses and also stop from spreading viruses to others. Here are some things that you can and should do. Email Issues to watch Never open an E-mail with an attachment you were not expecting. The latest batch of virus programs are often spread by E-mail. Even if your anti-virus program does not warn you about the attached file and even if the eMail appears to come from someone you know, do not open it if you were not expecting it, and if you were expecting it, only open it AFTER scanning it with your up-to-date virus software. Scan ALL incoming email attachments (regardless of who sent it). Be sure to run each attachment you plan to open through the anti-virus check. Do this even if you recognize and trust the sender; malicious code, like Trojan horses, can slip into your system by appearing to be from a friendly source. Turn off the ‘automatic preview’ in your email program. Automatically previewing an email message has the exact same effect as opening and reading an email. My of the newest internet worms, trojans, and viruses simply need to have an email message read in order for them to be activated. Turning off the preview feature allows you to scan any email BEFORE you actually read it. Disk Issues to watch Don’t boot from a floppy disk. Floppies are one of the most common ways viruses are transmitted. If you are using a floppy while working on your computer, remove it when you shut the machine off or the computer will automatically try to boot from the floppy, perhaps launching any viruses on the disk. Web Based Issues Keep your web browser set to its highest security level. Its a pain to get the warning messages on every other web page you visit, but its the best way to protect yourself - especially if you use Microsoft Internet Explorer and Outlook. Don’t download programs from the Web. Unreliable sources such as Internet newsgroups or Web sites that you haven’t heard of may be willing providers of viruses for your computer. Avoid downloading files you can’t be sure are safe. This includes freeware, screensavers, games, and any other executable program - any files with an “.exe” or “.com” extension, such as “coolgame.exe.” Check to see if the site has anti-virus software running on their side. If you do have to download from the Internet, be sure to scan each program before running it. Save all downloads to one folder, then run virus checks on everything in the folder before using it. Regardless of where you download from, ALWAYS scan downloaded software. Routine Maintenance Make regular back ups of important data Make it a habit to back up all of your most important files at least once a month. Store the back up discs in a safe place. Clean any virus/worm/trojan off your computer (Details: http://www.antivirus-report.com/trojan-horse-removal.html ) Using your antivirus software, perform a full system scan of your PC, hopefully it will detect and remove the virus. If a virus was detected, restart your computer and run the full scan again. Sometime the virus will keep reappearing, due to the evolving nature of viruses. Symantec is particularly fast at providing removal tools should you ever get a virus or worm infesting your computer. What is a removal tool? Well simply put it is a simple software that will scan your computer for infections, and then remove them from your machine. You most often need this if your machine got infected BEFORE you installed antivirus software. Top Considerations for PC Protection And the final and most important two things to do to keep your computer clean and make sure it does not spread viruses to other computers… Install a Firewall If you use a broadband/high-speed method to access the internet, you need to get a firewall. A firewall is a program that defends your computer from hackers who attempt to gain direct access to your computer over the Internet. There is a very good firewall program called ZoneAlarm that will do the trick if you use Windows. Install and use a high-quality anti-virus program. This is the key to protecting your computer. Buy one of the major anti-virus programs - Norton Anti-Virus, PC-Cillin, or McAfee Anti-Virus. The primary benefit of the commercial packages is the frequency and ease of updating the virus definition files that these programs use to detect viruses. With new viruses popping up all the time, unless your protection software is kept updated, you start to become ever more vulnerable to infection. Get immediate protection. Configure your anti-virus software to launch automatically on start-up and run at all times. This will provide you back-up protection in case you forget to scan an attachment, or decide not to. And in case you forget to load up your anti-virus software, configuring it to start by itself will ensure you get immediate protection anyway. The top antivirus software programs all do this (but only if you have one installed on your computer). You do have current antivirus software installed right? If not, you can go to this page for more information on why you need antivirus software and how easy it is to use. <a href="http://www.antivirus-report.com/antivirus-software.html">Antivirus software</a> and general PC protection and maintenance are essential for safe and secure computing. Right now learn to easily block trojan horses, spyware, computer viruses, and other malicious software.
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Computer Backup
It’s happened to most of us; we’ve lost a document or a folder because there was no computer backup. Whether you lost a few lines you were typing because of power failure or your entire system crashed, computer backup is the only way to prevent such mishaps from destroying your files. Computer backup can be basic or sophisticated, costly or simply the price of your average floppy disk. Depending on your needs and the importance of your files, you will need a computer backup system that reflects your budget and your lifestyle. Many computer users prefer to keep it simple and back up their data with a floppy disk or by copying and pasting documents. This is the most basic form of computer backup, but it is not satisfactory for everyone. Floppy disks often wear out, and you can have files stored on floppy disks for years that might be not perform if they are stored on old disks. On the other hand, if you use your files quite frequently, your floppy disk could wear out, which creates another problem for your floppy disk storage. If you simply store your document elsewhere on your computer, it might not survive a complete computer crash, although minor annoyances should not interfere with your files. Because of problems with viruses, computer crashes are becoming a more frequent occurrence for many PC users, and therefore, computer backup software is the best option for many consumers. There are many files that are worth the time and investment involved in obtaining good computer backup software. Examples of such files are: ? Bank records ? Personal documents ? Digital photos ? Address books ? Software downloads ? Special projects The best computer backup software not only creates a copy of your documents automatically, but it uses encryption algorithms to protect your information from unauthorized access and spyware. Your filename will also be encrypted to protect against intrusions. Most computer backup software is quite user friendly, and new files can be added instantly at the click of a mouse. In addition to many great features, most computer backup software will enable you to: ? Create new backup programs ? Select files and folders for backup ? Define compression settings ? Choose target of backup ? Store backup info in various locations The best computer backup programs are not rigid, but allow the user the flexibility to choose where and how their files will be stored. You can choose to have everything copied automatically, or specify which files you wish to have a backup. If you have a large volume of material to store, you can select compression settings, which will minimize the size of your documents and will enable you to store more information. You can also choose where you want your backup information to be stored, and you can place the data in various locations automatically, for instance, in your hard drive, USB stick, Network folder, CD, DVD and Remote FTP Server. You can also create a simultaneous backup communication between a remote FTP server and local storage devices. Your computer backup software should provide easy user interface, the option to store your data in multiple versions and the capability to restore your files to their original folders. Most programs have a very easy to use help menu, and many have service lines to help customers who wish to communicate with an assistant. You can also obtain special features for your computer backup software, such as a disaster recovery CD or DVD, which will get your computer back up and running after a crash. You can have peer to peer backups for extra protection and virus scanning capabilities that will safeguard your valuable files against tampering. Computer backup software varies in prices, and it is worthwhile to invest in the best program you can afford, especially if your business depends on valuable files. Don’t let an unexpected computer crash destroy your valuable data, but invest in computer backup software today. Matt Garrett <a href="http://www.xoftspy.co.uk">www.XoftSpy.co.uk</a> <a href="http://www.data-recovery-experts.net">www.data-recovery-experts.net</a>
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How The New Computer User Can Reduce Spam
Every computer user gets spam in their email almost daily. There is just no way to avoid junk email unless you want to delete it without reading it. Yes, you can compare it to those telemarketers who call you at dinnertime (or any other time). There is no way to avoid having an email address on the computer because if you have an account, you must have an email address to do business on the Internet. Someone will find a way to contact you either by phone, snail mail or email to try to “sell” you an idea, plan, or a product. There is just no escaping junk email if you have an account on the Internet, and this unwanted email can become annoying at times. Spam filters are used by most of the Internet Service Providers such as American Online. The computer user fills out a list of overused spam words in the email settings filter and saves it. After the settings go into effect, any any future email containing the spam word that you inserted into the filter will not make it into your email account. You may get spam in your spam folder, but some of it may be email you may want to read. If you want the email in your regular email , you can whitelist the email address in your address book so that the email is sent directly to your email account. Be cautious in revealing your personal email address, for privacy or for safety reasons as well as avoiding spam. Do not let fear of spammers limit your time on the Internet forums or groups, as you can use a free email address or a disposable email account such as those on Hotmail, Mail.com, and Yahoo. Addresses from these accounts are often used by people to guard their privacy on forums and groups on the Web. When you feel that you know someone trustworthy, you can give them your personal email address. But have at least one or two different free disposable email addresses to cut the spamming in the personal email account. Avoid responding to unsolicited spam as it will confirm your address to the spammer which could, in turn, send you even more spam than you will ever want to see. Also if you answer or complain about the offensive emails it may only come back to your email address as undeliverable or may be sent to some other annoyed computer user’s address. You can call or email your Internet Service Provider and ask what their procedure is in blocking spam. Several years ago, I remember sending manually a few hundred junk emails back to the Report Abuse team at my free email account. This worked very well as it has not happened again. Find out from your Internet Service Provider how they can help you end the onslaught of spam. Usually the spammer’s account will be terminated or shut down if there are enough complaints from consumers. Check with Spam Cop and Network Abuse Clearninghouse’s resources and information for people who receive spam. These informative resources can contact the Internet Service Providers so that the spammer is made aware of complaints, although at times they may not always be accurate. Remember that the spam will continue if people remain complacent or just too lazy to report it. Reducing the level of spam in your mailbox may take a little time and effort on your part. What you can also do is start blocking certain email addresses that come from repeated spammers. The junk emails are then blocked before they even reach your mailbox address. Again, set up the spam filter to block emails containing certain spam words so that you will not receive them. These two techniques alone will reduce the onslaught of unwanted junk emails in your personal email account. The computer user must be careful of not clicking on email attachments from unknown senders as they can contain various types of viruses and infectious worms that can harm your computer or files. If you did not request a email to be sent to you, do not open an attachment as it could be a worm. You do not want to pay for expensive computer repairs. These problems, in turn, can be avoided if you have a strong firewall and good antivirus software in place on your computer. Do not be indifferent and believe that it will not happen to you. Be cautious, and try to research on protecting your computer. your online and offline privacy, and your Internet account. John Chan is a writer and researcher who has a an interest in the Internet. His website is <a href="http://www.theantispamguide.com" title="http://www.theantispamguide.com" target="_blank">http://www.theantispamguide.com</a> and <a href="http://www.ezantispam.com" title="http://www.ezantispam.com" target="_blank">http://www.ezantispam.com</a>
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