Virus Detection
Let's face it. To detect viruses on your computer, you need virus detection software. There are several good packages on the market. A good anti-virus program will:
- Scan all hard drives you have in your computer, not just the one your operating system is installed upon;
- Scan your registry for embedded virus information;
- Scan your memory for resident viruses;
- Automatically scan all incoming email & downloads for virus content;
- Regularly update itself with the latest virus definitions over your internet connection.
Some packages are fairly pricy and moreover require a paid subscription to get the latest updates -- but there are two anti-virus products that are quite good and have free versions available to personal computer users. They are AntiVir for Windows platforms, and ClamAV for *NIX platforms.
If for some reason you don't want to or are unable to install an anti-virus program on your Windows-based computer, visit HouseCall, an online virus scanner which will scan your system from remote.
In either case, once you have your anti-virus software in place, you should:
- Set it up to scan your incoming email and downloads automatically;
- Update it with the latest virus definitions often. Preferably daily, no less than weekly. This will enable your anti-virus software to detect new viruses as soon as possible.
- Run a full system virus scan at least weekly. Scan all hard drives, not just the one where your operating system is installed.
- Consider downloading and installing AdAware and/or Spybot Search & Destroy. Both of these have free versions as well.
These programs remove spyware from your computer. Spyware is software that gathers statistical data on your internet browsing and purchasing activities and reports it to an remote site, which then sends you email (or more annoyingly, opens pop-up windows) on your computer with relevant advertising. It's important to remove spyware as soon as possible because it can use considerable bandwidth, making connection times to the browsing you want to do much longer. Also, depending upon how it's set up and what it does, spyware can allow certain types of computer viruses to trace a route back to your computer and infect it that way.
- Back up critical data to another location or disk regularly. Backing up your data doesn't prevent the spread of computer viruses, but it makes it a lot easier to recover from a virus infestation.