How to Prevent a Computer Virus

When your computer is performing suspiciously slower than usual, automatically shuts down, or is popping error messages, it could be infected with a virus. A virus could hamper the performance of your computer and put all your files at risk. Over the years, viruses have become more advanced and more difficult to detect and kill. Here are some ways to prevent a computer virus and stop putting your PC at risk.

Prevent a PC virus with reliable anti-virus software.

It is a lot easier to protect a computer from virus than fix it when it has already been attacked. The best form of action when dealing with viruses is protection. There are so many brands of anti-virus software available in the market. Invest in a business grade anti-virus and don't settle for the free or pre-installed kinds.

Avoid computer virus by browsing securely.

Whenever you go online, don't let down your guard. Be wary of suspicious sites and don't give out sensitive information at a drop of a hat. There are plenty of sneaks on the web and one innocent form can cost you all your relevant data and important files.

Always create a backup.

Viruses are usually created to mess up with your PC by erasing or altering relevant computer data. While there is no fool-proof way of preventing a computer virus, you can protect your files by creating a backup. It also won't hurt to have a remote backup online just in case your flash disks get messed up too.

Be wary of suspicious emails.

Most viruses are transmitted through emails. It is so very easy to open an attachment without scanning it. Next thing you know, you can no longer use your PC. Scanning email attachments first before opening them is a good way to avoid PC virus. Scanning files could take a while but every second is worth it. It doesn't matter who the email is from. Make it a general rule to scan and save. Another important reminder about emails---don't be trigger happy when it comes to website links. These links often contain all kinds of malware and virus that could make it into your PC without your knowledge. If you want to open a website, the best way is to type the address manually.

Prevent PC virus by avoiding plug-ins.

These innocent applications that claim to do a number of stuffs are often embedded with virus. Once you install them, it can slow down your PC and expose your computer to a spyware of some kind. Prevent computer virus attacks by saying no to plug-ins.

Fix errors.

Errors can make your PC vulnerable to virus attacks. A good program to invest in is Smart PC Fixer. This program scans and repair errors in minutes. It is also an effective anti-virus application. It scans your PC for virus, malware, and spyware. This is a very neat way of keeping your PC healthy and preventing all kinds of computer virus.

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Find, Remove, and Prevent Viruses, For Free

1. Install A Reliable Anti-Virus Program.

This is the core of your computer protection. Without standard virus protection software, nothing you do will keep viruses from flooding your system. We've had clients bring in computers that wouldn't even turn on because they had ZERO virus protection in place. The way these people were using their computers was pretty normal: surfing the web, sending email, maybe a game of solitaire, but because they didn't have at least one virus protection program, they rolled out the "digital welcome mat".

Having said that, you don't need to go out and purchase the top software for a high annual fee. There are plenty of free anti-virus programs out there, and even more "free trial versions". You can go with one of the more recognizable programs, but with the "big guys" there are very few truly "free" versions. You'll likely get a thirty-day trial, but at the end of that trial you'll have to toss them your credit card number or else they'll completely remove their protection, leaving your computer vulnerable until you can find that next "trial program" (which is all the time a virus needs to sneak in and start wreaking havoc). So if you want to go with popular software, but they don't have a free version, either pay up front or pay attention to your trial date so you don't leave your "computer door" open to infection. There are plenty of awesome free anti-virus programs out there and depending on what you use your desktop or laptop for, a paid version might not be necessary. I use my computer a lot and for a wide-range of activity, but I've kept my laptop squeaky-clean using only FREE anti-virus software. No virus program will catch everything, so it's a good idea to have backup (See #2).

2. Install An Anti-Malware or Anti-Spyware Program.

As good as the supposed "all-in-one" programs can be, they won't catch everything. Do your virus removal software a favor and back it up with anti-malware and anti-spyware software. These programs find and remove specific malicious content that's easy to miss. Like the all-in-one anti-virus software, you'll face the "free or paid" dilemma, but most programs offer plenty of protection whether you pay for them or use a free version. Depending on how much you use your laptop or desktop and what you use it for, you don't have to run these programs as often as your core virus program. For example, I only run my anti-malware program once a month (and my core anti-virus program once a week).

3. Set Up and Schedule Automatic Scanning for Your Laptop or Desktop.

Most anti-virus and anti-malware programs have the option to set up scheduled automatic scanning during downtime. Use this feature to ensure protection because yes, viruses can infect your computer even when you're not using it! Many people like to turn off their laptops or desktops before bed at night. If you're like them, you can schedule a scan for bedtime every night and enable the popular feature that automatically shuts down your machine after the scan is completed.

4. Use An Email Client That Scans Your Emails and Attachments Before Opening Them.

This is a big one because email is one of the easiest and most common ways hackers infect your system with malicious files. For the most part, email viruses come in the form of an attachment - pictures, documents, videos, downloads, etc. But with today's technological advances you can catch a virus just by opening the email, so make sure your email client provides email-scanning. Most of them do (this is how they distinguish which emails are spam and which aren't).

5. Know What To Look For.

Over time, computer users in general get a feel for what's legit and what is not when using the internet. However newer, slicker, and more convincing viruses and spyware are coming out every day so it's important to always be cautious when browsing, opening, downloading, etc. One of the most common virus attacks we see is the "Pop-up Virus". These are used to grab credit card numbers or other personal info from inexperienced computer users by claiming they've won something and the only way to claim the prize is to enter some kind of payment info. I'm sure you've seen them; a little window will pop up with big flashing letters and an empty space to enter your email or credit card number. Another common virus that we've been seeing more and more of is the "FBI Virus". This virus actually fills your whole screen and does not allow you out of it, no matter what you try. It appears to be a legit FBI document saying you're in trouble for some kind of illegal internet use and actually threatens to press criminal charges if you don't pay them a few hundred dollars. Don't fall for these. Remember, if you don't know exactly what you're looking at or downloading, or if something seems suspicious, stay away from it or call someone with more experience than you who might know what you're looking at.

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Types of Antivirus Software

If your computer runs normally, it is a sign that it is working properly. If however, your computer starts to function in a way that it is far from normal, consider that as a warning sign that your computer is about to suffer from a viral attack. Computer viruses and trojans can have a serious impact on your computer such as deleting your hard drive and even taking control of your computer. With sufficient and adequate antivirus protection, you can counter the effects of an unwanted attack.

There are good free antivirus programs, however the only drawback is that it consumes a huge amount of memory. If installed on a laptop, there is a chance that this program will cause the laptop to hang. A desktop computer carries more memory than a laptop, therefore it may withstand the free antivirus software's memory consumption. This is what happened in my case. As my commercial antivirus program expired, I was left with the dilemma of protecting my computer. As I searched for a good antivirus, I finally selected one which protects against most viruses and at the same time consumes the least amount of memory. Best of all, it's free.

As compared to free antivirus programs, commercial antivirus software may be installed on a laptop or desktop without any unwanted effects. There are those programs whose software requires downloading from its main site. Paid software has some added features such as enhanced antivirus protection and firewall activation, as well as detecting unauthorized devices connecting to or attempting to connect to the protected network. Because of the nature of an open and public network, financial statements are never transacted under any circumstances. Phishing and other malicious software can find its way from a single source computer to multiple targets on a public network.

An employer who has several computers interconnected under a single network encounters certain benefits and risks regarding virus protection in the workplace. First, he must decide on whether to use free or commercial software. Employers who are constrained by budget limits aim for free antivirus software, but those who are willing to invest in a comprehensive program will get his return in the long run. Once the employer has decided on which software he will use, he has to install safety nets within each and every computer, such that every unit will access only what is authorized and no more. Employees who need to access such files by reason of their duties or functions must obtain the consent of their employer, and must take care of such files. If any important file has been ruined or the entire drive is infected with a virus through no fault of the employee, they must notify the employer immediately.

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How to Completely Uninstall Norton

To uninstall Norton software successfully, you need to concern about two things: Making sure it's fully closed; And Cleaning up all of its registry keys. Many of Norton users know clearly that none of these thow things can be done easily, as Norton provides with such a powerful protection in a way that it embeds almost every part of its services into your system, monitoring every operation and keeping every hazard away, consequently making users difficult to either disable Norton in its entirety or locate every registry key.

To shut down Norton, many ways are available such as right-clicking the tray icon to close background services or killing its process by bringing up the task manager with Ctrl + Alt + Del. But I think the most effective way to fully uninstall Norton should be getting into Safe Mode, in which you have an guarantee that neither Norton's services nor other programs that may have files associated with Norton will be loaded.

The second thing you need to do is to delete all Norton files and clean up its registry keys. Normally the major files and realative registry entries can be removed by Control Panel -> Add/Remove programs, provided that you do it in Safe Mode. But this does not necessary result in a complete uninstall, you may still get Norton services popping-up and, any attempts to re-install Norton or install other security software may be denied. In this case, try to find whether the following directories still exist in your system:

• C:\Program Files\Norton
• C:\Program Files\Symantec
• C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared

These folders are where all the leftovers of Norton are located and unless you delete them as well as their relative registry entries, you are not likely to successfully uninstall Norton.

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Norton Online Backup Review: What Does It Offer?

Norton Online Backup comes from a company that certainly requires no introduction. The question remains, however: Does this world famous security provider offer what it takes to compete in the world of online backup?

Norton Online Backup includes the features that you would expect in any online backup service. One of the things that you want to keep in mind, however, is the fact that Norton On-line Backup is not particularly generous with the amount of storage it gives you. In fact, you only get 25 gigabytes of storage with the service. If you have a lot of music files, video files and other multimedia content to upload, you're not going to be able to fit them into a space this small.

Norton Online Backup does have the capacity to save different versions and it does so for 90 days. It also uses 128-bit SSL encryption for transfers. Surprisingly, this is not as tight a level of security as some of its competition offers, which is odd considering the fact that Norton is, specifically, a security company.

Pros

The main advantage with Norton Online Backup is that it supported by the same large and efficient corporate infrastructure as are the other products put on the market by Norton. This gives users a bit of peace of mind in that they are going with a company that has a good reputation and that is known around the world. One other advantage of this system is that it allows you to transfer from external hard drives, netbooks, laptops and Macintosh and PC systems. You won't have compatibility issues with Norton On-line Backup, except in one glaring regard.