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Computer Help
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New viruses come out every single day; an a-v program that hasn't been
updated for several months will not provide much protection against current
viruses.
2. In addition to scanning for viruses on a regular basis, install an
'on
access' scanner (included in most good a-v software packages) and configure
it to start automatically each time you boot your system. This will
protect
your system by checking for viruses each time your computer accesses an
executable file.
3. Virus scan any new programs or other files that may contain
executable
code before you run or open them, no matter where they come from.
There
have been cases of commercially distributed floppy disks and CD-ROMs
spreading virus infections.
4. Anti-virus programs aren't very good at detecting Trojan horse
programs, so be extremely careful about opening binary files and Word/Excel
documents from unknown or 'dubious' sources. This includes posts in
binary
newsgroups, downloads from web/ftp sites that aren't well-known or don't
have a good reputation, and executable files unexpectedly received as
attachments to E-mail or during an on-line chat session.
5. If your E-mail or news software has the ability to automatically
execute
JavaScript, Word macros, or other executable code contained in or attached
to a message, I strongly recommend that you disable this feature.
6. Be _extremely_ careful about accepting programs or other files
during
on-line chat sessions: this seems to be one of the more common means that
people wind up with virus or Trojan horse problems. And if any other
family
members (especially younger ones) use the computer, make sure they know not
to accept any files while using chat.
7. Do regular backups. Some viruses and Trojan horse programs will
erase or
corrupt files on your hard drive, and a recent backup may be the only way to
recover your data.
Ideally, you should back up your entire system on a regular basis. If
this
isn't practical, at least backup files that you can't afford to lose or that
would be difficult to replace: documents, bookmark files, address books,
important E-mail, etc.
Dealing with virus infections:
First, keep in mind "Nick's First Law of Computer Virus Complaints":
"Just because your computer is acting strangely or one of
your programs
doesn't work right, this does NOT mean that your computer has
a virus."
1. If you haven't used a good, up-to-date anti-virus program on your
computer, do that first. Many problems blamed on viruses are actually
caused by software configuration errors or other problems that have nothing
to do with a virus.
2. If you do get infected by a virus, follow the directions in your
anti-virus program for cleaning it. If you have backup copies of the
infected files, use those to restore the files. Check the files you
restore
to make sure your backups weren't infected. Note: in general, drastic measures such as formatting your
hard drive or
using FDISK should be avoided. They are frequently useless at cleaning
a
virus infection, and may do more harm than good unless you're very
knowledgeable about the effects of the particular virus you're dealing with.
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Computer Help
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