How to help prevent computer viruses
Nothing can guarantee the security of your computer 100 percent.
You can continue to
improve your computer's security and decrease the possibility of
infection by using a firewall, keeping your system up-to-date, and
using a current antivirus software program, and following a few best practices.
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Use an Internet firewall (Note: Windows XP with SP2 has a firewall already built-in and turned on by default).
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Visit Microsoft Update and turn on automatic updating.
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Subscribe to industry standard antivirus software, and keep it current.
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Never open an e-mail attachment from someone you don't know.
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Avoid opening an e-mail attachment from someone you know, unless you
know exactly what the attachment is. The sender may be unaware that it
contains a virus.
Signs of virus infection: Is your machine infected?
After you open and run an infected program or attachment on your
computer, you might not realise that you've introduced a virus until
you notice something isn't quite right.
Here are a few primary indicators that your computer might be infected:
- Your computer runs more slowly than normal
- Your computer stops responding or locks up often
- Your computer crashes and restarts every few minutes
- Your computer restarts on its own and then fails to run normally
- Applications on your computer don't work correctly
- Disks or disk drives are inaccessible
- You can't print correctly
- You see unusual error messages
- You see distorted menus and dialog boxes
These are common signs of infection—but they might also indicate
hardware or software problems that have nothing to do with a virus.
You can run the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool and install industry-standard, up-to-date antivirus software
on your computer, to be certain if your computer is
infected with a virus or not.
Beware of messages warning you that you sent e-mail that contained a
virus. This can indicate that the virus has listed your e-mail address
as the sender of tainted e-mail. This does not necessarily mean you
have a virus. Some viruses have the ability to forge e-mail addresses.
If you suspect that your computer may have a virus and would like us to remove it for you, Contact us
Read our other top anti virus tips here, you may also want to take a look at our top tips
for preventing Spyware here
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