Simple Guide To Antivirus Protection For Your Pc

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Computer viruses, which fall under the malicious software or malware categories, can enter your PC in insidious ways. Every time you browse the Internet, open an email or run an external disk, you are potentially opening the door to harmful infection.

Once a virus code enters your computer, it can corrupt its files and program functioning - in the worst scenario it can even take control of your operating system so that hackers can use it for criminal purposes. A virus, just as in nature, works to replicate itself until it has infected its host as much as it can.

Once viruses infiltrate your PC, they tend to remain dormant until you activate the program they have infected. They then begin their harmful activities.

It is crucial to understand that viruses pose a major threat to the smooth functioning of your PC and take proactive action to both prevent and remove them before they can do serious damage to your computer files and operating system.

The following advice will help you do just that.

Install antivirus software

Designed to identify and delete most malware threats, antivirus software ...
... is one of the foremost ways to keep your PC free of infection. Reliable antivirus protection will scan every file and program on your computer regularly. It will also provide you with updates as new types of malware are released. It must be said though that for full security to guard against malware, you will also need to have a sound firewall and effective antiadware installed.

Be vigilant

Since viruses work by replicating themselves, it's important to stay on the lookout for signs of their presence so that you can act fast to remove them. Red flags signalling your PC is infected include popups appearing when you're not online and getting redirected to websites you did not intend to visit. Another symptom is that your computer suddenly starts performing slowly, even though you have a decent amount of free storage space on your hard drive and regularly perform defragging of your files (this action tidies file storage and can be found in Start> Programs> Accessories> System Tools).

The benefit of 'safe mode'

When booting up your PC, using 'safe mode' prevents non-essential services and programs, including most malware, from activating. Be aware that viruses, when dormant, are easiest for your antivirus software to scan and remove - when not in safe mode, they can go undetected or may only be partially deleted. To use safe mode when loading your computer, tap the F8 key as your system starts up.

Keep a current virus recovery CD on hand

Certain viruses cannot be rooted out using a safe mode scan, since they activate and load as soon as you switch on your operating system. Other types of malware disguise themselves as a 'file handler' for specific file types, so that whenever these files are opened the virus activates first. In worst case scenarios a virus can so severely infect your computer that you cannot even launch your operating system to perform an antivirus scan. For all of these reasons, it's highly recommended you have a bootable Rescue CD which has added scanning and removal tools on hand. It will enable you to tackle these types of serious problems and get your computer back up and running

Beware the 'system restore' function

'System restore' sets your computer back to a previous date - this allows viruses which you have recently deleted but which existed in your computer previously to re-activate. For this reason it's important to disable the system restore function for all drives on your PC when performing an antivirus scan. System restore is generally switched off unless you manually choose it, but to check for your own peace of mind, simply go to Start> Programs> Accessories> System Tools.

Scan then reboot

Once you've run an antivirus scan which has identified and deleted any malicious software, best practise is to turn off and reboot your PC to complete the action. Once this is done, you can safely use the system restore function without reviving any previous malware.

Just as when you feel ill and go to the doctor, antivirus protection is essential for the smooth operation and general health of your PC. The above steps will help you keep your computer free of most malicious software problems, however in some cases expert PC help might be called for to root out and destroy the more intelligent and aggressive types of malware.
Michael Preston - IT Consultant and expert in antivirus protection.