Keeping your PC virus-free



 

With most of my waking hours divided between sitting in front of my PC and surfing the net and doing DIY projects, I know how tricky it can be to avoid getting a virus. I have had more than my fair share and tend to tread more quietly along the superhighway than previously. Here are some tips to help you stay virus-free.

 

 

Block the Pop-ups

Not only are they annoying, they tend to appear when least expected. If I wanted to find out about something in particular I would click on the advertisement. I hate the fact that pop-ups are forced on us.

Disable pop-ups by installing the latest Mozilla Firefox or Google and active AdBlock.

 

 

Dangerous Downloads

Never, ever, ever allow a download onto your system unless you are absolutely, postively, one hundred percent sure that it is safe. And by safe I mean that you know the site you are dowloading from is genuine and secure. If in any doubt - don't.

 

 

Serious Spam

There are some pretty warped people out there, people who think it's fun to forward junk mail and viruses. On many email programmes there is a facility to view the email before you actually open it. So if you are unsure if it's junk or not, at least you can check beforehand.

While your server or ISP provider will remove most spam, you will still receive 'innocent-looking' spam that manages to get through.

Never open an attachment from an unknown source. They saying is that "curiosity killed the cat" and the same applies to your PC. You can easily have a PC meltdown simply by opening an unknown attachment.

Believe your bank... If they say they don't send out emails to clients then take their word for it!

 

 

Be wary of Websites

Never assume that every website is safe. There are some dangerous sites out there. I found a great source to use for checking websites:

www.websitesafetycheck.com and even had my own site tested for good measure!

 

 

Keep Updated

Your software should be regularly updated - no matter what operating system you use. As new threats are discovered, updates are issued to deal with new threats and keep your system running at optimum performance.

If you have add-ons, a blog, a forum or anything that requires loading onto a server, these need to be updated immediately a new version becomes available.

 

 

Protect your Passwords

Never give out your passwords to anyone - not even to your ISP service provider, and definitely not to your kids!