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Welcome to the new web site of DaveNeedham.com |
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Anti-Virus Information Viruses are usually annoying, malicious or harmful bits of computer code that perform unwanted actions on your computer. Some simply attempt to propagate themselves, while others can delete your files, and even disable or damage the programs that are designed to remove them! Four important steps should be taken by all computer uses to protect against viruses: 1. Purchase anti-virus software There are many anti-virus programs available, but perhaps the best two in terms of reliability, frequency of updates and ease of use are those by 2. Ensure the program is regularly updated This step is just as important, because new viruses are unfortunately being developed all the time. Without regular updates to your virus lists, any that were created after your program was packaged may not be detected and stopped. All good anti virus programs include a facility to update the virus lists and the program itself over the Internet, either manually or at automatic intervals. 3. Beware of suspicious email attachments You should not open any suspicious files attached to emails, especially if the message has come from an unknown sender. Some viruses compose emails to look as if they have been sent by a person that you know, and from their email address. It is important to check the file’s extension, which is the last three of four characters of the file name after the period (e.g., game.exe). In general, any attachment with an extension of .exe, .com, .pif, .scr, .dll, and .sys should not be opened unless you are sure it is virus-free. 4. Keep your other programs up to date A further precaution against malicious attempts on your computer is to update other programs such as Windows, your preferred email program and any office suite applications. If a security risk is discovered by the developer, a fix or patch is usually issued. For example, Microsoft releases fixes and patches for Windows, Outlook, Internet Explorer and Word, amongst other programs. Further protection can also be gained by using firewall software, which monitors and blocks threats such as web sites with hidden code to run programs on your computer and attempts by other people on the Internet to access and control your computer. McAfee and Norton both have such programs that run in conjunction with their virus scanning programs. If you would like help or advice in setting up anti-virus software, and general security advice and assistance, please see the |
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