By Karim Salmi
One the main causes of trips to a computer repair shop is virus and malware infections. Sometimes people know exactly what they did when the computer started acting weird. Usually, they will have opened a malicious file without knowing that it was infected (sometimes from email attachments, other times from their favorite websites). Other times, the infection is introduced silently and only reveals itself at a later date. Regardless of the cause, one thing is certain for virus removal: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Clients always ask the computer repair technicians what they could have done to prevent this problem. Some of our recommendations seem obvious: maintain a strong antivirus like Avast (which is free for home use) or AVG. Let it run at all times and make sure that it is updating properly. In the case of avast, you need to make sure your registration stays current at all times. Additionally, you are offered the option of upgrading to a paid security suite that will further secure your online browsing experience (which is the bulk of home computer use, we find).
On top of running and maintaining an anti-virus program, we also recommend a real-time malware scanner. Real time means that the program is always on and scanning for threats as opposed to an on-demand tool which only scans your computer when you tell it to. The combination of anti-virus and anti-malware will provide a maximum level of security but will possibly slow down an older computer and also require more maintenance from the user. For example, our favorite malware scanner, TeaTimer of Spybot Search and Destroy, keeps track of system changes and prompts you to allow a program to add itself to the list of startup items that fire up when you login to Windows. These extra prompts can be annoying, but they are worth the trouble to keep your computer safe.
Finally, the best defense against malware is the user himself. There's no crash course that will properly educate the basic computer user how to stay safe. To circumvent the huge amount of computer knowledge required to stay safe, we recommend that users develop a routine that they are familiar with and can stick to. This means using the same programs over and over and not troubling yourself with any changes. For example, most users will be fine using Skype, an office suite, a music manager and a web browser.
When in doubt, simply close out the window and don't open any files you are unsure of. It only takes one click to make another expensive trip to a computer repair shop.
Clients always ask the computer repair technicians what they could have done to prevent this problem. Some of our recommendations seem obvious: maintain a strong antivirus like Avast (which is free for home use) or AVG. Let it run at all times and make sure that it is updating properly. In the case of avast, you need to make sure your registration stays current at all times. Additionally, you are offered the option of upgrading to a paid security suite that will further secure your online browsing experience (which is the bulk of home computer use, we find).
On top of running and maintaining an anti-virus program, we also recommend a real-time malware scanner. Real time means that the program is always on and scanning for threats as opposed to an on-demand tool which only scans your computer when you tell it to. The combination of anti-virus and anti-malware will provide a maximum level of security but will possibly slow down an older computer and also require more maintenance from the user. For example, our favorite malware scanner, TeaTimer of Spybot Search and Destroy, keeps track of system changes and prompts you to allow a program to add itself to the list of startup items that fire up when you login to Windows. These extra prompts can be annoying, but they are worth the trouble to keep your computer safe.
Finally, the best defense against malware is the user himself. There's no crash course that will properly educate the basic computer user how to stay safe. To circumvent the huge amount of computer knowledge required to stay safe, we recommend that users develop a routine that they are familiar with and can stick to. This means using the same programs over and over and not troubling yourself with any changes. For example, most users will be fine using Skype, an office suite, a music manager and a web browser.
When in doubt, simply close out the window and don't open any files you are unsure of. It only takes one click to make another expensive trip to a computer repair shop.
Written by Karim Salmi with VitalTech Computer Repair Rockville Maryland.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karim_Salmi 
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