by Greg Schwartz

Created on: May 06, 2009

Viruses are nasty buggers that can wreak havoc on your system. If your computer has never been infected with a virus, consider yourself lucky. This article offers some brief tips for keeping your computer virus-free.

The most important aspect of virus protection is a strong anti-virus program. Symantec, McAfee, and Kapersky all make highly-touted anti-virus software. For maximum protection, use an all-in-one security suite, such as Symantec's Norton 360. In addition to anti-virus capabilities, your all-in-one program should also include spyware detection, firewall software, MAC address filtering, real-time protection, and automatic updates. AVG offers a free security suite, currently AVG 8.0, which is on par with the commercial anti-virus programs (but does not include as many additional features).

Selecting all of your security program's options will keep you more secure but will slow your computer down. At the very least, enable automatic updates, real-time protection, the firewall, and automatic scanning (at least once a week). Be sure to run complete system scans once a month.

Your Internet browser also provides built-in security. Make sure the pop-up blocker and phishing filter are enabled (if available). Firefox is generally more secure than Internet Explorer. Check the list of plug-ins or ActiveX controls (under "Tools") to make sure nothing has been installed without your knowledge. Anti-virus programs usually include a browser toolbar for added convenience, but running the anti-virus toolbar with another toolbar, such as Yahoo or Google, will slow your browser down.

Back up your data regularly. One little virus can wipe out your hard drive. Always keep a copy of your data somewhere other than on your computer - be it online storage, a CD/DVD, or a flash drive.

Watch out for registry mutators - dynamic viruses that can change their location to avoid detection. All bets are off with these suckers. My computer was infected by the Virtumonde virus a few months back, which kept hiding itself and moving, making it nearly impossible to erase. Some of these viruses can be extremely powerful; I first noticed this one when it disabled Norton 360, all by itself.

If you suspect you have a registry mutator, disable the System Restore feature and delete all previous restore points. The virus can hide in an old restore point (or create its own) so that once you clean your computer, the next time you run System Restore, the virus crawls right back in. If your anti-virus program can't remove it, contact a PC technician.

Avoid peer-to-peer programs, like Limewire or Kazaa. These programs are not monitored or regulated, and it's impossible to know exactly what you're downloading.

Following these steps will help to keep your computer safe. Even the most protected PC will probably come across a virus at some point, so don't panic if you think your computer is infected. Disconnect it from your network (to avoid infecting other computers in your home or office), run your virus scanner a couple of times, and reboot. If the virus has not been removed, try running another detection program, such as Windows Defender, TrojanHunter, or Windows Live One Care scanner. If you still can't kill the virus, consider contacting a PC technician for assistance.

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