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Free Antivirus
Types of Viruses
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12 Days to a Healthy PC is designed to help you quickly make your computer faster, more responsive and healthier. We have listed steps beginning with Day 1 in order of importance. The view them all, begin here.
Day 2
Virus Prevention and Removal
Running an antivirus on your system is essential. We’re not going to dispute that. Whether you purchase one or visit a website to scan your PC for free, you certainly need some type of protection. When deciding what to get, you need to weigh the value of free over a commercial-grade antivirus programs. While techs on our message boards highly recommend a few of the free programs, as a consumer you’ll need to determine which provides your computer the best protection. Monitoring your system live in the background, scanning Emails before you open them and providing continuous updates to battle new viruses should be your top priority.
This article isn’t going to tell you which program is right for your needs. Instead, we’re going to recommend some things to consider when making your choice.
- How much does it cost, and does it have a good reputation? Cheaper isn’t always better, and researching an antivirus before you commit to a purchase is wise.
- Does it offer real-time protection against attack? Preventing a virus attack is often easier than removing malicious code.
- Does it come in a bundle with other software? Antivirus programs are notorious for coming bundled in suites. Unless you’re looking for ten other programs running simultaneously with your antivirus, don’t bog your system down with unnecessary software.
Leading Antivirus Programs - No matter which program you choose, just be sure to run something, as bad protection is better that no protection at all. Some top choices are Kaspersky, AVG, PC-Cillin, Bit Defender and AntiVir.
Keys to avoiding viruses are easy to remember: Keep your system up to date by visiting the Microsoft Updates page frequently. Do not open email attachments; set up code words in the subject line with friends and loved ones. For instance, tell Mom you will not open Email attachments from her unless the word Snowflake is in the subject line. Why? One method worms use to propagate themselves is by sending itself to everyone in your Email address book with a friendly message like Just Thought You’d Want to See This…along with a virus a attachment. Lastly, stay away from Peer to Peer download sites as you never really know what files you’re swapping.
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