| Virus Protection |
| Computers are too expensive to be turned into paperweights. That is how I reason with the computer users that I encounter. If your computer is infected with some computer bugs, that is what they will be. Some virii will format or make files on your computer unusable. I do have to admit that none of the programs that are out there are perfect. Some programs find more virii, some clean more of the ones that they find. When you choose a virus scan, do a little research. There are even some out there that are free. Others range from inexpensive, to Very expensive ( as programs go ) The virus program that I use is Mcafee. It is one of the top programs available. Another popular program is Norton antivirus. Below are links to both of the sites. I will add links as I find them. Of course, if you go out an get a virus protection program, pat yourself on the back. That is a really responsible thing for you to do. Don't quit there though, you will need to update these programs occasionally. Mcafee puts updates out once per week at the www.nai.com web site They are usually out there on Wednesday or Thursday. I hear a question or two. Q. Doesn't that get expensive? A. No, Mcafee Virus updates are free. Q. Why do we need to update it all the time to stay safe? A. I have two ways to answer that question. The simple way or the detailed way. I know.... give me the simple explanation. Most Virus programs don't really check for the actual virus. They use what is called a virus definition to tell the virus program what the names of typical files that are usually a virus. This is why you need to update them. If you don't update them, and a new virus is released to the public, you will not have protection from it. Some programs have started checking for virus habits instead of the actual files. I have found that they work, but you do have a number of false alarms. I don't care for those, so I usually don't rely as heavily on that method of checking. I haven't had a reason to try Norton antivirus, but I have clients that use it and they have found out the hard way that all virus programs aren't equal. I spent the better part of a day trying to remove some of the latest virii from their system. They thought that they were protected, but, unfortunately, they weren't. One thing to check on if you decide to go with Norton antivirus is the availability of updates. I found that there are a couple levels to their program. Not all of them offer lifetime free updates. I personally sent them an e-mail and they said that they offered the subscription so that it was cheaper for the buyer |