Anti Virus Protection Advice to Internet Users

Virus has been a great threat to internet users. Protecting yourself from this destructive program is a basic necessity for internet users even if you are just checking your e-mail.

You cannot avoid viruses because sooner or later you will have one. What's important is that have the knowledge about viruses and how to use Anti Virus protection.

You can take precautionary measures to protect your computer. Also, you will know what to do if your computer got infected with a virus. Allow me to give you some advice about having Anti Virus Protection.

Educate yourself about Viruses.

Having basic knowledge about viruses would help you in easily solving the problems brought about by a virus. This way you know the ways you can get a virus, signs of having a virus, different types of viruses, what it does to your computer and how it can damage your files.

Be careful when online.

They say that prevention is better than cure. Although, the chances of getting a virus is very high, it is still suggested that you are careful when surfing websites, downloading files from email or web and installing programs.

Some programs may look very attractive but they can be dangerous to your computer. Taking precautionary measures will result into minimal chances of your computer being infected with a Virus.

Make a smart decision.

There are Anti Virus softwares which you can download for free such as AVG, Panda etc. But there are also some which you need to buy before you can use them. Compare their advantages and disadvantages.

You may be getting a free anti virus protection but it does not satisfy your needs. Or you may decide purchasing one but you are on a tight budget.

Think of what you need from an anti virus protection, get information on the prospect software, make a comparison and then decide which one to download or purchase.

Know your Anti Virus Protection.

Once you have installed an Anti Virus program, ensure that you know the basic information regarding the software. Read the manual or user guide as a starter.

Then use the internet to look for other helpful information about the anti virus protection.

Furthermore, you can seek assistance from the Customer Service of the software provider if available.

Regularly Perform Virus Scan.

Depending on your anti virus settings, you can do a quick scan everyday just to ensure that your computer is clean from any viruses. A full scan is not recommended as an everyday online habit specifically if you do a lot of things when online.

A full scan is very slow because it will check all the files on your computer. While a quick scan will just check the important sectors on your computer.

Always update your Anti Virus Protection.

Everyday, a new virus is being introduced. Thus, it is important that your anti virus software is updated so that it can detect and repair the newest virus.

Some anti virus programs have automatic update functionality. This means that every time you have internet connection, your anti virus program will be updated. But if yours does not have that setting, then you may need to run an update regularly.

There is no need to worry too much about viruses because there are just some things you need to know and do to ensure that your computer is safe and secure. Have enough knowledge about viruses and anti virus protection to have a safer online experience.

Article Source: http://www.where-to-find.net

Top 10 Ways To Make A Computer Run Faster

by: Brooks Carver


Today I am going to be talking about different ways you can make a computer run faster. There is actually a lot you can do yourself that will boost your PC's performance. So lets take a look at different ways we can remedy that slow computer of yours!

1. Free Up Disk Space

A great way to make a computer run faster is to free up some disk space. Windows comes with a disk cleanup tool that helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete without messing anything up, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.

How to use disk cleanup tool.

* Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.

* In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list. (If you have multiple hard drives you will have to select which one to scan.)

* Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.

* When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click OK.

2. Use Defrag Tool

When you add a file or a new program to a new computer, the hard drive is relatively empty so new data is saved to the hard drive in one whole block. When you need to use that information, the computer can quickly access it because it is all in one place. Defragging your system is definitely a way to make a computer run faster.

How to use defrag tool.

* From the start menu point to "all programs"
* Point to "Accessories"
* Point to "System Tools"
* Click on "Disk Defragmenter"
* The disk defragmenter will display the hard drives on your computer. Just select and click Defragment.

3. Get rid of spyware

Definition

Spyware is software with malicious intent - by design; it does something bad to your computer. Usually, it gets installed without your knowledge. It sometimes takes advantage of the fact that most people click "I Agree" to software licenses without reading them.

The only way to get rid of spyware is to have some kind of scanner, sort of like an anti-virus. In order to make a computer run faster and keep it safer your going to need an anti-spyware program. This is tricky, a lot of the spyware programs out there are malicious and will actually add viruses and spyware to your computer by using the "spyware scanner and blocker". So please remember to be very careful when choosing your anti-spyware program.

4. Find and repair disk errors

Detect and Repair Disk Errors

In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.

How to run the error checking utility.

* Click Start, and then click My Computer.
* In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
* In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
* Click the Check Now button.
* In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
* If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.
Tip: Only select the Automatically fix file system errors check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.

5. Get an external hard drive

Adding an External Hard Drive to your computer will allow you to clear out a lot of the things you don't need to be storing on your normal hard drive.

A great example would be your music or pictures. All those songs and pictures are sitting on your computer making it go slower. You will see a decline in your computers performance as soon as you use over half of your hard drive space.

Moving all your songs or pictures to your external hard drive will free up a lot of space on your main hard drive. You can even move applications such as photoshop or games.

An external hard drive is also handy because it is portable. You can unplug it from your computer and take it to a friends house and plug it in there, sharing photos and pictures very easily.

This is truly a great way to make a computer run faster.