Melinda Cooper's Blog

This week was definitely Clear! I have to say I have had my share of computer “viruses”. According to many articles I read, computer viruses have always been surrounded by a mystery. With the majority number of viruses circulating the online world, people are always wondering where they come from or what they are. Viruses have the potential of causing a considerable amount of damage to your computer if your system is infected. The viruses themselves are written for one main reason; to reproduce. It does so by typically spreading from one computer to another. They are generally designed to cause damage by deleting data and performing malicious acts such as changing or inserting data on your computer. The threat of computer viruses is forever growing, which makes it ever more important that when you choose an anti-virus program for your computer, you choose the right one. There are many anti-virus programs out there. Of course some are more popular than others. That said popularity is not always essential. A few things I think that should being taken into consideration when choosing an anti-virus program for your computer are as follows; how frequently are virus definitions updated? Clearly, the more updated the virus definitions are, the better the chances are of you being able to prevent your computer from becoming infected. Secondly, does the software automatically update the virus definitions? Generally, there is nothing wrong with manually updating the virus definitions. However, since viruses tend to spread quickly, it is much better to have the virus definitions updated automatically. Having them updated automatically not only ensures that your virus definitions are being updated but it eliminates the possibility of you forgetting to manually update them. Thirdly, can you configure the software to check for updates whenever you go online? Your computer can become infected by a virus any time you go online, whether you are checking your email or just logging onto a website. The best way to protect your computer from viruses when you go online is to choose anti-virus software that can be configured to check for updates when you do go online.
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As you read, anti-virus software is almost a must if you own or are planning on owning a computer. There are tons of software programs out there. You just have to make sure you read the fine print, and then carefully select the one that fits your needs. There are of course free programs out there, but don’t expect them to be near as good as something you would purchase. Remember the Golden Rule, “you get what you pay for”. My advice is to make an investment when picking anti-virus software. It will save you a lot of heartache, time, and money in the future.