How Method To Avoid Virus Infection?

1.Install anti-virus software from a well-known, reputable company, UPDATE it regularly, and USE it regularly. New viruses come out every single day; an a-v program that hasn't been updated for several months will not provide much protection against current viruses.

2.In addition to scanning for viruses on a regular basis, install an 'on access' scanner (included in most good a-v software packages) and configure it to start automatically each time you boot your system. This will protect your system by checking for viruses each time your computer accesses an executable file.

3.Virus scan any new programs or other files that may contain executable code before you run or open them, no matter where they come from. There have been cases of commercially distributed floppy disks and CD-ROMs spreading virus infections.

4.Anti-virus programs aren't very good at detecting Trojan horse programs, so be extremely careful about opening binary files and Word/Excel documents from unknown or 'dubious' sources. This includes posts in binary newsgroups, downloads from web/ftp sites that aren't well-known or don't have a good reputation, and executable files unexpectedly received as attachments to E-mail or during an on-line chat session.

5.If your E-mail or news software has the ability to automatically execute JavaScript, Word macros, or other executable code contained in or attached to a message, I strongly recommend that you disable this feature.

6.Be _extremely_ careful about accepting programs or other files during on-line chat sessions: this seems to be one of the more common means that people wind up with virus or Trojan horse problems. And if any other family members (especially younger ones) use the computer, make sure they know not to accept any files while using chat.

7.Do regular backups. Some viruses and Trojan horse programs will erase or corrupt files on your hard drive, and a recent backup may be the only way to recover your data.

Ideally, you should back up your entire system on a regular basis. If this isn't practical, at least backup files that you can't afford to lose or that would be difficult to replace: documents, bookmark files, address books, important E-mail, etc.