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By Molifeney contributor Vaughn Sanders
If you are like a lot of us, your computer is an extension of yourself. I'm sure you take every precaution to keep yourself free of viruses. Doesn't your computer deserve the same? Plus calling the Geek Squad to come clean your infected computer is no fun and those cats are not cheap. Spend the money up front so you don't have to on the back end.
If you're using a computer running Microsoft Windows, you should also be running antivirus software. I single out Microsoft Windows because viruses are more prevalent than on a Mac or for geeks like me who uses Linux.
A computer virus is a program that may be place on a computer with or without the knowledge of the computer user. The virus program can be placed on the computer through email, usb disks, web pages and various other methods. Virus programs can be created to email itself to everyone found in an address book, attach to existing word or excel documents, steal passwords and even delete entire hard drives. Since most computers are connected 24/7 to high speed connections to the internet, viruses can spread much faster.
The job of an antivirus program is to detect and eliminated these viruses before they cause any damage to the system. There are several choices of antivirus programs. The most popular are McAfee and Symantec. Their antivirus products cost about $40 for the software and a year's subscription to updates. When the year expires, another subscription will need to purchased or have the software upgraded. New viruses come out daily and the antivirus program needs to be updated regularly in order to stay abreast of the latest threats. These programs update on their own as long as the machine is on and connected to the internet.
McAfee and Symantec are good programs but there are also some less well known alternatives. Even though they are not as well known, they are just as good, if not better, than McAfee and Symantec. AVG Antivirus, NOD32, Kaspersky and Avant are all good programs that can be considered.
In order to keep your documents and financial software safe, it is important to have a good antivirus program. The program must be regularly updated and scan for viruses a least once a week. If you don't have something in place right now, it's important that you fixed this issue as soon as possible.
Have a computer security questions? Hit Vaughn up at
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