The best way to remove a virus – and how to avoid and prevent infection

Having a PC or laptop infected with a virus can mean a lot more than a slow running machine that crashes without any notice. Your personal or professional information could be compromised making the user a prime target for identity thieves and other unscrupulous persons around the globe.

The best offense in virus removal is a good defense. There are specific steps you can take to keep viruses and other malware at bay. With a Windows operating system, it is imperative to keep it and other programs up to date. Install service packs and other updates as soon as they become available. If you have an older model of Windows strongly consider an upgrade. The later versions of Windows have better safeguards against malware and the software engineers at Microsoft spend considerably more time constructing solutions for Vista and Windows 7 than they do any other version. Java and your browser are two more applications that must be updated as soon as new versions become available.

Email is one of the most common ways viruses proliferate through computer networks. Never open an email from someone you do not know and never, ever open with one with an attachment or worse yet; open the attachment. At the instant the attachment is opened, the damage is done and one or more computers (especially yours) will be infected immediately. Never follow any link contained in a strange email, it most likely will direct you to a site filled with malware that will infect a computer the moment the browser loads it.

Once your computer has contracted a virus, action will have to be taken to remove it or the problem will only become worse. Unless you’re lucky enough to have a software engineer for a spouse you’ll most likely have to purchase some kind of anti-virus software solution. There are a number of freeware solutions out on the market, but the fact is you’ll most likely get what you pay for with one of these applications and it’s possible to even make things worse. The best course of action is buy a reliable and well-reviewed virus-removal software to fix the problem. Two of the top virus-removal software solutions on the market today are Norton by Symantics and McAfee. Both of these products are well documented as effective against all types of malware and they are updated on a regular basis to guard against new outbreaks.

By using good common sense users can avoid viruses and other malware, and the best course of action is to buy anti-virus software before one infects your computer.

For more advice about viruses and virus removal or to buy the latest virus protection software pop into our store or contact us.

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