How to Avoid a Virus Attacking Your Computer?

In this article I will explain every tip you can use to avoid and minimize any virus attack. Virus and its variants like worms and Trojans are very harmful to your computer. They can delete your data, mess your office documents, download application without your knowledge, and modify your Windows system and registry files. This activities in turn can make your computer fails to run normally or even don’t work at all because it fails to boot due to complete system failure, not to mention all of those important documents that are gone. You must be irritated by these.

In a time when data exchange traffic is very high and there is almost no spot where a PC is not exposed to the World Wide Web, it is no wonder that to be completely freed by any virus attack someone can advise you to completely disconnect your online access. But doesn’t it remind you of “The Village”? A movie from M. Night Shyamalan that pictures a small community that builds a village far from main society after the elders being paranoia with all of the cruelty there are. Sadly, this extreme effort doesn’t work either. Because not only the fear of the outside world itself has been consuming them day and night, but also the isolation from main society has abandoned them from all access including critical medical treatment.

So this is what I want to emphasize: with all the advantages of World Wide Web has to offer and the concept of rapid information data interchange itself, it is our lost to completely isolate ourselves from the main limelight. So accept the World Wide Web with open arms and embrace it. But, equip yourself with the best knowledge and application to avoid from being another victim. These are my simple tips and steps to avoid virus attack:

1. Avoid visiting and downloading file from suspicious and dangerous websites. These websites usually include those that contain adult content and websites that sell or offer illegal serials and cracks. These kind of websites usually have so many suspicious popup windows and applications that upload automatically without our knowledge. There are so many other websites that do just like this. But fortunately, some major web browsers like Mozilla Firefox can offer a significant security defense for sightseeing of what lies ahead before you click a link or continue entering unknown addresses. Its enhanced security method will warns you if the site is unsecure.

2. Avoid using file sharing application if your system is not equipped with adequate protection. Even if you do have, you need a very best of them to get you protected from virus that lurking in the channel. It is because there is almost no guarantee that the file you are accessing and downloading are virus free since it comes from unknown and untrusted source. Furthermore it might be the virus itself. If what you want to do is downloading music, just go directly to iTunes or Rhapsody.

3. Deactivate autorun function for all removable media drives like floppy drive, optical drive, and flash disk. You need to do this because even the most advanced virus out there is still need a trigger to run, be it a click from your mouse, a command from a recognized program, or a command from Windows itself such as commanding a newly inserted media to run its autorun program. Autorun specifically designed to make us enjoyed content automatically: CD music and DVD movies played automatically by your favorites multimedia player application, data files automatically explored by your Windows Explorer, and your new bought application directly bring you to the front window. But what if the autorun program is the one that you don’t want at all like virus? So it is better to leave autorun function unactive.

4. Whenever receiving emails, do not open the one that you don’t sure where it comes from. Especially if the title are suspicious and the email contain attachment. So please don’t be flattered so fast when there is an email from someone you don’t know with intimate title like “Love letter for you”. For extra safety, use email client that support advance security integration that prevent any active content or remote images popups automatically. If you are using offline email client like Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird, make sure your Antivirus support email scanner function. This will guarantee your antivirus have the capability to access and scan the incoming emails.

5. Do not open CD or any optical disk from someone you don’t know, especially if it’s home made. Unlike general assumption, optical disks can easily become the medium of virus. Because not like the old days when CDs are only produced by large corporate who have a far better protection, nowadays CDs and DVDs can be produced easily in any house in the world with very poor protection of virus.

6. When all is done, make sure that you update your antvirus database in daily basis and scan your entire system in weekly basis. Better still, find antivirus that not also have additional features of antyspyware and antispam protection, but also offers firewall function. Thus it will be your ultimate protection from the wild wild world of data exchange traffic we called as world wide web.