In part one (A Clear Understanding of Virus Protection: Part 1) we reviewed how viruses are delivered and installed. Now to the solutions.
Preventing Computer Viruses and Malware
Now that you understand the problem, the solution can be quite simple.
The answer is to create a single administrator user with a password on the computer, and make your user a standard account. This will make you stop to type in that administrator password before any major computer change, program installation or update.
The advantage of this is that you can be almost 100% certain that you will not get a virus unless you enter that password. By using common sense, after understanding how viruses are delivered, you can now make very good decisions about installing trusted programs and updates vs. installing a potential virus.
The Role of Antivirus Software
I recommend using Microsoft Security Essentials because it is very lightweight, it is updated automatically with Windows, and it is included in the cost of Windows.
The other antivirus software on the market are commonly VERY DESTRUCTIVE to the operating system and they slow everything down. Frequently we find that antivirus software is the cause of a web browser not working and other major problems.
Due to the fact that we have seen thousands of computers avoid viruses with just the user account settings and no antivirus software, antivirus software has become a secondary issue.
If your computer is slow or you think you have a virus…
If your computer is already a mess and you suspect it has malware or viruses we can help you get it back up and running quickly with a clean install of Windows while keeping all of your data and configuring your Outlook, QuickBooks or any other programs you need set up.
