Scanning for Viruses and Malware - Hints and Tips

Every computer needs to have both virus-scanning software and malware-scanning software installed and regularly updated. There are several excellent free products that you can download and use. We do!

Always download from a reputable site, such as www.download.com. They make sure the software is clean - as one of the popular ways that the bad guys spread viruses and malware (spyware, adware, keystroke-loggers, etc.) is from free downloads of software, music, and other files.

All anti-virus software, even the free ones, update themselves automatically. However, some of the free anti-malware products have to be updated manually. But since you need to scan once a week, it is no problem to remember to update the definitions before performing your scan if you want to save the money.

You also need to run a virus scan on a regular basis - weekly is best. Besides being used as a scanning tool, your anti-virus software also monitors for viruses real-time and alerts you when a virus is encountered.

Before performing your weekly virus scan, get into the habit of cleaning up temporary files first. See our blog Cleaning Up Disk Space.

What should you do when your anti-virus software alerts you to a virus during a scan? First, go to the Internet and search for the virus by name. Read all you can about it; there may be specific instructions on how you should go about removing it.

If you do not find any specific instructions, then, as a rule, give your anti-virus program a chance to repair the infected file if given that option. If that does not work, or is not an option, then quarantine the file. As a last resort, let the anti-virus software delete the file.

To greatly reduce your chances of getting a virus or other PC-crippling badware, follow the advice in our popular tutorial Smart Rules for Using the Internet.

►  Take a look at some of our other interesting posts, such as Using the Paintbrush (Format Painter) in Microsoft Office ... (it's pretty cool!)