So what is the big deal with a virus scanner anyway? This is a question you might ask yourself if you haven't spent a great deal of time with Windows based computers.
To begin with it is a big deal. If you're willing to just take my word for it, then I suggest that you download and install AVG Free. That will keep you safe from most viruses floating around. Additionally, it will cost you nothing, update itself and has what's called a realtime scanner which is pretty important if you just want to 'Set it and forget it'.
If you're not willing to take my word for it, you might want to check out this article by the BBC pointing out that the number of computer viruses out and about number greater than a million. That means there's any one of a million ways to get your computer infected by one of these nasties. Getting infected can be as benign as getting a pop-up window telling you it's Hitlers' birthday, to as malignant as sending questionable people your creditcard info or bank login details. In any case, a virus hijacks your computer to use it for purposes other than your own. Even the benign viruses can cause harm by clogging your internet connection up by sending out copies of itself by email to your friends and family with the intent to infect them as well. In this case, not only do you end up with a very slow internet connection, all your freinds and family end up with one too! An example of a virus that sent itself by email like that was the ILOVEYOU virus. It caused an estimated $5 billion in damages. That should be enough to convince anyone that keeping your computer virus free is important.
Installing a virus scanner isn't the only thing you can do to keep your computer clean. There are some simple things you can do in your day to day computer usage that will help keep you safe:
- Don't open email attachments from people you don't know
- Be wary of email attachments even from people you do know
- Before you download a program from the internet, ask yourself if the site you're getting it from is reputable
- Go and get Firefox and use it instead of Internet Explorer
I'll go into the details of why using Firefox is a good idea in another article. Suffice it to say that it doesn't have the same kind of hooks into your computer, so if you surf to a website that comprimises your browser, it doesn't comprimise your entire computer as well.
Finally, there are a couple of other free virus scanners that might like to know about. Avast! is another anti-virus product that has a realtime scanner which you may want to try out, though I have found it to get a little too insistent on getting my attention at times. AntiVir is another you may want to try out, though I haven't used it at this point so I don't really have much of an opinion on it.
Thanks for reading and have a safe time on the internets!
