All About Computer Virus

Article Navigation

Click Here for more articles

How To Take Care Of Your Laptop Computer

by: Joe Chianese

As the proud owner of a laptop computer, you'll want to keep
your machine in the best possible condition.

Aside from cleaning your screen and dusting the keyboard,
however, you'll need to take a few extra steps to maintain
your laptop's health:

-- Play it cool

A laptop computer generates a lot of heat, especially when
running the latest high-powered software. Too much heat and
you risk damaging the internal circuitry.

Always try to keep your laptop in a well-ventilated, cool
environment. And ensure you don't block the fan grills on
the sides, back, or bottom of the machine at any time.

-- Handle the screen carefully

Avoid touching or playing with your LCD screen.

Yes, it might be fun to watch the waves generated by your
finger against the screen, but LCD displays are fragile
devices that must be cared for.

Take care when cleaning the screen too, and use only
approved cleaning materials.

You won't want to pay the money for screen repairs or, even
worse - a new machine entirely.

-- Don't drop it

Whatever you do, don't drop your laptop computer! Keep it
safe inside of a carrying case when moving around or
traveling.

Don't leave it on the edge of a table or on an unstable
support of some kind. One ill fated drop to the floor could
spell death for your mobile office.

Try to make sure the rubber feet underneath are in good
condition and are still attached. This will prevent the
device from sliding around accidentally.

-- Be careful with those drinks...

If you need to have a drink while working or playing, be
careful not to spill it.

Your laptop computer could suffer the consequences from just
a few drops of liquid poured in the right places.

While you probably do eat and drink around it regardless,
you will want to occasionally wipe down the edges, the
keyboard, the touchpad, and maybe even wipe down the screen
to keep any dirt from accumulating.

-- Just say no to viruses

Security wise, make sure you obtain an anti-virus program.

Secondly, keep it updated!

Buying an anti-virus one month and not updating it for the
next six really negates it purpose. Your laptop computer
could be exposed to hundreds and thousands of new viruses
every month if you don't update your virus definitions.

Most anti-virus programs have automatic update methods,
eliminating the need for you to have to remember to do it
manually.

-- Avoid Popups

Pop-ups are particularly annoying on a laptop computer.
Trying to close a bunch of windows without a regular mouse
can be a nuisance.

You'll want a pop-up blocker, such as the Google Toolbar
(located at http://tools.google.com), to prevent these pop-
up ads.

Many intrusive forms of advertising, and even some viruses,
can install software on your machine by using various forms
of pop-ups. It's best to get yourself a blocker and avoid
the situation entirely.

-- Use a firewall

Always utilize a firewall on your Internet or network-
enabled laptop computer. Even if you use Windows XP's built-
in firewall (or purchase one from such companies as Norton),
your security will greatly benefit from it.

Blocking out all the unnecessary ports and closing all the
loopholes will prevent a hacker or virus from freely
entering your hard drive.

So there you go. Combine all of the above tactics and help
your laptop enjoy a happier and healthier lifestyle!

About the author:
Joe Chianese is a technical writer and frequent contributor to HowToBuyALaptop.com For advice on how to find the right laptop computer for you, visit:

Circulated by Article Emporium

Read Articles:

5 Mac Security Tips You Can�t Live Without

Looking after your Computer

Computer Hardware Preventive Maintenance Softwa...

How to reduce Computer problems?

Internet Scams 101 -- Attacking You Through You...

Anti Spam at the Enterprise Level

The Difference Between Spyware and Viruses

How to protect yourself from online attack

Are You A Spam Zombie?

Does it worth to backup emails from clients lik...

Registry Cleaner: Protection for Your PC

Reclaim Your PC from the Internet Spies

The Quickest Way I Know To Secure Your PC-Safet...

5 Critical Steps to Protecting Your Computer on...

The Opera alternative

How to Find What You Want with Google

How to Increase Your Computer Speed Fast

Malware: Computing's Dirty Dozen

Is "Spyware" Watching You?

5 Steps to Remove Spyware for Free

Network Security 101

Crouching Trojan, Hidden Malware

Spyware - Is Your Computer Safe?

Protect Your System From the Internet Evils

Could Your Email Compromise Your Safety?

How to Prevent Online Identity Theft

Does Microsoft Show Hackers How To Attack?

The Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should ...

COMPUTER COURTESY

Hackers And Hoaxes

More Article Pages 1 - 2 - 3

Top 10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Computer Viruses
by: Jim Faller

As more and more people are becoming comfortable using their computers at school, home or in the office it�s only a matter of time before they encounter a computer virus. Here are our top 10 steps to protect you from computer viruses.

Use a high quality anti-virus program. There are many different anti-virus computers programs on the market some of them are better than others. Look to reputable computer magazines or websites for ratings to help you find the one that matches your needs.

Always use your anti-virus software. Make sure your anti-virus software is always turned on and scanning, incoming and outgoing email messages, and any software programs you run.

Keep your antivirus programs up to date. Most programs come with a yearly subscription make sure you take advantage of the updates. More advanced programs allow you to schedule updates or full system scans for �off hours� like 2AM when you aren�t likely to be using your computer.

Keep your computer up to date. From time to time operating systems fall victim to security holes or issue updates. Make sure you check periodically to make sure you are running stable up to date versions of your software.

Backup your data regularly. Most windows computer users keep their documents in the �My documents� folder. This makes it easy to back up all of your important documents. Make weekly or monthly copies to CD or USB drives.

If you use floppy disks or USB drives on public computers like your school computer lab, Kinko�s, or even digital photo printing store make sure you scan them for viruses. Public computers are notorious for not being up to date and properly protected.

Be wary of email attachments. Treat any email attachment as potentially dangerous. Never open attachments from people you weren�t expecting. Also be careful of attachments from people you know but weren�t expecting. Many computer viruses replicate themselves by reading the contacts from an infected computer.

Use text email if possible. While HTML email is prettier and allows you more control over formatting it also can carry computer viruses. If you use text based email the only way to get a virus is by opening an attachment.

Use downloaded freeware and shareware files or software with caution. Try to download them from popular reputable sources that scan the programs before they are uploaded. To make sure you are safe scan the program before you install it on your computer.

Be wary of links in IM or instant messaging software. Don�t accept invitations from people you don�t know and never click a link from someone you don�t trust, they can easily redirect you to another website that will try to install a virus on your computer system.

This Static Spot is open for sponsor

This Static Spot is open for sponsor