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Is Your Computer Sick?

by: Jim Edwards

� Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
http://www.thenetreporter.com
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Viruses and spyware usually show up on your computer one of
two ways.

Either they invade your system with a frontal assault like
the Huns attacking the Romans, or they sneak in a back door
like a cat burglar.

Either way, once a virus or piece of spyware gets on your
system, getting it off can rate harder than curing a severe
case of trench foot!

Viruses, malicious programs designed to disrupt normal
computing, and spyware, programs intended to literally "spy"
on your activities, can enter your computer a number of
ways.

Most commonly they enter your system through an email
attachment, by sharing files with an infected computer by
disk, as a "ride along" with a 3rd party program you
install, or through a "back door" port in your computer.

Regardless of how they get on your system, once in place,
they cause no end of headaches and frustration.

The following represent typical signs you may suffer from
infection by a virus or piece of spyware.

Your computer starts acting oddly by doing things it never
did previously.

Your modem starts trying to dial out to the Internet without
you initiating a surfing session.

You notice that files start disappearing, the system stalls,
runs slowly, or even crashes frequently.

Your computer takes progressively longer to boot up every
time you start it or you notice that your available hard
drive space has disappeared. Strange popup windows appear,
even when you're not surfing the web, or you delete a
program and it "magically" reappears next time you boot the
system.

If you suspect you a virus or a piece of spyware has invaded
your computer, follow these steps to first identify and then
delete the offending code:

Step 1 - Back up your important files, but remember to scan
these files for viruses before reinstalling to avoid
accidentally re-infecting your system.

Step 2 - Update your anti-virus definitions and perform a
scan of your hard drive.

If you don't carry virus protection, or you suspect your
anti-virus software got corrupted somehow, then log on to
www.pandasoftware.com and use the free Panda Active Scan
service to check your hard drive for viruses.

Follow the instructions for quarantining and removing the
offending files.

Step 3 - Scan your hard drive with an adware, scumware, or
spyware detection and removal tool like Adaware
www.lavasoft.de/support/download/ or Spybot
http://spybot.safer-networking.de/.

Step 4 - In many cases, when the virus or spyware program
gets installed with a free utility or game you download from
the Web, you must usually uninstall the utility or game to
finally get rid of the problem once and for all.

Step 5 - Avoid re-infection by keeping your anti-virus and
firewall up-to-date at all times.

As a last resort, if you run into a program you simply can't
get rid of, but can figure out the offending file's name, do
a search for the file name on Google.com. Often you will
find you're not the first victim and may get valuable advice
for cleaning up your system.

However, be very careful of the information you find and
think twice before modifying any system files.

About the author:
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the
co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how
to use fr^e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted
visitors to your website or affiliate links...

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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.

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