Submitted by katie on Wed, 02/02/2011 - 14:39
- Be extremely cautious when opening email attachments. It is best to avoid opening any attachment received from an unknown source. If you need to do so, you should first save the attachment to a folder on your computer, then open the appropriate application (such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat) yourself. If you use the programme's File menu to open the attachment manually, rather than double-clicking the file or allowing your email programme to open it automatically, you are less likely to contract a virus.
- Consider the possible risks before inserting removable media, such as CDs, DVDs and USB memory sticks, into your computer. You should first check that your anti-virus programme has the latest updates and that its scanner is running. It is also a good idea to disable your operating system's 'AutoPlay' feature, which can be used by viruses to infect your computer. Under Windows XP, this can be done by going inside My Computer, right-clicking on your CD or DVD drive, selecting Properties and clicking on the AutoPlay tab. For each content type, select the Take no action or Prompt me each time to choose an action options then click OK.
- You can also help prevent some virus infections by switching to Free and Open Source software, which is often more secure, and which virus writers are less likely to target.
